U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed the nearly 900-page One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law on July 4. The budget reconciliation legislation extends numerous provisions included in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that directly affect commercial real estate, including reinstatement of bonus depreciation and extension of the Qualified Opportunity Zone Program. It also incorporates provisions aimed at incentivizing affordable housing, including a significant expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. At the same time, the new law makes major cuts to wind and solar incentives.

During his keynote speech at the 2025 ULI Europe Conference in London on June 18, Daniel Lacalle. chief economist of Spanish private bank Tressis, told real estate business leaders they should be allocating more investment dollars to hard assets such as real estate. “Hold hard assets like there is no tomorrow,” he said. “Hold onto hard assets as much as you can.”

The closing panel at the 2025 ULI Asia Pacific Summit brought together real estate players from a wide range of geographies and capital markets roles. Audience polling at the start of the discussion revealed that Summit attendees believe the world will become more multipolar after a generation of American exceptionalism, with some audience members feeling that the U.S. will fall behind Asia or Europe.

In Midtown Atlanta, the Georgia Institute of Technology Foundation is turning the 100-year-old former Biltmore hotel into a mecca for incubating technology startup ventures.

Once the site of an abandoned quarry, Singapore’s Rifle Range Nature Park now serves as a buffer zone protecting one of the island nation’s last primary rainforests, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, from encroaching development and human activity. Located to the reserve’s south, Rifle Range is Singapore’s first net-positive energy nature park, harvesting more energy than its annual operational requirements.

Graduated students are invited to guest with ULI Product Council’s at the Fall and Spring Meetings, getting in-person networking with industry leaders in addition to tours and other discussions.

In a landmark moment for California housing policy, Governor Gavin Newsom signed two transformative bills into law in June 2025—AB 130 and SB 131. They fundamentally reshape how the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) applies to infill housing. Enacted as part of the state’s broader budget package, these reforms remove major procedural barriers for urban multifamily projects and signal a new direction in the state’s effort to address housing affordability through increased supply.

Franz Colloredo-Mansfeld, chairman and CEO of Cabot Properties, was elected as the new global chair of ULI for a two-year term that began July 1.

In the heart of the Texas Triangle, an ambitious new vision is taking shape: Sandow Lakes, a 33,000-acre (13,355 ha) master-planned community in Milam County. The project’s first phase, known as The Switch, is already underway. Spanning 3,300 acres (1,335 ha), The Switch is an advanced manufacturing and logistics campus under development by Xebec. This supersite is poised to play a vital role in strengthening domestic supply chains by supporting the reshoring of critical manufacturing operations.

Despite geopolitical headwinds, green building regulations continue to gain momentum among local authorities. Many cities have moved beyond reporting requirements to demand practical, asset-level action. Numerous jurisdictions have introduced requirements on net-zero carbon and energy efficiency in buildings, fossil fuel-free heating, embodied carbon, electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities, and climate adaptation measures.

Since the 1980s, the Dallas suburb of Plano has attracted some of the country’s biggest corporate headquarters and established itself as a hub for major employers. But how did Plano revamp to meet the goals of a changing economy and a changing community? The city made a pivot that has been echoed in growing cities around the country: a major shift toward investing in parks and activating green space.

ULI is proud to announce partnerships with seven public agencies in California and Nevada that are working to advance resilience in urban planning and real estate development in their communities. The organizations are partnering with their local ULI District Councils as part of a larger effort aimed at connecting public sector leaders to ULI’s technical assistance, networks, and other resources and helping cities prepare for the impacts of climate change and other environmental vulnerabilities.

A team of ULI experts visited Fort Worth in September 2024 to develop anti-displacement strategies for the city’s historic, majority Hispanic Northside neighborhood, which faces mounting pressure from two nearby megadevelopments, as well as broader metropolitan growth trends that drove up the area’s property values 60 percent from 2016 to 2021.

ULI Asia Pacific has released its 2025 Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index, revealing persistent challenges to affordable or accessible housing across the region. The fourth edition of the report assesses 51 market segments across 41 major cities.

At the 2025 ULI Asia Pacific Summit, a distinguished panel of industry leaders convened to dissect what the rise of artificial intelligence means for the sector and how organizations can harness its potential. Their debate spanned the frenetic growth of data centers, the journey of AI adoption, and seismic shifts afoot for the built environment and the workforce.