Bill Freeman sets out for his morning strolls early. The avid Boise, Idaho, walker strategically navigates the city’s north Vista Avenue corridor, avoiding certain difficult intersections.

A combination of necessity and desirability has made Asian cities the world leaders in vertical living.

More than 30 of the nation’s leading multifamily developers, owners, and capital providers gathered in May to discuss issues facing the industry at the 2nd annual ULI/Carolyn and Preston Butcher Forum on Multifamily Housing in Houston, Texas, with four key themes emerging.

Designing more human-centered communities requires “moving beyond intentions of what we hope to create to finding ways to actually engage with people [in order] to get there,” said designer and architect Liz Ogbu, speaking at ULI’s Housing Opportunity Conference in Minneapolis last week.

The latest issue of Urban Landis now available for download via the app. If you have not downloaded it before, you can do so now at no charge. The cover package for this issue is titled “Crafting Authenticity: Designing retail spaces that consumers embrace.”

Increasing density must form a key tenet of urban planning policy if cities are to tackle the pressure that migration is placing on housing, employment, and the environment, leading urban economist Edward Glaeser said during a ULI panel discussion in London. Launching ULI Europe’s program of work on density and the urban environment, the Harvard University economics professor and ULI Trustee said restrictive policies on the growth of cities will be increasingly harmful.

Generation Y’s needs, preferences, and desires will have a huge impact on almost every facet of the American economy, said panelists at the ULI Spring Meeting.

In an Urban Land opinion piece, Mariela Alfonzo, founder of State of Place, argues for the economic development potential for walkability in places like Houston.

Many Americans face significant community design-related barriers to living a healthy life, according to ULI’s new report America in 2015, with more than half saying they cannot walk to shopping and entertainment in their communities.

For those of you who have already downloaded the Urban Landapp for tablets and smartphones, the latest issue is now available. In addition to the Apple and Android app stores, you can now download the magazine on your Kindle Fire and Windows 8 devices.