Urban Land Institute facts for kids
The Official Urban Land Institute logo
|
|
| Abbreviation | ULI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1936 |
| Type | Land use think tank and research institute |
| Headquarters | 2001 L Street NW |
| Location | |
|
Key people
|
Diane Hoskins, Global Chair Angela Cain, Global CEO |
| Website | uli.org |
The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a worldwide group that helps people build better communities. It's a nonprofit organization, which means it doesn't aim to make money. ULI has offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London.
ULI helps its members and partners create communities that are fair, healthy, and strong. They also focus on making places that are good for the environment.
ULI started in 1936 and now has over 48,000 members. These members include real estate developers, architects, city planners, and investors.
The group shares the best ways to develop land, build homes, and improve transportation. ULI offers advice to communities, holds conferences, and creates reports. They also provide learning chances and courses for people in the industry.
ULI has many local groups called District Councils in the Americas. They also have National Councils in Europe and Asia. These groups help members learn from each other and share ideas.
A Global Board of Directors, made up of volunteers, leads ULI. The current Global Chairman is Diane Hoskins. Angela Cain is the Global CEO.
Contents
ULI's Story: How It Began
Starting Out (1936–1949)
ULI was founded on December 14, 1936. It was first called the National Real Estate Foundation for Practical Research and Education. The idea was to create a college for real estate and city development.
In 1939, the group changed its name to the Urban Land Institute. Its main office was first in Chicago, Illinois.
ULI held its first big meeting in 1941 in Boston. A year later, it started to speak up for better city planning. It published a plan to help rebuild cities. The main office then moved to Washington, DC.
In 1944, ULI created its first special group, the Community Builder's Council. This group focused on building issues in suburbs after World War II. In 1947, ULI started its Advisory Services program. This program offered expert advice to cities, with the first one helping Louisville, Kentucky.
Growing and Learning (1950–1979)
The 1950s saw the start of the J.C. Nichols Foundation, which later became the ULI Foundation. ULI also began studying the costs of shopping centers.
In the 1960s, ULI focused more on research. It started its first research program in 1960. ULI also began to work internationally. It held its first meeting for members in Mexico City in 1965. In 1967, the Community Builder's Council hosted its first study tour in Europe.
In 1970, the Urban Land Research Foundation was created. This group aimed to provide more information about development. In 1979, ULI started its Awards for Excellence program. This program recognized great projects in land use.
New Programs and Global Reach (1980–1999)
ULI started its regional District Council program in 1983. It began with seven councils in different U.S. cities.
UrbanPlan, a program for high school students, was created. It teaches students about urban planning. In 1992, ULI created its first two European National Councils in London and Barcelona.
The ULI Senior Resident Fellows program began in 1996. That same year, the first ULI Mayor's Forum was held. This meeting brought city officials and private businesses together to solve city problems.
Modern Era (2000–Present)
In 2000, the ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development was created. The number of ULI District Councils grew to 39. They also expanded to Europe, Asia, and South America. In 2001, ULI opened its first European office in Brussels, Belgium.
That same year, the first Young Leaders group was formed in Houston. By 2005, most District Councils had a Young Leaders group. ULI also opened its first Canadian District Council in Toronto in 2005.
The European office moved to London in 2004. In 2007, the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing was created. ULI also opened an office in Hong Kong. By 2008, ULI had over 40,000 members.
In 2008, ULI created the ULI Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership in Land Use. In 2011, the National Building Museum honored ULI. They recognized ULI for its work in urban planning and building sustainable communities.
In 2012, ULI joined with the Greenprint Foundation. This group helps real estate owners reduce harmful gas emissions. It is now known as ULI Greenprint.
In 2014, ULI partnered with the National League of Cities. They worked together to guide the Rose Center. This partnership helped reach more city officials. It ended in 2019.
In 2015, ULI started the Building Healthy Places program. This program focuses on how health, fairness, and equality connect with the places we build.
What ULI Does: Key Programs
ULI works with city governments and landowners to solve real estate problems. They do this through their advisory services program. Teams of experts in architecture, planning, and finance offer advice. Many of their ideas have been put into action.
ULI's local groups also hold events for leaders to discuss future land use. They have also created the UrbanPlan program. This classroom program is used in schools across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia Pacific. ULI also partners with groups like the World Economic Forum to promote good urban development.
Advisory Services: Expert Help for Cities
ULI’s first advisory services program was in April 1947 in Louisville, Kentucky. This program brings together experienced land use experts. They work to find solutions for complex land use and real estate projects.
These expert teams have helped communities with many issues. This includes making communities better, providing affordable housing, and building strong infrastructure. They also help create fair access to parks. ULI panels have given advice after natural disasters like hurricanes and floods. They also helped after man-made events like bridge collapses and acts of terrorism.
For example, ULI panels suggested redeveloping downtown Los Angeles. They also advised on how to improve Denver’s 16th Street Mall. After the 9/11 attacks, they helped officials rebuild Lower Manhattan.
UrbanPlan: Learning About City Planning
UrbanPlan is a hands-on learning program. It was created by ULI San Francisco in 2002. Now, it's used in over 35 cities. This program was developed with high school teachers and real estate experts.
In UrbanPlan, students work on a pretend project. They respond to a city's request to redevelop a community. Students take on roles like developers. They learn about the challenges and choices in urban planning. They also see how many different people's wishes affect development.
Experts volunteer to meet with student teams. They act as a mock City Council to choose the best plan. Since it started, over 82,000 high school and university students have taken part. The program also expanded to the United Kingdom in 2014. It has grown to other countries in Europe and Asia Pacific. In 2015, ULI also started offering UrbanPlan to public officials and community members.
