A guide to can’t-miss sustainability-focused events and content at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston.

Monday, October 8

Coastal Forum
9:15 am – 4:30 pm
The Coastal Forum is a member-initiated project to bring together leaders in real estate, land use and climate resilience to share best practices for coastal development. The Forum offers a dialogue-based setting to analyze trends, share tools and resources, and tour examples of innovative waterfront projects in Boston. The forum will start with a morning of panel discussion on national issues and Boston real estate projects that incorporate best practice design strategies to manage rising sea levels and other climate impacts. Forum participants will then set sail in a private charter, touring exciting coastal development projects along the Boston waterfront. Space is limited. To register click here.

City and Real Estate Sustainability Summit
12-4 pm, Atlantic Wharf
We will be joined by hosts Boston Properties and the Boston Green Ribbon Commission for a discussion between city sustainability leaders and real estate owners and developers around opportunities to work together on energy efficiency, resilience, climate change, and parks and open space. The summit will be participant-driven, and include discussions on the types of policies, incentives, and collaboration vehicles that have helped drive successful sustainability programs in both the private and public sector. There is no additional cost for this forum. To register contact [email protected]. To learn more read an article on our last summit here

Informal Happy Hour
4:30-5:30 pm, Atlantic Wharf
Attendees of the three sustainability-related forums (BHP Interest forum, CDC Forum, and City/Real Estate Summit participants) will be getting together for a drink at Atlantic Wharf, and folks who are in town are welcome to join us for light snacks and refreshments. RSVP to [email protected].

Tuesday, October 9

Greenprint Performance Committee Meeting
Tuesday 9-10:30 am
Greenprint leaders will be meeting to share their sustainability strategies and challenges in a closed-door meeting for Greenprint members. Any and all Greenprint members are welcome to attend the Performance Committee meeting. Greenprint Members Only.

Greenprint Innovation Roundtable
11:00 am – 12:00 pm, BCEC 259B
Join the Greenprint Center for Building Performance for a presentation with three Greenprint Innovation Partners, highlighting next-generation building software (Autocase), building materials (View), and new energy solutions (Stem) that Greenprint members are leveraging to enhance their sustainability efforts. Open to all.

Concurrent Session: The Day After: Rescue, Redevelopment and Resiliency when Disaster Strikes
10:30-11:30am, BCEC 156ABC
Over the last several years, communities across America have been devastated by major natural disasters. The response after a major disaster comes in three phases:  rescue and immediate recovery, restoration and redevelopment of damaged properties, and implementation of longer-term strategies to ensure new development is more resilient against future similar disasters.  Panelists will share the lessons learned from their experiences in each phase of recovery after a disaster affected their communities.

Pop-up presentation: Revisiting Texas one year after Harvey,
11:30-12 pm, BCEC Ballroom Pre-function Space, 3rd Floor
Come watch a new video featuring ULI Houston members discussing their experience after Hurricane Harvey, and highlighting a local example of resilience, Buffalo Bayou. ULI members interviewed in the video will then share their experiences and engage with the audience for Q&A. Stop by the third floor to listen to this presentation.

Networking: Open Space Case Lunch
12-1 pm, BCEC 205C
You are cordially invited to lunch, where you will learn about new research from the ULI Building Healthy Places Initiative and the ULI Sustainable Development Council which explores the benefits of real estate sector involvement in creating, maintaining, operating, and programming parks and open space. The report, The Open Space Case, is available to meeting attendees in ULI’s publications area. This lunch program is open to all Fall Meeting registrants. Space is limited; food will be served on a first come first served basis.

Pop-up presentation:  Real Estate Responds to Climate Change: How Leading Developers Are Generating Value through a Long-Term Climate Strategy
4-4:30 pm, BCEC Ballroom Pre-function Space, 3rd Floor
How can a real estate portfolio go “carbon neutral”? Why would a leading REIT set a “science-based climate target”? How does net zero impact NOI and NPV? A review of real estate goals and strategies shared at the Global Climate Action Summit. Join Ben Myers (Boston Properties) and Andy Bush (Morgan Creek Ventures) for the conversation.

Wednesday, October 10

Concurrent session: Investor and Developer Insights on the Business Case for Healthier Places
9-10 am, BCEC 151AB
Demand is growing for buildings and spaces that promote health and wellness. Leading investors and developers will share their experiences and why they have elected to integrate health and well-being as a key component of their new and existing office and multifamily properties and portfolios. What compelled them to begin investing in health? What changes have they made in design and operating decisions? How do they think about and measure risks and returns? What lessons have they learned?

Concurrent session: The Intersection of Capital Markets, Real Estate, and Sustainability
9-10 am, BCEC 253ABC
Recognizing the growing importance that the investment community is placing on the topic of sustainability and considerations relating to climate change, this panel will discuss how leading debt and equity providers are integrating sustainability into their investment decisions. 

Pop-up presentation: Opportunities in Financing Resilience
10-10:30 am, BCEC Ballroom Pre-function Space, 3rd Floor
Contribute to ULI member John Macomber’s emerging research at Harvard Business School on market and finance opportunities for investing in resilience, including both commercial properties and infrastructure.

Pop-up presentation: Agrihoods – Emerging Best Practices
4-4:30 pm, BCEC Ballroom Pre-function Space, 3rd Floor
Agrihoods are residential or mixed-use developments built with a working farm or garden as a focus. In master-planned communities, farms are replacing golf courses as a more healthy and sustainable amenity. At this informal session, learn about new ULI research on agrihoods, why they’re a growing trend, and best practices for developing them. This session is open to all Fall Meeting attendees.

Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance Reception
6-8 pm, Gather
At this reception, the Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance will celebrate the ULI Urban Open Space Award finalists and winner, as well as the one-year anniversary of the 10-Minute Walk Campaign, which is working to ensure that everyone in urban America lives within a 10-Minute Walk to a high-quality park. If you are interested in learning more, please click here or email [email protected].

 Thursday, October 11

Concurrent Session: The Role of Public Space in Catalyzing Community Revitalization and Reinvestment
10:30 – 11:30 am, BCEC 153ABC
Parks make cities and towns great places in which to live and work and are essential to the physical, social, environmental, and economic health of people and communities. This session will provide examples of how high-quality parks and open spaces spurred community development and expanded the economy.

Pop-up presentation: Data-driven Sustainability Opportunities
11:30-12pm, BCEC Ballroom Pre-function Space, 3rd Floor
What are all of today’s data options on the sustainability front, and why do they matter? Join Dan Winters (GRESB), Mike Zatz (EPA ENERGY STAR), and Melissa Bartow (Measurabl) to talk through the newest opportunities for data-driven sustainability and how to best measure, track, and manage your portfolios’ performance on such issues as energy efficiency, health and wellness, and resilience.

Concurrent Session: Future-Proofing Real Estate Investment:How Industry Leaders Are Factoring in Climate Risk
1-2pm, BCEC 153ABC
Currently, a substantial amount of real estate assets are located in coastal cities vulnerable to the effects of climate change, from catastrophic events such as hurricanes and flooding, to more gradual changes such as sea level rise or extreme heat. Recent research has shown that the impact of real and perceived risks of climate change are already beginning to be reflected in pricing of residential real estate, and commercial real estate may be next. This session will kick off with a preview of findings from a global research project by Heitman and ULI, on how investment managers and investors are factoring climate risk in to their decision-making and management processes. Key leaders from across the sector will then discuss the actions they are taking to evaluate and manage climate risk and future proof their portfolios.

Download a PDF of sustainability events at ULI Fall Meeting here.