Urban Land Institute facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
The Official Urban Land Institute logo
Abbreviation	ULI
Formation	1936; 89 years ago (1936)
Type	Land use think tank and research institute
Headquarters	2001 L Street NW
Location	Washington, D.C.
Key people	Diane Hoskins, Global Chair Ron Pressman, Global CEO
Website	uli.org

The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a worldwide group that helps make communities better places to live. It is a nonprofit organization focused on research and education. ULI has offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London.

ULI wants to help its members and partners create communities that are fair, healthy, and strong. They also want these communities to last a long time. ULI started in 1936 and now has over 48,000 members. These members include people who build new areas, architects, and city planners.

ULI shares the best ways to build new homes, improve transportation, and develop land. They help communities by offering expert advice and holding meetings. They also create reports and offer courses to help people learn.

ULI's History

Early Years (1936–1949)

ULI was founded on December 14, 1936, during the Great Depression. 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. Two years later, ULI held its first big meeting in Boston. In 1942, ULI moved its main office to Washington, D.C.

In 1944, ULI created its first special group, the Community Builder's Council. This group focused on building issues in cities 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.

Growth and Research (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. They started their first research program in 1960. ULI also began to work internationally. They held their first meeting outside the U.S. in Mexico City in 1965.

In 1970, the Urban Land Research Foundation was created. This group aimed to provide more information about land development. In 1979, ULI started its Awards for Excellence program. This program recognized great achievements in land use.

New Programs and Global Reach (1980–1999)

ULI started its local District Council program in 1983. They began with seven councils in different U.S. cities.

The UrbanPlan program was created to teach high school students about city planning. In 1992, ULI created its first two European 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 event brought city leaders and private companies 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, many other District Councils had Young Leaders groups. ULI also opened its first Canadian office in Toronto.

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 2012, ULI joined with the Greenprint Foundation. This group helps the real estate industry reduce harmful gas emissions.

In 2015, ULI started the Building Healthy Places program. This program focuses on how health and fairness connect with the way our cities are built.

What ULI Does

ULI helps city governments and landowners with real estate and development challenges. They have expert teams that offer advice. These teams include architects, city planners, and finance experts. Many of their ideas have been put into action.

ULI's local groups hold events for city officials and business leaders. They discuss future land use challenges. ULI also has a program called UrbanPlan. This program teaches students about city planning in schools. ULI also works with groups like the World Economic Forum.

Advisory Services

ULI’s Advisory Services program started in 1947. It brings together experienced land use experts. They work to find solutions for complex building projects and policies. These teams have helped communities with many issues. This includes making cities better, creating affordable homes, and building strong infrastructure.

ULI panels have also given advice after natural disasters. For example, they helped rebuild after the 2007 bridge collapse in Minneapolis. They also advised officials on rebuilding Lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks.

Some of their ideas have caused debate. For instance, their advice for rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

UrbanPlan Program

UrbanPlan is an education program created by ULI San Francisco in 2002. It is now used in over 35 cities. This program teaches students about real-life city development.

Students work on a pretend scenario where they redevelop a community. They learn about the challenges and choices in urban planning. They also see how many different people's ideas influence building decisions. Industry experts volunteer to help the student teams. They also act as a "City Council" to pick the best plan.

Since it started, over 64,000 high school and university students have used UrbanPlan. The program expanded to the United Kingdom in 2014. It has also grown to other countries in Europe and Asia Pacific. In 2015, ULI started offering UrbanPlan to public officials and community members too.

ULI Learning

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 these intensive, four-day courses.

In 2020, ULI partnered with Project REAP. They created a virtual program to help increase diversity in the real estate industry. Participants take online courses and attend live discussions for eight weeks.

ULI's Special Centers

ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing

The Terwilliger Center for Housing focuses on housing issues. It works to help build more homes that people can afford. The Center also shares the best ways to develop housing and create related public policies. It aims to get more support for housing solutions from leaders and the public.

The Center creates research and tools to help build homes. It also works with housing industry leaders. It gives awards for great housing projects and policies. The Center also holds an annual housing conference. One of its research tools is the Home Attainability Index. This helps understand if a city has enough affordable housing for its workers.

The Terwilliger Center also runs the Homeless to Housed program. This program finds and uses the best ways to help people who do not have homes.

ULI Center for Real Estate Economics and Capital Markets

This center was started in 2009. It holds a yearly conference about real estate and money markets. Experts and economists meet there. The center also publishes a forecast about real estate twice a year.

Since it began, 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 helps create healthy, strong, and energy-efficient buildings. It was launched in 2014 as the ULI Center for Sustainability. It was renamed in 2022 after Randall Lewis donated $10 million.

The Center includes the Building Healthy Places Initiative, the Urban Resilience program, and the Greenprint Center for Building Performance. It leads ULI's efforts to help the real estate industry reach zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The Building Healthy Places Initiative works to improve the health of people and communities. It helps members make choices that improve health and fairness in their work. This initiative produces reports, like "Ten Principles for Embedding Racial Equity in Real Estate Development." It also offers learning programs and helps local ULI groups.

The ULI Urban Resilience program focuses on how buildings and cities can be stronger against climate change. It helps ULI members and communities learn how to be more resilient. The program provides expert help and research.

ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance

In 2012, the Greenprint Foundation joined ULI. This created the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance. This center aims to help the global real estate industry reduce harmful 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 to provide a clear way for building owners to track their progress.

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 someone who has greatly helped build communities worldwide. It honors those who set high standards in land use and development. They must show a strong commitment to creating the best built environments.

The prize started in 2000 as the J.C. Nichols Prize. It was renamed in 2020. Winners receive $100,000. Past winners include mayors, architects, and community leaders.

ULI Global Awards for Excellence

Started in 1979, these awards recognize the best new developments around the world. They look at design, how well they are accepted, their economic impact, and how sustainable they are. Projects must first win a regional award to be considered for the global award.

ULI Urban Open Space Award

This award recognizes great examples of public open spaces in cities. These spaces must make the local area better and help the community. The award started in 2009. It was created after Amanda Burden, a ULI Prize winner, donated her prize money for 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. It was started in 2008 and later renamed after Jack Kemp.

Each year, ULI highlights leaders who are expanding housing options. They give three awards. One award recognizes new state and local policies that support affordable housing. The other two honor developments that create more housing opportunities.

ULI Hines Student Competition

The ULI/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition started in 2003. It gives graduate students a chance to win a $50,000 prize. Each year, students get a real, large site to work on. They form teams and have two weeks to create a full design and development plan. 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

ULI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It is guided by its rules and led by staff and member volunteers. Its business is managed by its global chairman, CEO, and board of directors.

District and National Councils

ULI is a global organization with members in many cities. It provides local groups called national and district councils. These local groups host events, meetings, and awards programs for members in their area. They also allow members to share information and best practices in their specific fields.

Events and Meetings

Each year, ULI holds many events that 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 Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Other notable speakers include JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and actor Robert Redford.