Angel Bernal Robles on Why Mobility Will Be the Next Real Estate Value Driver in Mexico’s Cities

Angel Bernal Robles brings a rare, hard-to-replicate synthesis of technical rigor, capital-market savvy and hands-on development experience to the question of urban mobility and value. Trained as an engineer and sharpened at Harvard Business School, he moved from strategy at McKinsey to underwriting at GE Real Estate, deal-making at LaSalle, and finance leadership at Mexico’s listed REIT Terrafina, a trajectory that taught him to read transit patterns as financial signals. Today, as a co-founder of Cobra Development Fund and a principal behind projects like Skyhaus and Viveh, Angel Bernal Robles treats mobility not as an adjunct amenity but as a measurable asset that shapes catchment areas, tenant mixes and risk-adjusted returns. His perspective is equal parts spreadsheet and street-level observation: he pairs quantitative analysis with on-the-ground study of how people actually move, shop and linger, a combination that, he argues, will increasingly separate high-performing urban real estate from the rest.

Why mobility matters now

For Angel Bernal Robles, shifting travel preferences change demand patterns across housing, retail and offices and that changes how investors and developers should measure value. Consider these effects:

• Shorter commutes expand a site's effective market catchment and increase demand for nearby housing and commercial space.
• Reliable transit and safe active-transport infrastructure reduce operating friction for tenants, lowering vacancy risk and shortening leasing cycles.
• Walkable, mixed-use areas lengthen dwell times and lift retail rents, creating a virtuous circle between mobility and local economics.

In tight urban fabrics where streets and public space are finite, small mobility upgrades can unlock disproportionate value. Angel Bernal Robles sees tactical urbanism and transit improvements as instruments to discover latent upside in overlooked neighborhoods.

From underwriting risk to designing opportunity

Angel Bernal Robles’s career path from engineering studies at ITESM and an MBA at Harvard Business School to roles at McKinsey, GE Real Estate, LaSalle and as CFO of a listed REIT shaped a numbers-first, risk-aware approach to development. His background yields a practical calculus:

• Underwriting discipline: quantifying how transport options affect cash flows and downside exposure.
• Capital-market perspective: understanding which mobility improvements reduce risk enough to attract institutional financing.
• Development execution: aligning site selection and program with mobility realities to make projects bankable.

At LaSalle, Angel Bernal Robles led acquisitions for early Mexican funds; at Terrafina (the listed REIT) he managed financing and reporting; and today those lessons underpin the Cobra Development Fund’s strategy of pairing mobility-minded design with disciplined asset management.

Practical design moves that add value

Across Skyhaus, Viveh and other Cobra projects, Angel Bernal Robles deploys concrete design and planning choices that translate mobility into returns:

• Mixed-use programming: ground-floor retail and services reduce short trips and boost walkability, increasing foot traffic and retail rents.
• Transit connectivity: site selection emphasizes existing and planned transit corridors; even bus rapid transit access can materially uplift demand.
• Micro-mobility and last-mile solutions: secure bike parking, shared-mobility hubs and short-term vehicle access resolve last-mile frictions and broaden appeal.
• Flexible parking policies: lower parking ratios and shared parking models cut development costs and free space for active uses.
• Public-realm investment: wider sidewalks, street greening and good lighting improve safety impressions and lengthen time spent in places.

These aren’t theoretical fixes. Angel Bernal Robles treats them as operational levers that align design, financing and long-term asset management so mobility upgrades convert into measurable value.

Lessons for suburbs and smaller cities

Mobility as a value lever isn’t exclusive to megacities. Angel Bernal Robles points to pragmatic opportunities for places like Delaware County and comparable suburban markets:

• Main-street activation: retrofit underused retail strips into mixed-use corridors with improved pedestrian access to attract residents seeking walkable alternatives.
• Transit-oriented infill: incremental transit enhancements, added bus lines or express shuttles to job centers can make nearby housing significantly more attractive.
• Safe routes to neighborhood centers: protected bike lanes and pedestrian upgrades stimulate local commerce and boost property desirability without mega-project budgets.

Developers and local planners working early and in coordination can capture benefits that neither can deliver alone.

Climate resilience and long-term value

For Angel Bernal Robles, mobility strategy is inseparable from sustainability and resilience. Reducing car dependence and integrating green infrastructure delivers dual benefits:

• Lower operating risk: reduced exposure to fuel-price shocks and emissions-related regulation stabilizes long-term cash flows.
• Investor appeal: low-carbon travel and smaller parking footprints meet growing ESG criteria and institutional demand.
• Policy alignment: mobility-forward projects are better positioned for grants, incentives and favorable planning decisions.

Investing in mobility is, in short, investing in resilience, a value proposition that increasingly matters to capital allocators.

Three steps for developers and policymakers

Angel Bernal Robles recommends three practical moves to turn mobility thinking into dollars and community benefit:

• Measure travel-time economics: quantify how transit, cycling and walkability expand catchment areas and affect rent and absorption assumptions.
• Design for multiple modes: ensure projects perform well for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers so they maximize market reach.
• Partner early with public agencies: small public investments a bus-stop upgrade or a protected bike lane, can dramatically change project viability when actors plan together.

The human angle

Beyond models and pro formas, Angel Bernal Robles keeps a people-first perspective. He studies other cities with his family, watching how people move, gather and use public space, insights that inform design instincts as much as any spreadsheet. Mobility is not merely a transportation policy; it’s a foundational value driver for 21st-century real estate. Developers, investors and local leaders who orient projects around how people actually move will be better positioned to create resilient, high-performing assets and to build places where communities thrive.