Four Writers Named Winners of Apgar Awards

ULI has announced Rives Taylor, D. Jamie Rusin, Sean Slater, and Ryan Call as joint recipients of the 2014 ULI Apgar Urban Land Award.

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From left to right: Sean Slater, director of retail and mixed use of ELS Architecture and Urban Design in Berkeley, California; Apgar Award namesake Mahlon “Sandy” Apgar, IV; Rives Taylor, director of sustainable design at Gensler.

ULI has announced Rives Taylor, D. Jamie Rusin, Sean Slater, and Ryan Call as joint recipients of the 2014 ULI Apgar Urban Land Award, which recognizes industry articles of practical value published in Urban Land magazine. The winners are being honored this week at ULI’s Spring Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Taylor, a principal at Gensler, was recognized for his article “Minimizing Risk in an Era of Resilience,” which appeared in the January/February 2013 issue. Rusin, principal; Slater, director of retail and mixed use; and Call, senior associate, all at ELS Architecture and Urban Design, were recognized as coauthors of “New Suburbanism: Reinventing Inner-Ring Suburbs,” published in the May/June 2013 issue.

The award recognizes the authors of Urban Land articles published during the previous calendar year that best advance the mission and priorities of ULI. Presented annually from 1991 to 2006, the award was reintroduced in 2012 with the intent of encouraging entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals to communicate their ideas, knowledge, research, and experience for the benefit of the entire real estate community.

“This year’s ULI Apgar Urban Land Award winners tackled two key issues which are topical to ULI’s mission—resilience and suburban infill development,” said ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips. “Both articles combined interesting insights with practical advice to provide readers with not only an interesting read, but also with ideas they could implement in their own organization.”

Taylor’s article highlights the impact of natural disasters on the built environment and provides practical advice for real estate investors and developers on how they can mitigate risk. The article is divided into sections examining what property owners need to consider depending on whether they are reviewing an existing asset, acquiring a new property, or assessing a development opportunity. The article also examines larger investments such as master-planned developments. The full article can be read at urbanland.uli.org/sustainability/minimizing-risk-in-an-era-of-resilience/.

The winning article from the ELS team focuses on the opportunities and challenges for infill mixed-use development in inner-ring U.S. suburbs. It uses examples of best practices from across the United States to examine a wide range of issues, including mixed-use design challenges, creation of an authentic environment, and new approaches to incorporating cars and parking into pedestrian-friendly design. The full article can be read at https://urbanland.uli.org/planning-design/new-suburbanism-reinventing-inner-ring-suburbs.

The ULI Apgar Urban Land Award was created by longtime ULI member and current ULI governor Mahlon “Sandy” Apgar in order to highlight and recognize the high quality of writing in Urban Land magazine. A $500 honorarium is presented to the winning authors. Articles are judged on the criteria of relevance to current land use and development issues; strength of the authors’ analyses; perceptiveness of the authors’ reasoning; clarity of presentation; and overall contribution to the advancement of ULI’s mission and current priorities.

Peter Walker is ULI director of communications.

Peter Walker is the publisher of Urban Land and ULI’s senior vice president, Communications, Member Insights and Engagement, based in London.
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