The Building Healthy Places Initiative is pleased to announce partnerships with two ULI Product Councils on research exploring the intersection of health and real estate performance.

These two projects, detailed below, were chosen due to their focus on social and economic equity, health, and long term real estate value.

Affordable Housing Leads Market Transformation towards Healthy Housing for All. This project will be undertaken with the Affordable & Workforce Housing Council and will synthesize the affordable housing industry’s achievements in creating healthier housing environments for vulnerable populations. These “healthy affordable housing wins” will be translated into recommendations that apply to the development of market rate housing. The project will explore policies, financial structures, and achievements that have the potential to drive investment and market growth to provide healthy housing for all.

The Open Space Case: Health and Financial Metrics. This project, developed by the Sustainable Development Council, will identify and describe case studies that offer useful metrics for evaluating health and financial outcomes of parks and open spaces established through real estate projects. This information will be used to produce a scoring system that will aid professionals, developers, and communities in their efforts to create healthy community spaces that also support return on investment.

Findings from these two projects will be shared broadly with ULI members online, through Product Councils, and at meetings and events. More information about the Product Council–Building Healthy Places Initiative Joint Project is available here.

ULI is grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for its support of this activity.