ULI Mission Priorities
All three priorities will be underpinned by a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), which recognises that our communities can be successful and sustainable only if they work for everyone.
By channeling our resources and energies into tackling these important and pressing challenges, we can maximise our impact.
DECARBONISATION AND NET ZERO
Developing a path to net zero carbon has become a priority for investors, tenants, cities, and the real estate industry. Through work across many facets of ULI – Mission Priorities, our Greenprint Center for Building Performance, District/National Councils, Advisory Services, ULI Learning, and beyond – we have developed a wide range of resources to help ULI members and the broader real estate and land use community better understand the business case for a path to net zero, and tools to help them operationalise it in their projects and portfolios.
Net-zero in the built environment describes a building portfolio that is highly energy efficient and fully powered by on- and off-site renewables and offsets. More on ULI’s definition of net zero and our net zero goal is available here.
ULI’s mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide, and net zero is a crucial building block to help us achieve this. According to the AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis Report, achieving global net zero GHG emissions is a requirement for stabilising CO2-induced global surface temperature warming. Real estate has a tremendous responsibility and opportunity in this realm to act and ensure a future where we are minimising our environmental impacts and advancing pathways to mitigating climate change. There is also a clear and present business case opportunity for real estate to take leadership on decarbonisation.
Ways to get involved:
- Engage in the Net Zero Imperative by submitting a Statement of Interest to participate in the program or offering services as a subject matter expert on a Net Zero Imperative Technical Assistance Panel (TAP)
- Join ULI Greenprint if your firm owns or develops buildings
- Sign up for our bi-monthly Net Zero Exchange
- Consider applying to join a Product Council related to sustainability: ULI Asia Pacific — Resilient Cities Council
- Take one of the sustainability focused ULI Learning Courses
- Apply learnings from Case Studies, Research Reports, and Webinars
- Share Urban Land articles
- Apply for the ULI Low-carbon Development award
- Have a net zero project you would like to share with us to feature on the ULI Case Studies website? Share it with us by emailing [email protected].
Learn more about ULI’s programs on net zero:
- ULI Net Zero Imperative
- ULI Greenprint Net Zero Goal
- ULI Europe C Change Programme
- ULI Net Zero Exchange
INCREASING HOUSING ATTAINABILITY
The goal of the Terwilliger Center for Housing is to advance best practices in residential development and public policy, and to support ULI members and local communities in creating and sustaining a full spectrum of housing opportunities, particularly for low- and moderate-income households.
Established in 2007 with a gift from longtime member and former ULI chairman, J. Ronald Terwilliger, the Center integrates ULI’s wide-ranging housing activities into a program of work with three objectives: to catalyse the production of housing; provide thought leadership on the housing industry; and inspire a broader commitment to housing.
The Terwilliger Center for Housing is home to important initiatives such as:
- Attainable Housing for All Campaign – This new initiative leverages ULI’s technical assistance panels and other forums to directly engage with local communities, bringing expertise to solve unique affordability challenges and expand the production and preservation of attainable housing.
- National Housing Exchange – As part of the Attainable Housing for All Campaign, the National Housing Exchange brings together ULI’s most engaged members working with their local District Councils to address local housing needs. It is a space for peer-to-peer learning with enhanced support from the Terwilliger Center.
- The Annual Housing Awards – These awards recognize and elevate innovative affordable and mixed-income developments and policies that enable state and local governments to incentivize the production or preservation of affordable housing.
- Homeless to Housed (H2H) – Launched in 2022 and the Terwilliger Center’s newest initiative, H2H works to explore real estate solutions to the growing humanitarian and economic crisis impacting communities everywhere. Core elements of this work include conducting research, promoting cross-sector collaboration, providing local technical assistance through ULI’s network of district councils, and sharing knowledge and expertise for addressing housing challenges for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DIVERSE LEADERS
Learn more about how ULI is educating the next generation of diverse leaders:
- ULI Learning – A custom-built ULI platform that provides real estate education for students, professionals, and the public. Available online and on-demand, these educational series, certificates, and courses leverage ULI’s publications, content and research, as well as the practical and theoretical insights of our member leaders. Since being rebranded as ULI Learning in January 2020, more than 40 courses have been offered to the ULI community.
- ULI Foundation – The ULI Foundation secures and manages philanthropic assets to benefit and advance the mission of Urban Land Institute.