Search

The Wall Street Journal and Citi have announced that Medellín, Colombia, is the winner of the “City of the Year” competition, a global program developed in partnership with the Urban Land Institute to recognize the most innovative urban centers.

The new Exxon Mobil Corp. headquarters, rising north of downtown Houston, is one of the largest construction projects in the United States. About 80 percent of the campus will remain in its natural state or be planted with native species. Water use will also be reduced compared with a conventional development of similar size through recycling of rainwater and smart irrigation systems.

For over a century, American suburbs have been growing inexorably outward from central cities. Following World War II, this growth accelerated to the point where metropolitan regions in the United States now can have a 50- to 60-mile (80- to 96-km) radius. This ever-widening spread of suburbia seems to have continued through the past decade, if 2010 Census data serve as any indication. This, however, is not the whole story, and a closer look at facts on the ground suggest that the growth of the suburbs—now stalled by the housing bust—may in fact be winding down. If true, this would be a major and arguably a very beneficial shift in American urban development.

Resources that drove the old industrial economy—a central location and access to power—plus available industrial space, give Chicago an edge in the data center business.

Although the World Bank projects the Chinese economy will grow by more than 8 percent in 2013, developers may find better bets in India and some other Asian countries over the next 20 years, according to a report from Hong Kong-based Global Demographics.

Leading up to this year’s ULI Fall Meeting in Chicago, Urban Landwill highlight projects and topics of interest from the Chicagoland area. Chicago Coverage

“The City That Works” is embarking on a big goal: Raising $1.7 billion in private capital to pay for desperately needed infrastructure improvements-and generating a financial return for investors.

Those attending the Institute’s 2013 Fall Meeting in Chicago November 5–8 will find it easier to get the most out of the event thanks to a new mobile app for iPads, iPhones, and other smartphones capable of browsing the web. The free app is designed to help attendees plan their schedules, communicate with each other instantly through Twitter, comment on programs—and even find nearby restaurants.

This fall, Urban Landwill be available for the first time as an app for tablets and smartphones on either Apple’s iOS operating system or Google’s Android. As a preview, the Urban Land magazine app will offer our September/October issue free of charge to anyone wishing to download it. Starting with the November/December issue, an authentication feature that restricts access to ULI members will be added.

“Rethinking, Reinvention, and Recovery” has been announced as the theme for ULI Europe’s 18th Annual Conference, scheduled for February 4–5, 2014, in Paris.