Bren]." In an interview in 2011, Bren summarized his real estate investment strategy: "What I learned was that when you hold property over the long term, you're able to create better values and you have something tangible to show for it." Forbes, in its 2019 edition of "The 400 Richest Americans", ranked Bren as the wealthiest real estate developer in the US and 32nd "Richest American" with an estimated net worth of $17 billion. Bren is often criticized for monopolizing the real estate market in Orange County since he owns an entire city. Some hold Donald Bren responsible for the unreasonable rise in home rental prices, which affects real estate values in Southern California. It is believed that the Irvine Company owns more than 120 million ft.² of real estate – the majority of which is located in Southern California. The company's holdings include several hotels, marinas, golf courses, 550 office buildings, 125 apartment complexes and more than 40 shopping centers. He currently owns a 97% stake in the MetLife Building in Manhattan. Philanthropy In 2008, BusinessWeek named Bren one of the top ten philanthropists in the nation, with his contributions to various causes such as education, conservation and research among other areas exceeding $1 billion. In 2010, Bren was honored with the National Philanthropy Day of Orange County "Donald Bren Legacy of Giving Award." At the time Bren spoke about his work in philanthropy, saying that "I do try to bring the same level of attention to both my philanthropic and business ventures." Education Bren has donated more than $200 million to support programs in K-12 public schools and higher education institutions in Southern California. Many of Bren's contributions have benefited universities in California, including the University of California, Irvine, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Chapman University. At the University of California, Bren "has contributed more to support endowed chairs than any other single donor in UC's history." Privately and through the Donald Bren Charitable Trust, he has directed contributions to support its faculty and programs. At UC Irvine, the Bren Events Center, the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and the recently built Donald Bren Hall are named after him, honoring his patronage of the school. The University also named its Claire Trevor School of the Arts after his stepmother. Additionally, UC Santa Barbara named Bren Hall and the Bren School of Environmental Science &