Edward T. McMahon

Ed McMahon holds the Charles E. Fraser Chair on Sustainable Development at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C. where he is nationally known as an inspiring and thought provoking speaker and leading authority on topics related to sustainable development, land conservation, smart growth, and historic preservation. As the Senior Fellow for Sustainable Development, McMahon leads ULI’s worldwide efforts to conduct research and educational activities related to environmentally sensitive development policies and practices. Before joining the Urban Land Institute in 2004, McMahon spent 14 years as the Vice President and Director of Land Use Planning for The Conservation Fund in Arlington, Virginia where he helped to protect more than 5 million acres of land of historic or natural significance. He is also the co-founder and former President of Scenic America, a national non-profit organization devoted to protecting America’s scenic landscapes. Before that, he taught law and public policy at Georgetown University Law Center for 9 years, and served in the U.S. Army, both at home and abroad.

What is the fastest-growing means of transportation in the United States? The bicycle, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. People bike for many reasons—better health, recreation, transportation, to save money, to run errands. But the biggest reason that bicycling is booming in the United States is the growth in bicycle infrastructure.
In November, voters across the United States endorsed numerous state and local ballot measures approving additional funding for green space, land conservation, and public transportation.
Why are food and agriculture becoming more important parts of real estate development projects? Attendees at a session at the 2016 ULI Fall Meeting in Dallas learned that growing, processing, and selling food in development projects can pay big dividends for savvy developers as well as for consumers, communities, and the environment.
From rooftop gardens, to edible landscaping, to farm-focused developments, to urban food markets, to breweries in once-derelict industrial spaces, attendees at the ULI Fall Meeting heard experts talk about how food is transforming marginal real estate and underused spaces in new and dramatic ways.
Tourism is a critical factor in the U.S. and world economies. “The impacts of tourism on a community can be beneficial if planned and managed, or extremely damaging if left without controls,” says Michael Kelly, former chairman of the APA’s tourism planning division.
ULI senior fellow Ed McMahon conducted a question-and-answer session with John Major, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, about the Olympics, healthy places, and global urbanism. Major is scheduled to speak at the ULI Asia Pacific Summit in Tokyo at this year’s Leadership Dinner.
While voters were deciding on control of the U.S. Congress and several state houses, they were also voting on 146 ballot measures, many of which benefited plans for smarter growth and green space.
Neighborhoods with small-scale historic buildings can be economic and cultural powerhouses when given a chance to survive and evolve.
Compared with the old gray-blue box that has saturated suburban and small-town America, the new urban Walmarts in Washington, D.C., are a remarkable departure.
Healthy Places: Designing an Active Colorado is a five-year, $4.5 million initiative sponsored by the Colorado Health Foundation. The CHF and its local partners asked ULI to conduct Advisory Services panels in each of the three selected communities. The following are some of the lessons learned.
Members Sign In
Don’t have an account yet? Sign up for a ULI guest account.