Three existing federal tax incentive programs that have been used frequently by developers received significant upgrades in this summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs) have long provided gap equity for affordable housing projects all over the country. New markets tax credits have been providing gap funding for a wide variety of economic development projects for more than 25 years. More recently, Opportunity Zones have steered investments in projects in low-income communities. The Big Beautiful Bill made improvements to each of these programs.

The National Retail Federation predicts a record-breaking 2025 holiday season, with U.S. sales for November and December projected to grow between 3.7 percent and 4.2 percent—pushing total holiday sales past $1 trillion for the first time. Yet there also are signs that consumers are nervous; that mood, plus accounting for inflation, could leave holiday spending relatively flat.

Canada’s real estate market remains deeply challenged: Although 2026 isn’t expected to deliver a rapid rebound, there is growing recognition that the next cycle will not mirror the last. Instead, the industry is entering a generational transition that demands new strategies, partners, and capital sources, as well as a fundamental modernization of how companies operate. A record-breaking crowd of more than 500 real estate leaders heard the “balanced but cautiously optimistic” 2026 outlook at the 21st Annual “ULI Toronto Trends in Real Estate” event at the Fairmont Royal York hotel.

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.

A recent project in Seattle—Africatown Plaza—demonstrates the alchemy of community collaboration and a development team’s commitment to creating a neighborhood that can thrive. Much can be learned from how the team prioritized people in the process to make a people-centered place.this process

Jeff Speck and I first met in 2004. I had just been elected mayor of Oklahoma City, and I was invited to Charleston for an event hosted by the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. Jeff was one of the design professionals lending expertise to mayors facing complex planning issues.

Established in 1914, the Cleveland Foundation is a community-oriented, philanthropic organization dedicated to investing in worthy individuals and nonprofit organizations in greater Cleveland, Ohio. With the lease running out on its existing headquarters in the city’s Playhouse Square district, the foundation decided to build its own headquarters, but in an intentional way that would spur economic development in one of the city’s neglected pockets.

Five new case studies that meet the criteria have been selected as the Terwilliger Center’s 2025 award winners: Market Street Village in San Diego, Sendero Verde in New York City, The Aster in Salt Lake City, The Kelsey Ayer Station in San José, and The Wilder in Nashville. Each of them offers an important, in-depth look at the financing structures, development strategies, community partnerships, and public policies that make such ambitious projects viable.

The Mountain West stands in a pivotal moment. Rapid population increase, worsening drought cycles, and pressure on municipal resources are forcing communities to rethink how and where new growth should occur. Few regions face this tension more clearly than Utah’s Salt Lake Valley, where foothill development, limited water supplies, a shrinking Great Salt Lake, and outdated zoning models often collide. But what if development could work with the land instead of against it?

Urban Land sat down with ULI Visionary Jonathan Rose during the Institute’s Fall Meeting in San Francisco to learn more about his four-decade ULI membership and the work that lies ahead.

FORUM, a life sciences building developed by Lendlease, is the first purpose-built life sciences building in Boston Landing, a mixed-use district in the city’s Allston-Brighton neighborhood. Targeting LEED Platinum, the recently opened building employs numerous strategies that enable companies to meet stringent regulatory requirements, reduce their carbon footprint, and achieve net zero operations.

In late 2025, the ULI Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate convened a series of roundtables with sustainability leaders to explore the industry’s perspective on top global priorities in 2026. Roundtables consisted of members of the ULI Americas Sustainable Development Council, the ULI Asia Pacific Net Zero Council, the ULI Europe Sustainability Council, and sustainability-oriented committees of District Councils from ULI San Francisco, ULI New York, ULI Los Angeles, ULI Singapore, and ULI Philadelphia.

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.

As 2025 draws to a close, the year’s most-read articles in Urban Land magazine reflect a pivotal moment in urban development. Themes reflected this year include resilience against climate-driven disasters, ambitious waterfront and downtown revitalizations, stabilizing construction economics, entertainment-anchored urban renewal, and innovative housing strategies. These stories also capture the industry’s focus on adaptive, inclusive, and forward-thinking land use.

Singapore real estate veterans at a Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) event last month suggested that finding your own voice, challenging yourself, and not over-planning can help women in the industry to progress in interesting and worthwhile careers.