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Hurricanes damage and disrupt communities, properties, and economies in various ways, whether direct, indirect, or both. Translating these impacts into credit risk and other financial implications can be complex. However, a range of tools and analyses enables lenders, investors, and developers to pre-emptively anticipate hurricane damage when a storm approaches, as well as to adjust long-term strategy to mitigate risks and seize opportunities over time.

On September 30, 2024, green banks, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), nonprofits, tribal organizations, state and local governments, and coalitions nationwide received funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), a historic $27 billion investment by the United States federal government to mobilize private capital to combat the climate crisis. As the GGRF is activated, Americans have an array of policies, standards, tools, and data, plus more than a decade of experience, as well as much greater political support for action on climate and social equity issues.

During his keynote address to the 2024 ULI Singapore Annual Conference, more than 300 participants gathered at the Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay to hear Oliver Lim, chairman of StarHub and the Singapore Tourism Board—based upon his 35 years’ experience in real estate, banking, and leadership—how land and real estate shaped Singapore’s path as a nation.

With insights and research from a ULI Technical Advisory Panel and ULI’s Terwilliger Center, the Austin Housing Conservancy fund, a revolutionary approach to preserving workforce housing, was born. Now known as the Texas Housing Conservancy, the fund became the nation’s first to combine a nonprofit investment manager, Affordable Central Texas, with an open-end private equity fund.

At ULI Chicago’s October gathering at the new 73-story 1000M apartment tower, located at 1000 S. Michigan Ave., key members of the building’s development, architecture and construction teams hosted a tour of the project and enlightened attendees with a panel discussion on the history behind the skyscraper’s signature cantilever.

Experts from Hines, JBG Smith, and Gensler anchored a McKinsey & Company panel, Reimagining mixed-use districts: strategies for new developments in an ever-changing world, at the 2024 ULI Fall Meeting last month. Panelists explored innovative ideas and case studies to illustrate how to make complex mixed-use projects work in today’s market.

After a quiet first half of 2024, CMBS originations increased 59 percent in Q3 on a year-over-year basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Quarterly Survey.

Kansas City’s Berkley Riverfront, on the banks of the Missouri River, is rapidly becoming one of the most promising urban developments in North America. With a history rooted in trade and commerce, and an unmatched reputation for world-class sports, the Heartland of America riverfront is on the brink of becoming a diverse, modern-day community hub of activity, blending residential, commercial, and recreational space.

Seasoned executive shares passion for the built environment

A recent announcement from the Atlanta city government has once again sparked conversation around the redevelopment of a once-vibrant mall in Atlanta’s historic West End neighborhood.

Real estate economists’ outlook on the U.S. economy and real estate markets improved throughout the year as economic data remain strong and real estate values and performance seem to be nearing bottom. Survey responses indicate that a soft landing has become the consensus view. The Fall 2024 ULI Real Estate Economic Forecast, a semiannual survey of economists and analysts, marks a shift toward greater optimism for real estate performance in the near term, with recovery taking shape in 2025.

Joseph E. Brown, a pioneering landscape architect, urban planner, and ULI Life Trustee who championed innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration to solve challenges in the built environment, has passed away at the age of 77. A ULI member for more than three decades, Brown served in many leadership roles in the organization and was a tireless champion of his home district council, ULI San Francisco.

“Investors are increasingly looking at airports as lucrative opportunities,” said Steve Forrer, chief investment officer at Aviation Facilities Management Company. “When you position an airport development correctly, it can draw in a wide range of businesses, from tech startups to established global firms,” he said.

Conversions of office buildings for residential uses are becoming increasingly viable in some regions. According to Steven Paynter, a principal at Gensler who leads the firm’s global building transformation and adaptive use practice, office-to-residential conversions are viable in 25–30 percent of the buildings his team analyzes.

Home to almost 700,000 people, Vancouver is known for its gleaming residential towers, striking natural beauty, and dense development. However, like many progressive urban centers on the west coast, it has also struggled with significant issues that threaten the quality of life for its residents, including persistent homelessness and lack of affordability.

By leveraging multifaceted expertise, teams can develop robust solutions that address multiple challenges with less effort. This approach leads to design interventions that generate co-benefits, strengthening resilience by considering it in every aspect of the project.

The outlook for the European real estate market is cautiously optimistic despite growing geopolitical uncertainty and concerns about economic growth, with London, Madrid, and Paris emerging as the standout performers, according to a new report by PwC and the Institute.

On Wednesday, during the ULI Fall Meeting’s final day at Resorts World Las Vegas, a panel of commercial real estate experts gathered onstage in the Resorts World Theater to forecast the industry’s trajectory through 2026.

The ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing has announced two winners for this year’s Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award, as well as two winners for the Terwilliger Center Award for Innovation in Attainable Housing.

Las Vegas, the driest major metropolitan area in the U.S., exemplifies the challenges of urban water management in arid regions, according to Colby Pellegrino, deputy general manager of resources for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), the local water provider for the greater Clark County area, which serves about 2.3 million residents and 41 million annual visitors.

Released during the Institute’s 2024 Fall Meeting in Las Vegas, Emerging Trends in Real Estate® North America predicts Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami as leaders in 2025

The Institute’s Terwilliger Center for Housing has selected the state of Florida’s ‘Live Local Act’ as the winner of the 2024 ULI Robert C. Larson Housing Policy Leadership Award

Covid-19 may have caused a precipitous decline in convention crowds in 2020, but it did not halt long-range plans to overhaul and expand convention centers in a number of key U.S. cities. Today that foresight is bearing fruit with grand new facilities able to host larger industry and trade gatherings than ever before.

Against the iconic backdrop of Hong Kong’s skyline, a room filled with cross-disciplinary real estate experts engaged in a lively display of unprecedented collaboration. Brightly colored sticky notes plastered across the floor-to-ceiling windows mapped out an intricate web of relationships between developers, tech providers, facility managers, investors, utilities, and more. The pioneering systems change workshop was piloted by ULI APAC Greenprint and aimed to address a critical challenge: how to accelerate climate tech implementations that will lead to long-term sustainability.

According to the second annual C Change Survey, 93 percent of respondents report incorporating transition risks into their real estate investment decisions, indicating the industry’s growing awareness and commitment to integrate climate-related financial risks into decision-making processes.

As we approach Election Day on November 5, issues such as the shortage of affordable housing and climate change are top of mind for many voters. When it comes to the cost of living, an unprecedented increase in home prices and surging rent are affecting both renters and homeowners. Adaptive reuse, particularly in urban areas, must be considered as a solution to mitigate these pressing matters, especially in an older city such as St. Louis, Missouri, which was founded in 1764.

Once a sprawling expanse of uncharted land, Las Vegas, Nevada, has evolved into the entertainment capital of the world, a gaming super-hub, and a premier destination for sports. This remarkable transformation didn’t happen overnight; it stemmed from decades of strategic planning, investment, and visionary zoning recommendations.

A new report by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Heitman, a global real estate investment management firm, explores the impact of rising insurance costs on commercial real estate, strategies for managing those costs, and related considerations for industry participants.

Obsolete buildings will constitute up to 50 percent of all new housing in cities

The construction landscape has largely held steady across the United States and Canada.