At a defining moment, the executive chairman of Belgian developer Immobel addresses how COVID-19 may change society and real estate.

Beginning in the 1950s, the Interstate Highway System began to span the continent, connecting cities across the United States and driving suburban development. But in many cities, these highway projects also physically divided communities and paved over neighborhoods. A ULI webinar hosted by the Curtis Infrastructure Initiative in September gave an update on the status of such projects in three cities—Atlanta, Austin, and St. Paul.

ULI MEMBER–ONLY CONTENT: The Port of San Francisco’s 20-year, multibillion-dollar vision for the waterfront is designed to be adaptable to rising sea levels far into the future.

As urban spaces grapple with a global pandemic, designers should embrace the notion that safe places need not be clinical spaces, said urban strategist Barrie Barton during a keynote speech in early September at the ULI Asia Pacific REImagine conference, highlighting a hospital and an office tower in the region with nontraditional design touches.

Two new ULI reports provide possibilities for expanding and enhancing parks through collaborative partnerships and the transformation of spaces for cars into places for people. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of community outdoor spaces. Parks, trails, streets closed to automobiles, and public plazas have been some of the only places that have allowed people to maintain physical distance while still being able to exercise, relax, play, gather in small groups, or make short trips safely—crucial activities for lowering stress levels, reducing symptoms of depression, and maintaining physical health.

Two urban parks—Domino Park in Brooklyn, New York, and Trojan Park in Wellston, Missouri—have been selected as winners of the 2020 ULI Urban Open Space Award.

This year, Urban Landprofiled each finalist for the 2020 ULI Urban Open Space Award. The winners have been announced and Domino Park is one of the two winners.

Arup has developed a report, commissioned by the Canadian Standards Association, analyzing the state of the high-rise modular construction industry. Demand for modular construction in North America has increased in response to urbanization, pressure on housing affordability, construction labor shortages, and persistently stagnant construction productivity.

Thirteen outstanding real estate development projects have been selected as winners of the 2020 ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence. The winners, each of which demonstrates a comprehensive level of quality and a forward-looking approach to development and design, include four projects in China, two in Hong Kong, two in Australia, two in Singapore, and one each in India, Japan, and New Zealand.

This summer, Urban Land is profiling online and in print each finalist for 2020’s ULI Urban Open Space Award. The winner(s) will be announced in the fall. Learn more about award-winning and innovative open-space projects as part of the 2020 ULI Virtual Fall Meeting.