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The city of Chicago’s Troubled Building Initiative was selected by the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing as the winner of the 2016 Robert C. Larson Housing Policy Leadership Award, an annual recognition of the innovative ways the public sector is addressing the country’s affordable housing crisis.

The significant, lasting impact that driverless technology will have on land use and urban development was the topic of a thought-provoking discussion at ULI’s recent Midwinter Meeting, held at ULI headquarters in Washington, D.C., and attended by the Institute’s global trustees.

A Denver developer activates an alley to tie together a hotel, offices, food, and “maker” retail on the site of a former dairy.

Of all of the Institute’s many offerings, perhaps the one that best delivers an ideal combination of member value and mission advancement is our Advisory Services program.

The holiday season and beginning of the new year brought some bright spots, but also some cause for concern in the retail sector, which, in turn, affects commercial real estate. For example, some household names announced store closures in recent months, while other sectors of the retail world have survived, thrived, and even expanded.

The debate around managing migration is often centered on the economic benefits that can occur from migration versus the pressure on resources that results, and real estate is very much at the center of this. Attendees of the 2017 ULI Europe Conference heard from a panel of experts from different fields about the challenges and opportunities that arise from migration, how these manifest themselves in some very different ways, and how the built environment can help mitigate these issues.

The prospects for real estate investment in Europe remain positive in spite of widespread geopolitical uncertainty, according to a panel of senior industry figures convened at the 2017 ULI Europe conference in Paris. Participants argued that in spite of heightened political volatility across the globe, the environment for real estate investment in Europe, and indeed globally, remains extremely positive. The political climate is not necessarily influencing real estate as much as one might think, given the intensity of the rhetoric.

Though political upheaval in the United States and Europe is the focus of investors and developers of Latin American real estate, panelists at the ULI Latin America and Caribbean Conference in mid-February, said the clouds of uncertainty have yet to sway many from their carefully plotted courses through the region’s most attractive markets, including Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru.

Commercial real estate lending volume finished the year on a strong note as loan closings surged in November and December, according to the latest research from CBRE. Despite concerns throughout the year regarding the direction of the global economy, U.S. capital markets remained favorable to borrowers in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2016 due to low relative rates and abundant capital.

According to the latest forecast from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, spending on home improvements is projected to strengthen in the majority of America’s largest metro areas in 2017, with many markets in the East and Midwest expected to post double-digit annual growth. The residential remodeling market reached a record high of $340 billion in 2015—surpassing its previous peak in 2007—and is projected to increase 2 percent per year on average through 2025 after adjusting for inflation.