The Energy Foundation has awarded ULI, via the ULI Foundation, a $200,000 grant to promote activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of a partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Natural Resources Defense Council. With this grant, the Institute will facilitate the engagement of its district councils, which serve members at the local level, in activities related to the American Cities Climate Challenge.

Washington, D.C., has the best city park system in the United States, according to the Trust for Public Land’s eighth annual ParkScore index, which was released in May by the nonprofit organization. Saint Paul ranked second, and three-time defending champion Minneapolis dropped to third.

New ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager building performance calculation adjustments, which will take effect on July 22, will cause a slight increase in cold-weather buildings’ ENERGY STAR scores, reflecting feedback from the real estate industry on an unanticipated large drop in ENERGY STAR ratings over the past year.

The population of Columbus, Ohio, is growing rapidly, now surpassing that of San Francisco, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2018. Central Ohio is on a path to become a region of 3 million people by 2050. In light of the expected growth, local leaders, including the chairman of ULI Columbus Yaromir Steiner, commissioned the Corridor Concepts Report to better understand how to promote thoughtful development.

A new ULI report says that setting up a publicly/privately owned development company will be crucial to unlocking the regeneration of Haven-Stad, which sits close to the city center of Amsterdam and is set to become one of Europe’s largest inner-city mixed-use residential districts. The city hopes to achieve a new mixed-use, dense, and sustainable urban district with 70,000 homes and 58,000 jobs across 12 sub-areas. On completion, Haven-Stad will be comparable to other medium-sized cities in the Netherlands.

As pop-up outdoor dining and alleyway murals become more commonplace, three speakers at 2019 ULI Florida Summit advocated for a more crafted approach to placemaking by infusing projects with local art and entertainment. Led by Carol Coletta, senior fellow with the Kresge Foundation, the session on creative placemaking examined what has—and has not—worked.

Three game-changing projects in central Florida were highlighted during the 2019 ULI Florida Summit, with each taking a long view of remaking historic spots while gauging next-generation needs, including education needs in the region and the shifting needs of retail and industrial uses.

Pragmatism and caution have defined China’s 40 years of economic reform, and this steady progress is set to continue, said Shui On Group chairman Vincent Lo speaking at the 2019 ULI Asia Pacific Summit. Lo—who has been investing in China real estate for more than 30 years—said that the nation’s approach can be summed up by the aphorism “cross the river by feeling the stones.”

The evolution of the workplace is being driven by changing demands and the power of big data, said speakers representing developers, designers, futurists, and millennials at the 2019 ULI Asia Pacific Summit in Shanghai.

ULI Philippines is creating the first ULI Library outside the United States in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Manila. Named the BGC–ULI Public Library for Urban Sustainability (BU+PLUS), the new facility will be located on the covered roof-deck penthouse area of the De La Salle University Rufino Campus. The library is scheduled to open by the third quarter of 2019.