Recent Articles

• Smarter Zoning Choices Could Stimulate Growth in Greater Boston’s Housing Stock

  October 11, 2019

  With an unemployment rate of 2.6 percent, a diverse economy anchored by health and education institutions, and a flourishing tech and life sciences sector, Greater Boston appears poised for continued growth, even with the specter of a potential recession on the horizon. But, like many other growing U.S. cities, the demand for housing far outstrips the supply. Much of the expanding workforce is in danger of being priced out of the market, as are many longtime residents.

• UL Interview: ULI Global Chairman Owen Thomas

  October 7, 2019

  Owen D. Thomas, chief executive officer of Boston Properties, one of the nation’s largest real estate companies, is ULI’s current global chairman. A ULI governing trustee, a ULI Foundation governor, and a ULI member for more than 30 years, Thomas recently spoke with Urban Land about his career and his priorities for the Institute.

• Promoting Diversity in the Real Estate Industry with WLI Prologis Achievement Awards to Female Real Estate Professionals

  October 7, 2019

  Ten outstanding female real estate professionals were recognized at the recent ULI Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., as the 2019 recipients of the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) Prologis Achievement Award. Recipients of the prestigious award were hosted at the meeting by senior WLI members, who are serving as mentors to the awardees to help them advance in the industry and strengthen their engagement with the Institute. The WLI Prologis Achievement Award is part of the Institute’s focus on increasing diversity and inclusivity throughout the Institute and the industry.

• Accommodating Atlanta’s Future Growth: Rethinking Land Use to Make Better Transportation Decisions

  October 7, 2019

  By 2040, metro Atlanta is projected to grow by 2.5 million people, bringing it to 8 million people, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission. Understanding how transportation and land use can accommodate this increase was one of the subjects discussed at a recent ULI Atlanta event. The event was cohosted in partnership with Perimeter Connects and the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts.

• What Does the Farmer Say about Agrihoods?

  October 7, 2019

  Farm-centric master-planned communities are a hit with buyers, but it takes skill and planning to keep the agriculture in bloom.

• ULI Forecast Predicts Continued Modest Growth Ahead through 2021

  October 7, 2019

  The persistent theme over the current economic cycle of “lower for longer” growth has contributed to a record expansion cycle that has surpassed 10 years. Results from ULI’s latest “Real Estate Economic Forecast” show that trend is likely to continue into 2021, said panelists speaking on a webinar discussing the survey results.

• ULI Forecast Says Longest U.S. Economic and Real Estate Expansion to Continue through 2021

  September 30, 2019

  Although real estate economists have tempered their view on economic growth over the past six months, according to the latest ULI survey data, they continue to forecast positive GDP growth, slower but solid job growth, and steady real estate markets and returns through 2021. This is despite the U.S. yield curve inverting (often a harbinger of a recession), an escalation of the U.S.-China trade dispute, and slowing economic growth in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom and Germany.

• Product Council Outlook for Suburban Development and Redevelopment

  September 27, 2019

  What are the possibilities for bringing urban-style living to the suburbs? ULI members discuss the challenges of integrating a mix of uses, how suburban jurisdictions can foster more development, and other trends.

• Planning for Two Transformative Waterfront Developments on San Diego County’s Chula Vista Bayfront

  September 27, 2019

  Like bookends, two major developments are transforming southern San Diego County’s city of Chula Vista on its most eastern and western fronts: the 535-acre (216 ha) Chula Vista Bayfront development on the San Diego Bay, and Otay Ranch, which will provide nearly 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) of master-planned, multiuse development, with a projected population of more than 110,000.

• Bringing More Voices to Conversations on Race, Gentrification, and Development

  September 24, 2019

  Using a facilitated conversation format honed at previous ULI meetings, the “fishbowl” at ULI’s Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., brought together 12 experts to discuss the natural tension between cities’ need to encourage housing and economic development—and the community backlash that often results from specific proposals.

