The history of Denver is closely intertwined with the South Platte River. From the city’s initial settlement along the riverbanks in 1858 to subsequent urbanization that altered its natural course, the South Platte has played a significant role in Denver’s evolution. For much of the 20th century, however, metropolitan development turned away from this vital waterway.

Real estate leaders in the ULI Greenprint community have created a sustainability pre-bid checklist for the industry to inform and adjust bid pricing in transactions.

For many who live outside Southern California, the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles is remembered for the well-documented riots of 1965, a six-day period of civil unrest that brought 34 fatalities, numerous injuries, and widespread arrests.

St. Louis, long known as the Gateway to the West, is rapidly becoming the gateway to the region’s future. Diverse communities have begun working together to make the city a major hub for cutting-edge innovations in aerospace, agriculture, finance, transportation, biosciences, entertainment, and much more. The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership is dedicated to finding economic development partners who can help companies thrive in greater St. Louis, regardless of their size, and at the same time help those companies to deliver new opportunities into under resourced neighborhoods.

The industry’s movement to reduce embodied carbon in buildings is advancing faster than it did with respect to operational carbon. And yet, there are still misunderstandings and missed opportunities for collaboration across stakeholders as they work to decarbonize.

Development continues despite concerns about impacts on costs

The global head of corporate real estate at one of the world’s biggest banks told attendees at the 2024 ULI Europe Conference in Milan that a lack of sustainable office assets is “one of the biggest challenges” the company faces.

According to the World Green Building Council, buildings currently account for a staggering 39 percent of global emissions, while trillions of dollars’ worth of real estate assets are at risk due to climate-related disasters. At the same time, utility providers are struggling to scale infrastructure to meet growing energy demands spurred by economic growth and development and unprecedented temperature extremes resulting in higher than usual utility charges and devastating outages. Now more than ever, the industry’s progress toward net zero emissions and resilience is critical.

As owners and investors face mounting pressure to make new projects compliant with modern environmental standards, the concept of “whole-life” carbon has become a focus of increased interest. The model approximates the total emissions of a structure, both during construction and over its lifespan. A panel at the 2024 Asia Pacific Summit in Tokyo took a hard look at the implications of this approach.

If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that our society’s deep desire to return to “normal” has sparked a reevaluation of what normal should entail. As urban populations continue to grow, and individuals look to reclaim their place in the community, the question arises: have our downtowns evolved enough to meet these new demands?