The number of women who have joined ULI has more than doubled in recent years, from 20 percent of ULI’s nearly 28,000 members to more than 13,000 female members, which equates to 29 percent of the organization’s 45,000 members. In celebration of this growth, Urban Land is spotlighting some trailblazing women in commercial real estate, all of whom are members of the ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative. Julie Smith, chief administrative officer at Maryland-based Bozzuto and a former ULI District Council Leader, is among them.

Since 2022, five ULI district councils—ULI Colorado, ULI Los Angeles, ULI New York, ULI Louisiana, and ULI Philadelphia—have participated in a long-term effort to tackle climate resilience, equity, and land use issues through the second Resilient Land Use Cohort (RLUC2), hosted by ULI’s Urban Resilience program.

During the summer of 1910, W. Ashbie Hawkins, an African American lawyer, purchased a home at 1834 McCulloh Street, an affluent—and all-white—neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland. He rented the home to his law partner (and brother-in-law), George McMechen, an African American graduate of Yale Law School.

Los Angeles attorney George Fatheree III—who made national headlines for aiding members of the Bruce family in the return of beachfront property that was taken from their ancestors, nearly a century ago, through eminent domain—is embarking on a new venture, his own social impact fintech, ORO Impact.

Documenting the legacy and contributions of African Americans both now and in the past in building the United States as it is known today.

Whether they are increasing representation of women in the real estate industry, educating students and public officials about development, or helping local communities find solutions to their infrastructure needs, the programs that donors support by contributing to the ULI Foundation have a powerful impact.

Developer Quintin Primo, who has done more than $14 billion worth of transactions over his decades-long career, is currently eyeing revitalizing Chicago’s Loop in his hometown, among other projects.

Almost all commercial real estate firms have diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in place in their organizations, with the number of firms adopting formal strategies increasing 5 percent year-over-year, according to the third edition of the Global Real Estate DEI Survey released in January.

Despite the challenges in finding funding, many experts agree that the benefits ofhaving diverse developers in communities of color and across the entire real estate landscape is critical.

Savills chairman and CEO demonstrates the interdependence of driving revenue and DEI