• Despite Trade Issues, Opportunities Expand Across Asia Pacific Region

  September 24, 2019

  Despite the shock of a trade war between the United States and China, the economies in the vast Asia Pacific region are projected to keep growing—as are the opportunities to invest in commercial real estate. Huge investments in infrastructure are helping keep these economies growing.

• How Four Developers Are Blending Social Equity and Health Concerns into Future Projects

  September 24, 2019

  With health and social equity becoming an increasing focus in the real estate industry, four prominent developers speaking at the ULI Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., highlighted ways in which they are prioritizing these issues in their corporate strategies, portfolios, and projects.

• City Officials and Real Estate Leaders Look to Collaborate on Addressing Climate Change

  September 24, 2019

  More than 50 cities now have set the goal of 100 percent reliance on renewable energy for the future. With buildings accounting for 75 percent of U.S. electricity consumption, achieving these commitments will require the active participation and cooperation of the real estate sector. Public officials from New York City and Washington, D.C., sat down with real estate and business leaders at the ULI Fall Meeting to address ways to collaborate on battling climate change.

• Sustainability Rises as a Goal for Warehouse Developers

  September 23, 2019

  Developers are under more pressure than ever to include features in their buildings that are good for the environment, good for their workers, and good for the surrounding community, said experts speaking at the ULI Fall Meeting.

• Meeting Housing Needs, Building for Social Equity Are Key Factors for Successful Cities: Says 2019 ULI J.C. Nichols Laureate Alejandro Aravena

  September 20, 2019

  While cities attract people who want better opportunities, rapid urbanization could create political and national security crises unless adequate housing is provided in ways and in areas that foster social equity, said Alejandro Aravena, winner of the 2019 J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. Aravena, partner and founder of ELEMENTAL, an architecture firm in Santiago, Chile, was a featured speaker at the Fall Meeting.

• Mayor Bowser Seeks to Create 36,000 New Housing Units in Washington, D.C.

  September 20, 2019

  Using available land is a key strategy for filling the District of Columbia’s need for affordable housing units, Mayor Muriel Bowser said at ULI’s Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C. Bowser recently articulated her vision to construct 36,000 additional housing units in the District by 2025.

• ULI Global Chairman Owen D. Thomas Outlines Priorities for Institute

  September 20, 2019

  ULI Global Chairman Owen D. Thomas, whose chairmanship began July 1, shared his priorities for the Institute with Fall Meeting attendees during the event’s closing session Friday. “No other organization comes close to ULI in terms of sharing expertise and best practices that shape the built environment around the globe,” Thomas said. “I look forward, along with ULI’s capable staff led by [ULI Global Chief Executive Officer] Ed Walter, to building on the work of my predecessors and taking ULI to the next level of excellence.”

• Could Some Cities Benefit from Migration Driven by Climate Change?

  September 20, 2019

  In the years to come, as increasingly high temperatures, rising sea levels, and an increase in the intensity of hurricanes and other storms make it more difficult to live in coastal areas, the United States may see a wave of internal migration, as people and businesses relocate to where climate change’s effects are not as severe. That could turn cities such as Cincinnati into “climate havens,” boosting their populations and opportunities for development, according to a pair of speakers in a presentation on migration trends and their effects at ULI’s 2019 Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C.

• Competition for Talented Employees Requires Design of Excellent Office Environments

  September 20, 2019

  The business performance of the organizations that occupy the nation’s office towers is increasingly supported by building design that creates excellent employee experiences and work environments. Office buildings must evolve to meet the current demands of the new workplace, according to panelists discussing the future of work at the Fall Meeting.

• Reinventing Urban Social Nodes

  September 20, 2019

  A ULI Fall Meeting session explored new ways of activating social nodes in urban spaces, using experiential design to allow cities’ social infrastructure to evolve. These new “nodes” include ever-evolving urban markets, multifunctional libraries, and even bank cafés.