Whether it comes in the form of the federal sequestration budget cuts or a new startup disrupting an entire industry, Geoff Colvin, author and senior editor of Fortune, says companies and individuals are increasingly have to do work around higher levels of uncertainty.

Demand will continue to rise for infill residential development that is less car-dependent, while consumeers’desire could wane for isolated development in outlying suburbs, according to a new ULI report released at the ULI Spring Meeting in San Diego.

Those attending ULI’s Spring Meeting in San Diego on May 15 to 17 will find it easier to get the most out of the event thanks to a new and improved mobile app for iPads, iPhones, and other smartphones capable of browsing the web.

San Diego is the site of one of the most ambitious and expensive public-works projects in history—a $583 million expansion and renovation of the venerable but overloaded San Ysidro Land Port of Entry.

The Civita mixed-use development is a model for San Diego’s “City of Villages” planning strategy. But the development’s progressive ideas blazed new territory, and nearly a decade passed before the developer obtained approvals to begin construction.

Hines is undertaking the largest and most ambitious of the new net-zero energy-producing buildings in the United States—a 13-story office tower in San Diego. The 415,000-square-foot (38,555 sq m) building, slated for completion in 2014, will employ high-performance design and on-site fuel cells that will convert methane gas into electricity.

Funded by the California State Library, Centre City Development, the San Diego Unified School District, and private donors the nine-story library will feature a 350-seat auditorium, three-story domed reading room, 400-seat multipurpose room, and underground parking for 250 vehicles. The sixth and seventh floors will be used as a charter high school, with its own ground-level entrance and lobby, elevators, and stairwell.

Retailers face a multitude of challenges including online commerce with its 24/7 access. Panelists at the 2012 ULI Spring Meeting looked at significant steps major retailers have already taken to reshape the shopping experience for their customers, while integrating their physical stores with online sales.

Private and public sector leaders of Charlotte, North Carolina, have transformed Charlotte’s downtown from a struggling, nine-to-five office center into the gleaming, modern mixed-use destination that it is today. Former Bank of America chairman Hugh McColl described this remarkable half-century journey to ULI Spring Meeting attendees, and presented his vision for the future.

In a keynote address at the ULI Spring Meeting, scholar Paul Wolfowitz explained how two worldwide trends—urbanization and democratization—are elevating the importance of sustainable urban development.