Former EPA Administrator Carol Browner in the opening session of the ULI Spring Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, told the audience that whoever leads the world in development of clean energy technology will lead the global economy. She noted that American private sector energy innovators are receiving lukewarm support from the Federal government.

ULI members Glenn Grimaldi, executive vice president of HSBC; David D. Clark, senior vice president, Real Estate, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.; and Kevin Pivnick, managing director, Deutsche Bank, all described a healthy mortgage market in which only the long shots are having trouble finding funding these days. In a session titled “Full Court Press on Commercial/Apartment Debt” at ULI’s 2012 Spring Meeting, all three described how they each tend to look at potential deals a bit differently.

Constrained public budgets and a growing recognition at the local level of the importance of infrastructure— combined with lack of action at the federal level—are causing states, regions and cities across the U.S. to seek innovative infrastructure approaches and solutions. Infrastructure 2012: Spotlight on Leadership, released by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Ernst & Young LLP, looks at an overall decline in infrastructure funding globally, and it focuses on funding solutions underway in the U.S., citing six case studies.

Erskine Bowles, former co-chair of the presidential fiscal commission, tells ULI leaders: “If we make tough choices and get our fiscal house in order, America can compete with the best and brightest in the world. But I’m equally confident that if we don’t, this country is on its way to being a second-rate power.”

Amory Lovins, cofounder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, told an audience of ULI members at ULI’s 2012 Spring Meeting, that there are numerous ways to reduce use of fossil fuels. Doing so, corporate America could earn a $5 trillion savings in net present value and boost the economy by 150 percent.

In anticipation of the 2012 ULI Spring Meeting, “The Power to Lead, the Energy to Thrive,” being hosted by Charlotte, North Carolina, May 8-10, ULI CEO Patrick Phillips discusses how market demand is driving the trend of making buildings’ energy-performance data more visible. Phillips outlines how ULI is repositioning itself to be a smarter, more influential, and more effective organization through the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance.

More and more of ULI members understand the philanthropic nature of ULI and see in the institute opportunities to support important industry research and education initiatives. This is critical, because going forward ULI will be relying far more on philanthropic contributions to carry on a consistent, high-quality program of work. Read how you can help the ULI Foundation advance the institute’s mission.

In the next 15 years, just 600 global cities are projected to account for 60 percent of all economic activity. This will diminish the role of nation-states in establishing competitiveness, says Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University, and put the burden on cities to secure their own competitiveness. Read how this challenge has fueled ASU’s new role in the Phoenix region.

The ULI Robert C. Larson Leadership Initiative gathering, held in March at ULI headquarters in Washington, D.C., provided peer-to-peer exchange of leadership moments, a dialogue about traits of leaders, and leadership stories from participants. Read what participants say were the most valuable lessons they took home with them from the event.