Destination Crenshaw, a transformative 1.3-mile (2 km) infrastructure project scheduled to open in fall 2022, was the focus of a ULI Los Angeles virtual event in July, highlighting plans to boost the Crenshaw community through economic development, job creation, and environmental healing while elevating Black art and culture.

Supported in part by the Urban Land Institute, the Diversity in Commercial Real Estate Virtual Summit brought together more than 450 attendees in November. The focus of this year’s summit was diversifying the commercial real estate industry from the executive leadership and entrepreneurial perspective. In past years, the summit drew primarily from the greater New York City area, but by going virtual it was able to attract a larger pool of attendees and speakers.

ULI Boston/New England and other local partners recently hosted a webinar designed to provide actionable steps to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within the commercial real estate industry. Citing research by McKinsey & Company, speakers said that companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity on their executive teams were 33 percent more likely to experience above-average profitability than companies in the lowest quartile.

How D&I principles worked in the development of the Omni Boston Seaport Hotel.

Lamont Blackstone, chairman of the board of Project REAP, the nation’s leading diversity initiative focused on the commercial real estate industry, shares his thoughts on why the commercial real estate (CRE) industry lagged behind other economic sectors in embracing diversity.