At ULI’s 2011 Fall Meeting in Los Angeles last month, the J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development—an opportunity for the Institute to recognize a distinguished professional whose work is transforming the built environment—was awarded to His Highness the Aga Khan for the breadth of his organization’s development and restoration efforts throughout the developing world.

The Trepp LLC survey showed spreads coming in as much as 25 basis during the most recent survey period, evidence that the market, so far, is able to function with the Euro-crises playing out in the background.

Local food is a hot topic. From community gardens that provide healthy food and a place for neighbors to meet, to resorts and tourist attractions that feature regular farmers markets and restaurants with farm-to-table dinners, the popularity of food and its source is driving real estate development in not-so-subtle ways. Read more to learn what some developers are doing to capitalize on this trend.

In recent years, there have been numerous marketing articles and communication strategy workshops on the need to have a social media presence. This need is validated by the tens of millions of hotel reviews on websites like TripAdvisor, where travelers give their feedback about hotels, effectively serving as an unpaid focus group. Read more including two case studies, to learn about this increasingly important trend.

Due to recent turmoil in the debt and equity markets as a result of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, there is a trend toward stable assets in safe-haven locations, which tend to hold liquidity, and a move away from poorer-quality real estate. Read more to learn what Joe Montgomery, chief executive of ULI Europe, has to say about the likely trajectory of deals over the remainder of the year.

Recently, the American Planning Association released its annual list of “Great Places in America”—including ten great streets in big cities like Washington, D.C., and small towns like Galena, Illinois.

The Trepp LLC survey showed spreads coming in as much as 15 basis during the most recent survey period, evidence that the market, so far, is able to function with the Euro-crises playing out in the background.

The Trepp LLC survey narrowed a bit during the most recent survey period. Deals appear to be closing on time, on schedule, and at quoted rates. Our sources say commercial real estate mortgages are being quoted in the low 5’s to high 6’s range at maximum loan-to-value ratios of 65 percent.

Teams from 245 buildings around the country are going head to head in this year’s U.S. EPA Energy Star National Building Competition. Although the winner will be chosen based on which structure realizes the largest percentage reduction in energy use, the competition is also intended to highlight the importance of sustainability and to share best practices case studies.

Ten years ago, U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927–2003) was named laureate of the ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. In recognition of the anniversary of 9/11, Urban Land publishes this edited version of an interview with Moynihan from that year’s Fall Meeting in Boston. Read his message of hope, determination, and commitment to vibrant urban environments.