A jury composed of ULI full members has selected the winners of the 2019 ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence, recognizing and celebrating a diverse group of projects that showcase best land use practice from across the region. “Asia Pacific is home to many exemplary projects,” said Nicholas Brooke, chairman of ULI Asia Pacific. “All the winners of this year’s award demonstrate best practice in land use and continue to push the industry forward while putting people first.”

Increasingly, investor pressure is driving companies to analyze not just typical financial risks, but also how sustainability plays into the equation and positively affects a deal.

The cover package for the 2019 Asia Pacific special issue is titled “Finding Balance: The quest for smart buildings, smart tourism, and smart climate strategies.” Other topics include “South Korea: Heritage at Jeonju Hanok Village,” “ China: Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland Hotel,” “Thailand: Dealing with Bangkok’s Climate Challenge,"and “Interview: Chairman Nicholas Brooke.” This special issue will be available at the ULI Asia Pacific conference in Shanghai and mailed to ULI members in Asia.

Transportation demand management policies that require access to travel options as part of the development process can be highly effective in the creation of communities that provide mixed-use, higher-density development without increasing traffic congestion, according to a new ULI publication.

The ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance, a worldwide alliance of leading real estate owners, investors, and financial institutions committed to reducing carbon emissions across the global property industry, has announced the addition of three new members: nationally recognized real estate companies SL Green, Lendlease Americas, and Zurich Alternative Asset Management.

In late April, ULI convened a group of land use member experts in San Antonio for an Advisory Services panel supported by the 10-Minute Walk Campaign. The panelists, working with panel sponsor Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation and supported by a charitable gift from Silver Ventures, provided recommendations on the final phase of master planning for the Eastern Zone of the site to create a downtown civic park.

Nineteen extraordinary developments from around the world have been selected as finalists for the 2019 ULI Global Awards for Excellence competition, which is widely recognized as one of the real estate industry’s most prestigious award programs. This year’s finalists include 14 in North America, four in Asia, and one in Europe.

April 22, 2019, marks the 49th annual Earth Day. Since its inception in 1970, Earth Day has been a day of civic action when individuals and corporations around the world mobilize around environmental protection and preservation. Through the Urban Land Institute’s Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance, we are celebrating Earth Day by bringing awareness to the way that members and nonmembers alike can get involved in our efforts to support real estate and land use professionals to create and invest in communities and buildings that are more energy efficient, healthy, resilient, and sustainable.

New applications for artificial intelligence, 3-D printing, and the “internet of things” promise to transform the commercial real estate industry and create new ways to generate revenue and reduce expenses, said the head of a real estate–oriented investment fund speaking at the 2019 ULI Spring Meeting.

In remarks made at the Spring Meeting’s opening general session, ULI Americas Chairman Jack Chandler shared thoughts on the importance of the Institute’s Global Strategic Plan in strengthening member engagement and impact. The plan, which is based on feedback from members on how to improve ULI, is designed to “create a more rewarding and personalized member experience, and allow initiatives in areas such as affordable housing, community resilience, and industry diversity to be scaled up for broader application and greater effect,” Chandler said.