RXR CEO and Chairman Scott Rechler, in a recent ULI members-only webinar with ULI Foundation Chair Faron A. Hill, described the challenges and opportunities ahead as an epic, unavoidable storm. “That hurricane … eventually, it’s going to hit land,” Rechler warned. “The question is when it hits, how hard it hits, and where it hits the hardest.”

The final day of the 2024 ULI Asia Pacific summit in Tokyo featured a capital markets panel with leaders from both European and North American funds, who shared their insights into the region’s real estate markets—and how those markets stack up against their global counterparts.

In an economy where higher interest rates continue to squeeze the livelihood of commercial real estate market participants everyone is keeping a close watch on economic indicators that could signal a shift in Fed policy.

The ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing has announced three finalists for this year’s Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award and eight finalists for the Terwilliger Center Award for Innovation in Attainable Housing.

Move over IndyCar. Formula 1 racing is finally gaining traction in the United States. Places as diverse as Las Vegas, Austin, and Miami (and their respective states) are reaping major economic windfalls from permanent and temporary grand prix racetracks, along with first-class fan amenities and facilities, for this international sport.

Aging railroad relic getting new life as a vibrant entertainment hub

St. Louis, long known as the Gateway to the West, is rapidly becoming the gateway to the region’s future. Diverse communities have begun working together to make the city a major hub for cutting-edge innovations in aerospace, agriculture, finance, transportation, biosciences, entertainment, and much more. The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership is dedicated to finding economic development partners who can help companies thrive in greater St. Louis, regardless of their size, and at the same time help those companies to deliver new opportunities into under resourced neighborhoods.

Nevada, long synonymous with tourism and entertainment, is rapidly transforming into a manufacturing powerhouse. Spearheaded by Tesla’s massive gigafactory, the state has become a magnet for EV production, battery manufacturing, and other industrial sectors. With strategic incentives, a business-friendly climate, and prime geographic location, Nevada is luring companies away from high-cost states like California. However, challenges such as water scarcity and federal land ownership must be addressed to sustain this burgeoning industry.

Chicago has become one of the many major cities nationwide whose downtown office market has been negatively affected by the pandemic and the associated increase in remote work. To boost development in its downtown core, the city of Chicago recently announced that it will offer $150 million in subsidies to real estate developers. The move will help develop more than 1,000 apartments in four separate adaptive-use developments.

Increasingly, such disasters as storms, wildfires, pandemics, and flooding are spurring cities across the United States to prioritize resiliency. Coastal communities throughout Florida know the urgency firsthand. From the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, many Florida communities were isolated in 2024 when hurricanes and other weather-related events closed roads and cut off power. Our most vulnerable populations took an especially hard hit. Planners, academics, and community members are rethinking how to elevate their response and help communities become more resilient. Could one answer be on four wheels and a chassis?

Governments, businesses, and communities need to collaborate to reduce carbon emissions to ensure that decarbonisation is not just a buzzword.

Held in fast-paced and bustling Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in mid-November, ULI Asia Pacific’s REImagine 2024 brought together more than 100 professionals in a uniquely engaging way.

The impact of daytime workers on certain types of retail has long been overstated. Yes, they provide critical support for lunch eateries and coffee bars, as well as select services including fitness studios and shoe repair. But downtowns could never count on this demographic for much more than that.

Housing affordability is an ongoing challenge, one that has been exacerbated in the last few years by rising interest rates and home prices. One alternative that is proving popular is the build-to-rent (BTR) model, which includes communities with apartment-style or single-family homes, or a combination of both.

At the 2024 ULI Housing Opportunity Conference, panelists discussed the topic of “Innovative Partnerships to Leverage Land for More Housing,” including strategies to add to local housing supplies by leveraging underutilized land owned by houses of worship and school districts.