City’s Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship to be Highlighted During Event

For more information, contact: Trisha Riggs, 202/624-7086; [email protected]

WASHINGTON (November 2, 2015) – The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use and creating thriving, sustainable communities, will hold its 2016 Spring Meeting April 19-21 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

The Spring Meeting, open only to ULI full members, routinely draws nearly 3,000 attendees, including renowned industry experts from around the world sharing insights on all aspects of real estate. A major focus for the 2016 gathering will be innovation, transformative place-making, and the entrepreneurial culture taking root in cities across the United States. Philadelphia, which has not hosted a major ULI event in more than 20 years, is a prime example of this urban evolution.

In recent years, Philadelphia has regained much of its urban population thanks to key investments in residential and mixed-use development within City Center and other urban neighborhoods. The concentration of technology companies and other knowledge-based businesses within the urban core had made city more attractive to millennials, who are seeking vibrant places to live, work, and play. More than $6.7 billion of new developments are under construction including the highly anticipated Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, a $1.2 billion, 59-story commercial and retail complex that will be the third tallest building in the U.S. when it is completed by 2017 by Liberty Property Trust, as well as significant residential, office and mixed-uses developments by Brandywine Realty Trust connecting Center City and University City.

“The timing is perfect for bringing a ULI global meeting to Philadelphia — a city so rich with history that is now undergoing a 21^st century renaissance,” said ULI Global CEO Patrick L. Phillips. “At our 2016 Spring Meeting in Philadelphia, our members can look forward to connecting with one another and seeing first-hand how successful partnerships between the public, private, and non-profit sectors are making one of America’s great cities even better.”

Liberty Property Trust and Brandywine Realty Trust are two Icon sponsors for the 2016 Spring Meeting. Other sponsors of the meeting include Allen Matkins; Bank of America; Cooper Ferry Development Association; Drinker, Biddle & Reath LLP; Duane Morris; Greystar; High Associates; Hunter Roberts; Langan Engineering; Lowe Enterprises; Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox; Morgan Lewis & Bockius; PECO; Strada; The Flynn Company; and University City Science Center.

The 2016 Spring Meeting Steering Committee is being co-chaired by three ULI leaders: William P. Hankowsky, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Property Trust; Gerard H. Sweeney, President and Chief Executive Officer, Brandywine Realty Trust; and former ULI Global Chairman and current ULI Trustee Marilyn Jordan Taylor, Dean and Paley Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design.

The meeting’s Host Committee, which is charged with maximizing the visibility of the Philadelphia metropolitan area real estate market to meeting attendees, is being co-chaired by ULI Philadelphia District Council Chairman Antonio Fiol-Silva, Principal at Wallace Roberts and Todd; and past ULI Philadelphia District Council Chairman, John E. “Jack” Farrell, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Norwood Company and a ULI Foundation Governor.

“Transformative development is happening everywhere in the greater Philadelphia region, with creative, innovative projects that change the way we think about the possibilities for our built environment,” Fiol-Silva said. “The ULI 2016 Spring Meeting presents a unique opportunity to showcase these exciting changes on a global stage.”

“Our goals are to deliver a successful, content-rich experience to our full members while highlighting the culture of innovation and creativity as well as the transformative projects occurring in Philadelphia and elsewhere in our region,” Farrell said.

In addition to delivering a variety of events and programming of local interest through ULI Philadelphia, ULI and its members have long been engaged with Philadelphia’s civic leaders and business community on major land use and urban development issues, economic development and community outreach initiatives.

In 2014, Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation and former president of the University of Pennsylvania, was awarded ULI’s highest honor — the ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development — in part for her role in leading the revitalization of the neighborhoods surrounding the university during her tenure as president from 1994-2004.

In 2010, Philadelphia was one of four cities chosen to participate in the inaugural year of the Daniel Rose Fellowship, the signature program of the ULI Rose Center for Public Leadership. Additionally, Philadelphia was chosen as one of several cities in which best practices in the adaptive reuse of historic buildings were identified and curated through a partnership between ULI and the National Trust of Historic Preservation.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 36,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.