Peter Ballon, global head of real estate for CPP Investments, has been appointed the new ULI global chair. Ballon will serve on a voluntary basis for a two-year term and will provide member leadership as the Institute focuses on three new global mission priorities: decarbonization, education, and housing.

A group of renowned urban planning and real estate experts representing ULI will be making recommendations this week to the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, on creating safe, sustainable housing for workers who are engaged full time in employment or training, focusing specifically on the Downtown Eastside neighborhood of Vancouver—which is a unique challenge unto itself that has only intensified as a result of the global pandemic.

While economic recovery in the United States is far from over, it is critical that ULI experts share best practices in community-centered development and ethical leadership to educate others about what good development looks like—and make way for the new generation of developers and other commercial real estate professionals who are emerging out of underserved communities and ready to make a difference.

In 2009, ULI Colorado and Denver’s Office of Economic Development collaborated to begin a pilot program for the Real Estate Diversity Initiative (REDI), an early model for the Institute’s ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The program has since expanded to eight other district councils, serving more than 700 graduates to date.

In January, the ULI Foundation welcomed Janice P. Periquet as its new president. Periquet will manage and oversee all aspects of the Foundation’s comprehensive fundraising strategy and execution. In her most recent position, she was vice president of development at RepresentUs, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to democracy reform.

ULI has launched a new report, Zooming in on the “S” in ESG: A Road Map for Social Value in Real Estate, to guide the industry on incorporating social value into corporate strategy, business practices, and even investment theory.

European life sciences real estate remains a maturing segment of the market, but there are compelling and immediate opportunities for development and investment, according to a new ULI research paper.

International Women’s Day, marked annually on March 8, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. ULI’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) works year-round to celebrate and support the vital contributions of women to the real estate industry and beyond.

Eighty-four professionals in real estate development, planning, design, engineering, finance, and health care from around the globe have been selected to participate in the fourth cohort of the ULI Health Leaders Network. Due to the unique circumstances resulting from the pandemic that have required this cohort to be virtual, program administrators have increased the number of health leaders accepted for Cohort 4, which has been split into two subcohorts for programming.

ULI has announced the two winners of the 2021 ULI European Leadership Awards as part of its ULI Virtual Europe Conference.