Panorama Park, atop Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco, features Point of Infinity, a 69-foot-tall sculpture by Hiroshi Sugimoto, which is part of a comprehensive public art program and emerging public park collection. ULI San Francisco was the recent host of the 2025 ULI Fall Meeting.
(Kaare Iverson)
Whether you’re planning for the coming week, year, or even decade, the key question to ask is: What’s next? But in an era both fraught with uncertainty and brimming with opportunity, it is an increasingly complicated question to answer.
Members around the world look to ULI and to each other for help navigating this complex landscape and staying ahead of the curve. The insights, connections, and collaboration found at ULI can mean the difference between being overtaken by the pace of change and riding the wave of new opportunities.
Nowhere are questions about the future more relevant than in San Francisco—a living case study in urban resilience and reinvention, the world capital of technological innovation, and our host for the 2025 ULI Fall Meeting.
After being one of the hardest hit gateway markets during the pandemic, the city is now on an upswing. ULI and its members have contributed to breathing new life into downtown San Francisco, from an Advisory Services Panel in 2023 to the Market Street Reimagined competition spearheaded by the local District Council this summer. Now we are excited to experience firsthand the progress made and possibilities still ahead.
In the face of economic volatility, government policy shifts, rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) tools, growing risks and costs of extreme weather, and other challenges, we need to be bold in our thinking about what’s next for cities and how people live, work, and play.
That means leveraging technology and embracing change. It means working across disciplines, sectors, and geography to address challenges. It means thinking outside the box and taking risks to advance sustainable, livable, and thriving cities.
In partnership with our members, ULI champions innovation, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. Together, we are meeting the moment, as evidenced by our programs, initiatives, and engagements at the local, regional, and global levels. We are delivering insightful discussions, relevant content, and practical solutions that drive positive change in areas such as downtown revitalization, housing attainability, disaster recovery, resilience, sustainability, education, professional development, and inclusive excellence, among others.
Cities face common challenges worldwide, and our members often find the best answers by tapping into the vast reach and deep expertise of ULI’s global network to learn from each other about the solutions, innovations, and opportunities they encounter.
A critical tool to prepare for what’s next is the annual ULI/PwC Emerging Trends in Real Estate® series. Now in its 47th edition, the U.S./Canada report is set for release at the Fall Meeting, accompanied by an expert panel discussion on the main stage as well as a series of deep dives into the findings. The latest Asia Pacific, Europe, and Global Outlook editions will soon follow.
Emerging Trends in Real Estate® offers rich analysis, exclusive insights, and market outlooks—but ULI members bring the reports to life by convening, sharing knowledge, offering thought leadership (including in these pages), and building on the reports’ trends and insights at local events hosted by District and National Councils.
Because ULI members highly value such member-driven content and programming, we are reimagining how we deliver these key priorities. Member leaders on our Program Committee are working to bring forward the most engaging, insightful, and practical Spring and Fall Meeting sessions. Similarly, our Content Committee is
revamping our strategy for content development and delivery so you always have the most timely, relevant, and impactful information at your fingertips.
These are some of the ways ULI staff and leaders are working together to strengthen ULI, enhance the member experience, and deepen our collective impact on the built environment.
At the same time, we need to look beyond the here and now and ask: What’s next for ULI? We need the insights and expertise of our members to help answer that question.
That’s why we’re launching a grassroots strategic planning initiative: FutureScape 2035.
We are inviting members to come together, discuss the major drivers of change, envision the future of real estate and the communities we serve, and make bold forecasts about the future of ULI in four key areas:
Belonging: What will membership look like in 10 years? Who will want to belong to an organization like ULI, and why? How will the experience be tailored to individual members?
Convening: How will we come together? Will the desire for in-person networking and collaboration remain strong? How will technology change our ways of connecting?
Knowledge: What types of learning, knowledge sharing, and professional development opportunities will ULI members seek? How will they consume content? What impact will AI have?
Impact: Will ULI continue to have one shared mission? How will ULI balance delivering impact at the local and global level? How will we establish priorities and measure results?
This is your opportunity to help chart a course for ULI to remain impactful, influential, and indispensable for many years to come. Change is inevitable, and your insights will help us navigate it successfully by shaping the development of a long-term strategic plan.
I hope you will make your voice heard, because ULI is its members, and its future depends on your input and expertise. I encourage you to visit futurescape.uli.org for more information and to find opportunities to contribute to this vital effort.
Our members are dedicated leaders who contribute their time, expertise, and resources to strengthen ULI and advance our shared mission. I am excited to see the bold ideas that emerge through FutureScape 2035 and to build the ULI of tomorrow together.
