What does it take to secure debt in today’s challenging commercial real estate environment? It all boils down to experience, relationships, and a lot of creativity. That’s according to an expert panel speaking this morning at ULI’s spring meeting at the New York Hilton Midtown. The panel is the first in a series of three, which will include Raising Equity (10 a.m. Wednesday) and Borrowers’ Experiences—Recent Success Stories (10 a.m. Thursday).

Since assuming office in 2018, Assessor Fritz Kaegi has overseen the assessment of all residential and commercial properties in Cook County, the region in northeastern Illinois that includes Chicago.

Real estate economists’ outlook on the U.S. economy has improved over the past six months as economic data remain strong, and the long-predicted economic slowdown has failed to materialize. Responses to the latest semi-annual ULI Real Estate Economic Forecast survey, increasingly suggest a soft landing for the economy. In contrast, real estate market projections have declined as high-interest rates are expected to continue putting downward pressure on valuations and drag on performance in the near term.

A general session at the ULI Carolinas Meeting, moderated by Risa Wilkerson of Healthy Places by Design, showcased how the convergence of the built environment, health and equity forms a complex web that impacts every facet of human life. Dr. Malo Andrew Hutson, a distinguished academic at the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture, provided a deep dive into how residential segregation and the built environment contribute to health disparities.

How can academic institutions and private sector partners collaborate to spur development in a challenging economy?

Ten projects take advantage of financial tools that promote environmentally positive development

David R. Nelson, the influential founder and leader of a multidisciplined real estate development company and a longtime ULI member, has passed away at the age of 81.

After developer Bruce Etkin, a past ULI Trustee and a current member of the ULI Foundation board, sold all of his company’s properties in 2021, he channeled his energy and attention to different challenges—one of them homelessness.

Women in leadership roles was the theme of a discussion during the 2024 ULI Spring Meeting in New York City. Kelly Nagel, who was recently named Head of Residential at EDENS, an owner and operator of mixed-use properties nationwide, hosted a fireside chat with Nancy Lashine, founder and managing partner at Park Madison Partners, a New York-based boutique advisory and capital-raising firm.

On September 30, 2024, green banks, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), nonprofits, tribal organizations, state and local governments, and coalitions nationwide received funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), a historic $27 billion investment by the United States federal government to mobilize private capital to combat the climate crisis. As the GGRF is activated, Americans have an array of policies, standards, tools, and data, plus more than a decade of experience, as well as much greater political support for action on climate and social equity issues.

During his keynote address at the 2024 ULI Singapore Annual Conference, more than 300 participants gathered at the Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay to hear Olivier Lim, chairman of StarHub and the Singapore Tourism Board—based upon his 35 years of experience in real estate, banking, and leadership—how land and real estate shaped Singapore’s path as a nation.

Home to almost 700,000 people, Vancouver is known for its gleaming residential towers, striking natural beauty, and dense development. However, like many progressive urban centers on the west coast, it has also struggled with significant issues that threaten the quality of life for its residents, including persistent homelessness and lack of affordability.

Tattooed, tanned, and tousled, 48-year-old Stefan Quinn Soloviev looks like an athletic nerd who stepped out of a Mad Max film, but don’t let his appearance fool you. Soloviev is one of the largest landowners in the United States—number 21, according to Landreport.com—with a portfolio that includes some of Manhattan’s most coveted properties.

The natural reaction to hearing that a product or material has been made with the assistance of modern slavery is to flinch in horror and perhaps disbelief. Unfortunately, the construction industry is ranked second—just behind domestic service—as a problematic industry in terms of its risk of relying on forced labor, according to the 2022 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, Forced Labour and Forced Marriage report from the International Labour Organization in Geneva.

Urban Land is spotlighting some trailblazing women in commercial real estate, all of whom are members of the ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative. Emma West, partner at Toronto-based Bousfields Inc., says it was the women who were part of the WLI Toronto Committee when she first joined who were instrumental in her professional development.