The real estate firm Prudential Douglas Elliman released a report recently that looked at real estate prices and figures over the past ten years, and DNA Info noticed that the numbers pointed to an interesting new trend in the Manhattan condo market. More families are moving into condos in Manhattan than ever before. Traditionally, New Yorkers move out to the suburbs once they decide to have children, but judging from the number of three- and four-bedroom condos that sold in Manhattan from 2002 to 2011, those families are now eager to be in the city itself.

Mayor Bloomberg has always had an unshakable faith in the power of the free market, entrepreneurship, and the nascent tech-industry. Perhaps that’s why he’s doubled the budget of a little known government body during the course of his administration, giving over $500 million in taxpayer dollars annually for capital projects. It's time to get familiar with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, an organization specifically designed to stimulate the economy of New York City, but one that is controversial insofar as it straddles the murky area between the public and private realm, making it powerful and inaccessable at the same time.

If there is ever a bigger complaint that New Yorkers have about commuting by public transportation in the city, it would most likely be driving and finding viable parking options in Manhattan. The Department of City Planning recently revealed a report on the parking trends in Manhattan over the last three decades and the numbers are glum to say the least. The number of legally designated off-street parking in Manhattan has declined by close to 20 percent (from 127,000 to 102,000) since the 1980s. For many buyers who are looking to purchase a luxury condo in Manhattan, the inclusion of an on-site parking garage is just as big a deciding factor as a fireplace or walk-in closet. Contrary to intuitions however, many developers are reluctant to incorporate residents parking in new residential constructions.

The early winter months always come with a string of market analysis meant to gauge how Manhattan real estate trends will play out over the next year. We wrote earlier about overall trends experts predict will dominate headlines in 2012. Now the Real Deal has compiled the market trends that have been playing out since January, with commentary from industry players on how we can expect those trends to advance. Over the past month, ultra-luxury Manhattan condos have been doing as well as they did in 2011, while mid-priced condos in the $3 to $5 million range have shown marked improvement. Condos priced lower than that have been sluggish, suggesting that most people who want to buy prefer the extensive room and building amenities high-end apartments provide.