ULI Global Chairman Tom Toomey closed the record-breaking 2018 Spring Meeting by outlining advancements in ULI’s new strategic direction. In a general session presentation, he announced the appointment of longtime real estate executive Edward (Ed) Walter as the new global chief executive officer for the Institute, and the approval of a member-created Global Strategic Plan to guide ULI’s growth and leadership going forward.

In December, Moody’s Investors Service issued a report encouraging cities to invest in climate adaptation and mitigation. Cities will be evaluated in the future at least in part on how they prepare for both short-term climate “shocks” and longer-term trends associated with climate change. Moody’s is the largest credit rating agency to date to publicly outline how it evaluates climate change risk and integrates it into its credit rating assessments.

The University Center adds 375,000 square feet (35,000 sq m) of academic and student space to the New School’s Greenwich Village campus. The 16-story center houses design studios, laboratories, interdisciplinary classrooms, the main university library, a nine-floor student residence, an 800-seat auditorium, a café, and flexible academic and social spaces.

At its core, New York City is one of the most walkable places on Earth. But a recent analysis showed the vast majority of the New York metro area is not very walkable—even compared with other U.S. cities, like Boston; Washington, D.C.; or even newer cities like Atlanta.

Downtown Manhattan got a new architectural landmark last week, with the opening of architect Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub. The distinctive structure with wing-like ribs connects the PATH commuter trains from New Jersey to the New York subway system, as well as the trans-Hudson ferries. Take a virtual tour with this video by Bloomberg Business.