ULI CEO Patrick L. Phillips Named to Global Steering Board on Urban Issues

For more information, contact Trish Riggs, 202-624-7086

WASHINGTON (June 21, 2012) — The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has partnered with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to pursue a series of initiatives to raise awareness of urban development practices that foster economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and a high quality of life in cities around the globe.

ULI is a global non-profit research and education institute with nearly 30,000 members dedicated to providing leadership in responsible land use and creating thriving, sustainable communities. WEF is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

As part of the partnership, ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick Phillips has been named to a newly formed WEF steering board on urban issues that includes nearly 20 global leaders in the fields of architecture, urban planning, design and development. The steering board will guide the work of a new WEF cross-industry initiative, the Future of Urban Development. In this capacity, it will inform WEF’s work in exploring and identifying transformational models for infrastructure and urban development.

“Our work with WEF will help greatly in strengthening ULI’s ability to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and influence decision-making that is shaping investment and development in cities around the world,” said ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips. “I have high hopes for what we can accomplish through our shared interest in improving the quality of life in urban areas.”

The steering board will explore the challenges and opportunities of urbanization, changing demographics, infrastructure, housing needs, and other related urban issues, with a particular emphasis on emerging markets and developing regions, and it will advise public officials and other stakeholders in those areas on addressing these issues. The board will focus on four cities each year, the first being a visit this week to Tianjin in China, which was selected as a Partner City for the Future of Urban Development initiative.

Tianjin was one of 28 China cities recently analyzed by ULI for investment and development prospects; Tianjin scored an “above fair” rating for both categories. The board’s work in Tianjin will involve examining how the city can transition from a manufacturing to a service hub, and how the city can creatively address congestion from its explosive urban growth. ULI Asia Executive Director John Fitzgerald represented ULI at the Tianjin forum this week.

Another initiative resulting from the ULI-WEF partnership is a capital markets roundtable, an invitation-only event set for June 25, 2012 at ULI’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The roundtable will examine the impact of post-financial crisis regulations mandated by the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; and of Basel III, an international set of reform measures, developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, to strengthen the regulation, supervision and risk management of the banking sector.

Specifically, the roundtable will focus on the impact of regulatory reform on the real estate sector, including availability of credit from banks; as well as the implications for issuance of commercial and residential mortgage-backed securities, and the impact on private investors.

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 sustaining and creating thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.