Pioneering Feminist Had Wide Influence in Industry

Gruen analyzed the way alternative policies can influence the economic well-being of a region.

SAN FRANCISCO—Nina Jaffe Gruen, matriarch, principal behavioral analyst and sociologist, pioneering feminist and art connoisseur, made many contributions to the commercial real estate industry. Gruen was known as Ms. Real Estate to GlobeSt.com readers of her monthly column, Dear Ms. Real Estate, and she published more than 80 articles. Gruen also served on the ALM editorial advisory board.

As executive vice president of Gruen Gruen + Associates, Gruen specialized in the application of sociological, demographic and other social research techniques to marketing, planning and public policy problems. She designed and directed a broad variety of studies utilizing these techniques to probe into the attitudes, motivations, preferences and behavior of important groups for both public and private sector clients. Gruen used these techniques to help define product and geographic markets for antitrust and land use litigation cases. She also analyzed the way in which alternative policies are likely to influence the economic well-being and land use of a community and region. Gruen’s work led municipal clients to adopt public policies and infrastructure programs that revitalized areas in California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, Florida, Illinois and Ohio.