Renowned Panel of Land Use, Planning Experts to Visit Area from March 31-April 5

WASHINGTON (March 29, 2019) — A group of nationally renowned land use and urban planning experts representing the Urban Land Institute (ULI) will be making recommendations next week to the City of Detroit on how to create sustainable financial models for the city’s growing network of parks and public spaces and the connectors among them, including urban walking and biking trails. ULI is a global, multidisciplinary real estate organization whose work is driven by 43,000-plus members dedicated to responsible land use and building thriving, sustainable communities.

The Advisory Services panel is being conducted in conjunction with the 10-Minute Walk Campaign, a national movement striving to ensure that residents of urban neighborhoods throughout America have access to a high-quality park within a ten-minute walk from their homes. The 10-Minute Walk Campaign, which has been endorsed by over 230 mayors, involves a partnership between the Urban Land Institute, The Trust for Public Land, and the National Recreation and Park Association.

The ULI representatives, convened through ULI’s renowned Advisory Services Program, will be visiting the city from March 31 to April 5. Sponsored by the City of Detroit along with leadership from the public, private and philanthropic sectors of Detroit, the Advisory Services panelists will consider:

• Options for generating revenue;
• Closer coordination of private, philanthropic and city government expenditures;
• Maximizing the use of existing public sector funding; and
• Achieving sustainability while preserving and increasing access for long-time residents of the city.

The panel will be chaired by leading ULI member April Anderson Lamoureux, president of Anderson Strategic Consulting in Boston, Massachusetts. “We are looking forward to bringing the expertise of ULI members to Detroit and engaging in a robust public policy discussion on how to sustain and expand the public parks and open space system to benefit the health, wellness and quality of life of all residents,” said Lamoureux. “An exciting element of this panel is the commitment from both the public and private sectors to work together and identify solutions that will lead to sustainable, supportive neighborhoods and public gathering spots that will serve the residents of Detroit for generations to come.”

Anderson will be joined by: Neelay Bhatt, principal, PROS Consulting Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana; Michael Brown, planning supervisor, Montgomery County Planning Department, Montgomery County, Maryland; Savlan Hauser, executive director, Jack London Improvement District, Oakland, California; Ilana Lipsett, co-founder and community design strategist, Just People, Oakland, California; Steve Qualkinbush, partner, Q2, Northbrook, Illinois; Donald R. Schrotenboer, president and chief executive officer, Private Equity Group, Fort Myers, Florida, Alex Feldman, managing director, U3 Advisors, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Stephany Lin, associate, U3 Advisors, New York, New York.

During the week, the panel will tour various sites and surrounding neighborhoods, and interview a variety of stakeholders in the community before developing a set of recommendations that will be presented at the conclusion of the panel’s visit.

ULI Michigan, which serves ULI members throughout the Detroit region and the state, was instrumental in bringing the panel to the city. “ULI Michigan’s leadership and staff continue to promote tangible results throughout our region and most recently we were asked to support our public, private and philanthropic community through this upcoming Advisory Services panel,” said Eric Larson, former chairman of ULI Michigan and a current advisory board member. “We are grateful for the panel bringing its broad knowledge of other U.S. and global cities’ practices as well as their creative thinking to adapt, replicate, weave and form solutions that are unique to Detroit but may help other communities.”

Now in its 72^nd year, the ULI advisory services program assembles experts in the fields of real estate and land use planning to participate on panels worldwide, offering recommendations for complex planning and development projects, programs and policies. Panels have developed more than 700 studies for a broad range of land uses, ranging from waterfront properties to inner-city retail.

According to Thomas Eitler, senior vice president of ULI’s advisory services program, the strength of the program lies in ULI’s unique ability to draw on the substantial knowledge of its 43,000-plus members, including land developers, engineers, public officials, academics, lenders, architects, planners and urban designers. “The independent views of the panelists bring a fresh perspective to the land use challenge,” Eitler said. “The advisory services program is all about offering creative, innovative approaches to community building.”

Past sponsors of ULI advisory service panels include federal, state and local government agencies; regional councils of government; chambers of commerce; redevelopment authorities; private developers and property owners; community development corporations; lenders; historic preservation groups; non-profit community groups; environmental organizations and economic development agencies.

NOTE TO REPORTERS: The media and public are invited to a reception on Monday, April 1, 2019, from 5-7 PM at Castle Hall Detroit, 1942 Grand River Avenue, and to the presentation of the findings on Friday, April 5, 2019, from 9-10:30 AM at the Palmer Park Community Center, 910 Merrill Plaisance St.