The ULI 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.

Food and Innovations in Real Estate: Resources and Strategies

Real estate developers across the country are integrating access to food into their projects—by including restaurants, farms, farmers markets, grocery stores, and other elements. ULI held a series of forums on this topic in 2016 and will release a report on lessons learned this fall. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released the Urban Agriculture Toolkit, a guide containing information for anyone interested in urban farming, which includes startup costs and operations information. Learn more.

Access to fresh food is a top priority or a high priority for 73 percent of U.S. residents, according to America in 2015. This statistic raises important questions for real estate developers, public health advocates, and civic leaders about how food can be leveraged to improve health, the environment, social equity, and food-system security—all while enhancing asset values. Learn more.

Principles and Strategies for Building Healthier Corridors

As part of its ongoing work on healthy corridors, ULI has released a reference flyer containing valuable information focused on health and corridor redevelopment. The document includes the definition of and elements included in a healthy corridor, recommendations for a phased approach to creating a healthier corridor, and key principles of developing a healthy corridor. A full report on the healthy corridors project is scheduled for release this fall. Learn more.

What’s New from Urban Land

• Expansion of Bike Infrastructure Fuels Growth of Multimodal Transit—Kathleen McCormick
• More Open Space, Walkability, and Multifamily Are Future of Suburbs—Kathleen McCormick
• Trading Parking Spots for More Public Space on Philadelphia’s Grays Ferry Avenue—Ryan Briggs
• ULI Case Study: Paseo Verde in Philadelphia—Payton Chung and Camille Galdes
• Mapping Access to Transit, Jobs across the United States—Beth Mattson-Teig

From Our Network: The KaBOOM! Play Everywhere Challenge

Active play is critical to children’s health. KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to giving kids daily access to active play, launched its Play Everywhere Challenge last week. The program is a national competition that will award $1 million in prizes to selected applicants offering innovative, community-driven solutions for integrating play into everyday life in unexpected places in the built environment, such as sidewalks, vacant lots, bus stops, open streets, and beyond.
Learn more.