The Opportunity Zone program, a national model to spur private investment of housing in underserved areas, has been extended by Congress beyond 2026, marking a significant opportunity for real estate professionals. This innovative initiative not only helps rebuild communities but is a win-win for residents, property developers, and investors. The program’s success in transforming economically distressed areas has proven its value, making it crucial for industry leaders to continue supporting it.

Oracle’s stock recently surged 36 percent in a single day after the announcement of a new deal with OpenAI—a spike that generated an extra $244 billion in market cap for the company. The move fueled increased speculation about a potential AI bubble brewing. Such high-flying stock prices recall the dot-com bubble, when the NASDAQ stock index lost more than 70 percent of its value, dropping from a high of 5,048 in March 2000 to a low of 1,139 in October 2002.

Despite a still tepid transaction market, commercial and multifamily mortgage loan originations increased in the second quarter—up 66 percent compared to a year ago, and up 48 percent from the first quarter of 2025, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. But what is the outlook for access to debt and equity capital in the second half of the year? Apart from interest rates, where are the biggest pain points in the market for commercial real estate financing?

Visionary placemaking leader Carol Coletta, recognized for her transformative impact on urban environments, to receive the ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development.

Across the Brisbane River from Brisbane, Australia’s central business district, the 33-story Upper House residential tower stands out in the city’s skyline with its “dancing balconies” and curving timber ribbons inspired by the prominent roots of Queensland’s native Moreton Bay fig tree.

In cities large and small around the world—from Columbus, Ohio, to Valencia, Spain—a major focus of modern urban revitalization has been the addition of new sports arenas, purposely built in concert with supportive, mixed-use developments that can become self-sustaining neighborhoods.

Each year, the ULI Young Leaders Exchange (YLX) selects a dynamic city as the backdrop for an immersive exploration of urban development. It brings together the most promising minds in real estate, planning, and design across the Americas—not simply to observe but also to engage, collaborate, and shape the industry’s future. To that end, in April, “YLX 2025 Orlando Unbound—The Space Between” welcomed 51 registered attendees representing 22 District Councils, including three returning participants from past exchanges.

An estimated 29 million people struggle to afford quality health care in the United States, with 11 percent of adults considered “cost desperate” and underserved in supply-constrained environments. To expand access and expedite health care to these communities, providers are converting vacant properties into much-needed outpatient facilities, tracking toward an estimated 10.6 percent growth rate over the next five years. Innovative design and construction ingenuity bring these projects to life by delivering increased solutions that address the unique needs of each community. Such is the case with SAC Health Brier Campus, a former banking call center that was recently transformed into a “healing oasis” in San Bernardino, California.

A waterfront site across McCovey Cove from San Francisco’s Oracle Park had long served as a parking lot for Giants baseball fans—but little more. Today, the property is home to Mission Rock, an ambitious mixed-use development undertaken in a public-private partnership between the Giants, the Port of San Francisco, and global real estate development company Tishman Speyer. Attendees of the 2025 ULI Fall Meeting will have the opportunity to tour Mission Rock and learn how an unusually collaborative approach to development has created a neighborhood that goes beyond serving sports fans.

The real estate industry has typically addressed carbon emissions with strategies such as greater energy efficiency, low-carbon materials, and tenant engagement and cooperation. Now add an even more critical component to the equation—refrigerant emissions. Any property using HVAC (and nearly all do) should be looking at the building’s refrigerants as the next big compliance and cost risk. Leaks, fines, and refrigerant phase-outs are already impacting asset portfolios.

How a two-week Fellowship by the Holcim Foundation and ETH Zurich turned the EU’s “Renovation Wave” into a practical playbook for policy, finance, and culture.

Given the pressing challenges facing real estate globally on advancing building decarbonization, ULI is honored to announce the eight District and National Councils selected to participate in the fifth Net Zero Imperative (NZI) Cohort, joining nearly 30 global communities that have engaged with the program to date. NZI is a multiyear initiative to accelerate decarbonization in the built environment and is a significant aspect of ULI’s work to advance its net zero mission priority.

The only thing we can be certain of regarding the transition to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is that, although that transition is inevitable, we have no reliable way of predicting how it will unfold. From politics and incentives to a Moore’s Law–like evolution in battery efficiency and charging speed, to fire safety improvements being designed into these vehicles, disruption remains the one constant. What does this likelihood mean for the intelligent future-proofer?

Formerly at U.S. Department of Energy, Witteman discusses her mission to integrate sustainability and affordability in commercial real estate, revealing how ULI is leading the charge for decarbonized communities.

What if you were told that a brand-new, state-of-the-art building constructed today could be functionally obsolete in less than a decade? This prediction isn’t far-fetched; it’s the emerging reality in a world where technology and user expectations are evolving at a breakneck pace. And nowhere is it more apparent than in the world of parking.