ULI has appointed David Faulkner as its new president for the Asia Pacific region. Faulkner, who most recently was managing director, valuation and advisory services, at Colliers International in Hong Kong, takes the position immediately, leading the Institute’s activities across Asia Pacific. Faulkner will lead members and staff to deliver impact programs such as Advisory Services and UrbanPlan, as well as the region’s virtual and in-person events program, including the REImagine virtual forum, the ULI Asia Pacific Convivium, and the ULI Asia Pacific Summit, which next year will be held in Tokyo in May.

Industry experts from around the world convened both online and in person at the 2020 ULI China Mainland Summer Meeting in July. While many speakers were bullish overall, opinions were mixed on traditional office and retail as the economy recovers from the global pandemic.

ULI MEMBER–ONLY CONTENT: Despite the challenges facing the retail sector in 2020, South Florida’s Aventura Mall has continued to reinvent itself as a retail destination.

Total new home sales in master-planned communities tracked by RCLCO are up over 16 percent from a year earlier, despite the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the company’s midyear survey. The 50 top-selling master-planned communities (MPCs) in the country sold almost 7 percent more homes than the communities that made up last year’s top 50 list, according to RCLCO data.

Marnix Galle, executive chairman of Belgian developer Immobel, has been appointed ULI Europe Chairman, serving on a voluntary basis for a two-year term starting on July 1, 2020, and will join the ULI Global Board of Directors. He succeeds outgoing Europe Chairman Juergen Fenk, member of the executive board, SIGNA Holding GmbH.

ULI is renaming its annual $100,000 J.C. Nichols Prize as the ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. The change represents part of the Institute’s ongoing effort to address and assist in remedying the legacy of social and economic harm caused by some real estate practices.

Jonathan H. Brinsden, chief executive officer of Houston-based real estate investment and development firm Midway, has been appointed ULI Americas Chairman. Brinsden, who succeeds Jack Chandler, founder of Majesteka Investment Holdings, will serve on a voluntary basis for a two-year term and will join the ULI Global Board of Directors.

The two towers of CIBC Square are rising on either side of the busy rail yard and train platforms of Toronto’s Union Station. A new park will span the air between the two buildings, bridging the gap over the train tracks.

Ten communities bring contemporary design approaches to housing for seniors.

The ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing has created a Home Attainability Index, designed to support ULI district councils, local municipalities, and members of the development community who are working to address longstanding challenges related to home affordability. Attainable housing and income segregation remain major challenges for families and communities across the United States.