The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has selected Rick Reinhard, principal of Niagara Consulting Group, as the recipient of the 2023–2024 ULI Apgar Thought Leader Award, which recognizes the authors of outstanding works written for Urban Land magazine.
Established in 2020 by ULI Trustee and Julia Morgan Society member Mahlon “Sandy” Apgar IV, the biennial ULI Apgar Thought Leader Award encourages original research and innovative ideas about buildings and communities. The winner for this cycle was selected from industry-written thought leadership articles published in Urban Land magazine. Reinhard will receive a $1,500 honorarium and free registration for ULI’s Fall or Spring Meeting.
Reinhard was recognized for his article “Affordable Housing: YIGBY (‘Yes in God’s Backyard’) Movement Seeks to Counter NIMBY Movement,” from the Winter 2024 issue of Urban Land magazine. The article explores a potential solution for the affordable housing deficit through adaptive use of the nearly 100,000 underused faith properties throughout the United States. Reinhard acknowledges the barriers to repurposing faith properties for housing, including the emotional ties communities have to their religious institutions; physical constraints of adaptive use; and regulatory obstacles. He provides examples of successful adoption of the YIGBY movement, along with steps to increase opportunities for religious institutions, housing advocates, and real estate developers.
Reinhard is principal of Niagara Consulting Group and associate at the Lakelands Institute. He served public/private economic development partnerships and city governments for 30 years before devoting the last 5 years to working for the United Methodist Church. Reinhard’s previous positions include serving as deputy executive director of the DowntownDC Business Improvement District; managing director for urban development and infrastructure finance at ULI; president of Central Atlanta Progress; chief executive of the Ilex Urban Regeneration Co. in Derry, Northern Ireland; and chief of staff to the mayor of Buffalo, New York.
Winners are selected by a three-member committee, which evaluates each article on its analytical clarity, relevance to current land use issues, and overall contribution to development literature.
For 2023–2024, the committee consisted of Angelique Brunner, founder of EB5 Capital and a ULI member; Robert Svedberg, section leader and principal for TVSDesign and a ULI member; and Sibley Fleming, vice president and editor in chief, Urban Land magazine.
“This article is a well-researched look at an innovative approach to addressing critical housing needs with broad nationwide examples and balanced by a realistic look at the challenges and opportunities,” Svedberg said. “Bonus points for citing ULI Technical Assistance Programs [TAPs], as a way to get the ball rolling, and a snappy title.”
Brunner, too, appreciated the inclusion of solutions to the affordable housing crisis from within the real estate industry. “Reinhard does an excellent job [of] citing where ULI has already participated in solutions-driven dialogue across the U.S.,” Brunner said. “He maps a . . . path of possibility from a partner the real estate community has underutilized in our quest for affordable housing. He maps how YIGBY is a viable win-win-win and can be initiated with trust by any party.”
Making progress to ease the affordable housing crisis will take multiple approaches, including ones that Reinhard presents in his article.
“Urban Land is honored to showcase and recognize excellence in thought leadership,” Fleming said. “This piece has resonated widely with commercial real estate audiences who are tasked with revitalizing urban areas.”
ULI is accepting submissions for potential publication and consideration for the 2024–2025 award cycle on a rolling basis. For more information on the ULI Apgar Thought Leader Award, visit americas.uli.org/apgar.
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