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.

Building Healthy Places Toolkit: Learn More in Two Webinars

ULI has just released a new report, Building Healthy Places Toolkit: Strategies for Enhancing Health in the Built Environment, The report outlines 21 practical, evidence-supported recommendations for enhancing health outcomes in real estate developments.

A March 2 members-only webinar featured the report and development projects in California and Colorado that focus on health. Missed this webinar? Learn more. An upcoming webinar on March 25, open to all, will feature the Toolkit and other tools to promote health. Register for the March 25 webinar.

Advisory Services Panels in Colorado: What’s Happening One Year Later

Three Colorado communities—Lamar, Arvada, and Westwood—were the focus of ULI Advisory Services panels in spring 2013. Since then, these communities have worked to implement recommendations from the panels. With the support of the Colorado Health Foundation and other groups, great things have been happening.

ULI Senior Resident Fellow Ed McMahon summarized what he saw during a follow-on visit to the communities in a recent article published in the Foundation’s journal, Health Elevations. In Lamar, for example, results include a “new playground at Northside Park completed with a KaBOOM grant, installation of a new half-mile walking trail on the Lamar medical campus, and new lights at the soccer field in the Hispanic neighborhood north of downtown.” Learn more.

How Housing Matters Website Launched

ULI’s Terwilliger Center for Housing recently launched How Housing Matters, a new online resource showing the connections between housing, health, education, economic opportunities, and more. The site, which is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, offers daily news, original stories, and accessible summaries of the most rigorous research on housing’s contribution to better lives.

Recent posts explore how to improve access to healthcare in public housing developments and how social isolation is a public health issue. Learn more.

The Many Benefits of Urban Greening

Many studies have highlighted the benefits of parks and green space for human health. A recent review of studies at Philly.com found compelling links between these spaces and improvement of a variety of physical and mental health indicators. Learn more.

Parks and green space also have positive impacts on property values, with homes located near parks commanding a price premium.

For specific recommendations on how to incorporate nature into development projects, consult the Building Healthy Places Toolkit.