In 2022, Philadelphia-based development firm Post Brothers bought two office buildings on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C., with plans to convert them into approximately 530 residential units. Despite the site’s proximity to Dupont Circle and a coveted residential area, assembling a viable capital stack proved more challenging than anticipated. Ultimately, a $465 million Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy loan from Nuveen Green Capital in December of 2025—billed as the largest ever originated under the program—made the conversion possible.

National Harbor, Maryland, would become the second U.S. location and the first to utilize a smaller-scale venue design model; the project would receive approximately $200 million in state, local, and private incentives.

Developers have been confronting several challenges in terms of supply, demand, and costs that are making it more difficult to break ground on new projects. Yet the total dollar value of overall construction starts is expected to grow 4 percent, to $1.26 trillion, in 2026, according to Dodge Construction Network. Industry experts share their view on where things will shake out as new projects gear up for 2026.

In the Belgian municipality of Edegem, a 20-minute bike ride from Antwerp’s city center, a camera film roll packing plant has become Minerve, a biodiverse, sustainable mixed-use residential and commercial neighborhood.

For almost 200 years, the Warsaw Citadel in the heart of Poland’s capital was a restricted military and administrative area, cut off from public access. With the recent opening of the Polish History Museum, as well as the new Polish Army Museum, the 19th-century fortress’s 74-acre (30 ha) grounds now serve as a multifunctional facility and park that both preserves and showcases the country’s rich cultural heritage.

The Washington Commanders and HKS have unveiled the first conceptual renderings of the team’s new, world-class stadium. The roofed stadium will be a dynamic, year-round destination for sports, entertainment, and community engagement, integrating sustainable design practices and reimagining the fan experience through immersive spaces.

Newly constructed libraries serve as “third spaces” and offer connectivity and multimedia in addition to community resources.

As demand has surged, regulators target traditional facilities, with new models emerging to make storage nearly invisible

In November 2024, ULI’s Advisory Services program partnered with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Buffalo Branch, the Buffalo Urban League, and local civic leaders to support the revitalization of Buffalo’s historic Jefferson Avenue Corridor.

Home to 7.5 million people and constrained by surrounding mountains and sea, Hong Kong has evolved into one of the world’s most vertically and densely developed cities. These pressures have driven innovative approaches to transit-oriented development, public housing, and open space. The city served as an ideal setting for Cohort 8’s closing forum by offering both inspiration and critical lessons for cities grappling with similar challenges.

ULI spoke with Craig Lewis, placemaking practice group manager at Arcadis, about how prioritizing cognitive engagement in urban design can help create healthier, happier cities that promote connection and community.

It’s not as if the old two-story building at the corner of 12th and Remington Court, in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood, was ever particularly remarkable. Even in its original incarnation, it was a straightforward, utilitarian, mixed-use structure—competently built but not especially well-proportioned or ornately detailed.

During a Women’s Leadership Initiative program hosted by ULI Washington, artists, developers, and cultural leaders made the case that art embedded early—and paid for fairly—is essential to community identity, economic value, and long-term resilience

Nine federal properties across the Southeast are under review as policymakers weigh consolidation, disposal, and adaptive reuse strategies to reduce costs and return underused buildings to local communities.

The ULI Americas District Council Showcase of Excellence Awards celebrates achievement by District Councils as it relates to ULI’s mission and primary areas of focus, with particular attention given to programs that are both innovative in their format or approach to the subject matter and replicable at other District Councils. The ULI Americas region’s 58 District Councils submit the best of more than 2,000 programs held each year, with awards given, in each category, for District Councils with fewer than 600 members, and for District Councils with more than 600 members.