In July, ULI launched a new initiative focused on the interconnections between health and the built environment. The Building Healthy Places Initiative is leveraging the power of ULI’s global networks to shape projects and places in ways that improve the health of people and communities.

Housing Opportunity 2014: Healthy Housing, Healthy Places Starts Today

Jason Roberts of the Better Block Project

Attendees at the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing’s annual conference will be exploring topics at the intersection of health and housing. Held in Denver, Colorado, the conference features keynote speakers Dr. Megan Sandel of Children’s HealthWatch and Jason Roberts of the Better Block Project. Follow the conference on Twitter using #ULIHousing14. 

Building for Wellness: The Business Case Finds that Health Makes Business Sense

The new ULI report Building for Wellness: The Business Case profiles 13 development projects, including five renovation and redevelopment projects, four new construction projects, and four master-planned community projects, that were developed with health and wellness in mind. Building for Wellness finds that the health component costs were a minimal percentage of the overall development budget, and that the market response exceeded expectations. The report examines design strategies as well as programming and operations aspects of the included projects.

ULI’s Asia Pacific Summit to Feature Health

The 3rd Annual Asia Pacific Summit, to be held in Hong Kong May 20-22, will include several programs related to health, including a Building Healthy Places Panel and roundtable discussions on urban mobility and transit oriented development. A post-summit workshop features Hysan Place, a sustainable commercial high-rise that includes an urban farm and artificial wetland designed to recycle graywater. Find more information about the Summit here.

Infrastructure 2014 Finds Public Transit is Top Infrastructure Priority

Infrastructure 2014: Shaping the Competitive City is the latest in an annual series by ULI and EY. This year’s report is based on a survey of global public sector and real estate leaders, which found that improved public transit services (bus and rail) was the top investment priority for both groups of survey respondents. Click here to read more.

Resources Now Available for Building Healthy Places Sessions at the Spring Meeting

Materials from the Building Healthy Places sessions at ULI’s Spring Meeting in Vancouver are now available. Session descriptions, PowerPoints, and video can be accessed here.

Local Innovations: Cleveland, Washington, Singapore, and San Francisco

ULI Cleveland Young Leaders Group

ULI District and National Councils are connecting members with opportunities to lead on health.

• ULI Cleveland. The ULI Young Leaders Group in Cleveland toured a hydroponic greenhouse that is focusing on local food production and economic development.
• ULI Washington. As part of a set of Urban Innovation Grant activities, ULI Washington is helping to envision a new 11th Street Bridge Park for the nations’ capital. Recently, the District Council hosted a free event to explore what the park could look like.
• ULI Singapore. ULI Singapore and the Centre for Liveable Cities hosted a workshop with Danish architect Jan Gehl to formulate principles for improving walkability and bikeability in Singapore.
• ULI San Francisco and ULI Northwest. From May 7-9, ULI San Francisco hosted members from San Francisco and Seattle as part of a study trip focused on innovative topic areas related to health, land use, and real estate. The members will also visit Seattle in June.

Building Healthy Places Posts and Articles

• Successful Bike-Share Programs take Cooperation, Partnership, and Financial Sustainability. This Urban Land article by ULI Senior Visiting Fellow Gabe Klein looks at lessons learned from the implementation of bike-share systems in Paris, Washington, Chicago, and New York.
• American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association Host Health-Centered Events. Over the past two weeks, ULI has explored health and the built environment in events convened by AIA and APA. Read about these events, which convened a diverse set of stakeholders to explore how to advance efforts to connect design, planning, and health.
• New Approach to Sustainability for Park 20|20 Focuses on Energy and Health. Park 20|20 in the Netherlands—profiled in Building for Wellness—is focused on Cradle-to-Cradle design. This Urban Land article explores how this project is pushing the envelope in sustainability.
• National Civic Review Highlights Healthy Communities. The Spring 2014 issue of the National Civic League publication focuses on issues related to healthy places. NCL is also set to announce the winners of the All-America City awards on June 15. Read the publication and check out the finalists here.
• Hines Competition Winning Design Focuses on Resilience and Health. A team from the University of Maryland has won the 2014 Hines Competition, which challenged students to incorporate health into their site proposals. The winning design plan to reimagine Nashville’s Sulphur Dell Neighborhood addressed flood concerns, created connections between the neighborhood and surrounding communities, and demonstrated financial feasibility.
• Courtyard Housing that Appeals to Many Generations. This Urban Land article highlights a development project in Dallas. The development’s single story housing units were built to be higher density yet still provide private outdoor spaces and garages. These units are marketed towards aging baby-boomers wanting to downsize and young couples looking for more compact living.

Connect with the ULI Building Healthy Places Initiative

Email: Join the Building Healthy Places mailing list by e-mailing [email protected].
Website: www.uli.org/health.
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