ULI Learning: Education for Real Estate Pros
In 1986, ULI held its first Real Estate School. This school offered courses for people who wanted to learn about real estate development. Experts taught intensive, four-day classes.
In 2020, ULI partnered with Project REAP. They created the first online REAP Academy. This program helps increase diversity in the commercial real estate industry. Participants take part in online courses, live webinars, and discussions.
Special Centers and Projects
ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing
The Terwilliger Center for Housing focuses on housing issues. It aims to help build more homes that people can afford. It also works to make housing fair for everyone. The Center shares the best ways to develop housing and create good public policies. It also tries to get more support for housing solutions. This Center is supported by a large gift from J. Ronald Terwilliger, a longtime ULI member.
The Center does research and publishes reports. It works with housing leaders and holds an annual housing conference. It also has an awards program for great housing projects. One of its research tools is the Home Attainability Index. This helps understand if a housing market offers enough choices for local workers.
The Terwilliger Center also runs the Homeless to Housed program. This program finds and uses the best ways to help people who don't have homes. It started in Summer 2022 with a research report. The program helps communities create plans to address homelessness. It does this through research, teamwork, and sharing knowledge.
ULI Center for Real Estate Economics and Capital Markets
This center was founded in 2009. It holds an annual conference about capital markets and real estate. Experts and economists meet there. The center also publishes a forecast about real estate twice a year.
Since it started, the center has worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers. They publish the yearly Emerging Trends in Real Estate report. The center also shares the knowledge of senior ULI members through interviews and surveys.
ULI Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate
This center was launched in 2014. It used to be called the ULI Center for Sustainability. It works to promote healthy, strong, and energy-efficient development. The center was renamed in January 2022. This was to honor Randall Lewis, a real estate developer. He gave $10 million to support ULI’s sustainability programs.
The Center includes ULI’s Building Healthy Places Initiative, the Urban Resilience program, and the Greenprint Center for Building Performance. It is helping the real estate industry reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This means reducing harmful gases to almost zero.
The Building Healthy Places Initiative focuses on making people and communities healthier. It helps members improve health and fairness through their work. This includes making sure everyone has fair access to parks.
The BHP Initiative publishes at least three major reports each year. It also offers learning programs.
The ULI Urban Resilience program helps buildings and cities become stronger. This is important for dealing with climate change and other environmental risks. The program provides technical help and research. It also encourages new practices for real estate and land use.
ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance
In 2012, the Greenprint Foundation joined ULI. This created the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance. This new group aims to help the global real estate industry reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The center is known for its annual Greenprint Performance Report. This report helps members see their progress in reducing emissions. It uses the Greenprint Carbon Index. This tool helps building owners compare how well their buildings are doing. Companies like AvalonBay and Hines have been members of this center.
Awards and Competitions
ULI gives out several awards each year. These include the ULI Global Awards for Excellence and the ULI Hines Student Competition. They also give the ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development.
ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development
This award is given each year to a person who has greatly helped build communities worldwide. It honors those who set high standards in land use and development. They must also show a strong commitment to creating great built environments.
The prize started in 2000 as the J.C. Nichols Prize. It was funded by the family of Jesse Clyde Nichols, a developer from Kansas City. In 2020, it was renamed the ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development.
Winners receive a $100,000 prize. This money comes from an endowment by the Nichols family. Past winners include Mayor Richard M. Daley, Amanda Burden, and His Highness the Aga Khan.
ULI Global Awards for Excellence
Started in 1979, these awards recognize the best new developments around the world. They look at design, how well the market accepts them, and their impact on the economy. They also consider sustainability and technology.
Since 2021, projects must first win a regional award. The ULI Awards for Excellence in the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific are the first step.
ULI Urban Open Space Award
This award recognizes great examples of public open spaces in cities. These spaces must have made the local area better and helped revitalize the community. The award began in 2009. Amanda Burden, a past ULI Prize winner, donated her prize money to create it. Detroit’s Campus Martius Park was the first winner.
ULI Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award
This award honors developers who show leadership in creating affordable housing in the United States. The program started in 2008. It was first called the ULI/J. Ronald Terwilliger Workforce Housing Models of Excellence Awards. It was later renamed to honor Jack Kemp.
Each year, the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing highlights leaders in housing. They give three awards. The Robert C. Larson Housing Policy Leadership Award recognizes new state and local policies. The Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award honors developments that create housing opportunities.
ULI Hines Student Competition
The ULI/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition started in 2003. This program gives graduate students a chance to win a $50,000 prize. Each year, a real, large site is chosen.
Students form teams with different skills. They have two weeks to create a full design and development plan for the site. A group of ULI members then chooses the winning team.
The competition also started for students in Europe in 2020. In 2022, it launched for students in the Asia Pacific region.
How ULI Works and Its Events
ULI is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. It is guided by its global chairman, CEO, and board of directors.
Local Groups: District and National Councils
ULI is a global organization with members all over the world. It provides local groups called national and district councils. These local groups hold networking events, conferences, and awards programs for members in their area. They are made up of ULI members who share information and best practices in their field.
Meetings and Conferences
Each year, ULI holds several industry events. These are open to both members and non-members. Four major global events are the Spring and Fall Meetings, the ULI Europe Conference, and the ULI Asia Pacific Summit. These are held in different cities across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
Famous speakers at past ULI events include former President Bill Clinton and former President George W. Bush. Other notable speakers include JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and actor Robert Redford.
See also
- Real estate development
- urban planning
- green development
- architecture
- commercial real estate
- economic development
- transportation
