Connecting Arts + Real Estate

A global cohort of ULI National and District Councils working to connect artists, developers, and community voices to drive more inclusive and participatory real estate outcomes.

Art in Place (AIP) is amplifying community voices and artist perspectives to drive more inclusive and participatory real estate development processes. With financial and programmatic support from the Building Healthy Places (BHP) team, participating cohort councils will host convenings and/or organize Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs) to identify where artists-engaged partnerships in real estate can advance equitable outcomes, empower collective action, and repair the social fabric. Lessons from this work will be shared across the greater National and District Councils network and amongst the wider ULI membership throughout the program.

The global Art in Place cohort includes:

• ULI Austin: Incorporating creative spaces in Austin’s existing and future developments.
• ULI Cleveland: Addressing historic inequities in community art funding and installation in Cleveland.
• ULI France: Leveraging existing programs to shape social projects that promote a culture of inclusion.
• ULI Germany: Exploring how to involve art and artists in private developments in more curated ways.
• ULI Hong Kong: Reinjecting purpose into Hong Kong real estate | Local project website
• ULI Indiana: Building the business case for art in real estate development
• ULI Louisiana: Advancing relationships between local creatives and real estate leaders to support creative placemaking in Baton Rouge.
• ULI NW Arkansas: Spurring creative placemaking collaborations in the northwest Arkansas corridor, a historically culturally underserved region.
• ULI Tampa Bay: Uniting arts and real estate to reimagine places.

The Art in Place cohort, working locally and together, seeks to:

• Foster stronger connections between artists and real estate, demonstrating how culture and creativity can advance social trust, community connection, and development success;
• Demonstrate how to embed creative placemaking and community perspectives into real estate development, to achieve better outcomes; and
• Distill lessons learned for wider sharing and adoption.

A growing network of Art in Place Volunteer Coaches and project advisors, include:

• Neda Abghari, Volunteer Coach, is an arts and culture advisor, do-good architect, affordable housing advocate, and founder of The Creatives Project in Atlanta.
• Juanita Hardy, Senior Advisor, is ULI’s Senior Visiting Fellow for Creative Placemaking. She has decades of experience in business and in the arts as a nonprofit leader, trustee, collector, and patron.
• Tim Jones, Volunteer Coach, is known for his pioneering work at Artscape Toronto. He is currently reimagining of Base31, a former WWII airbase located in Prince Edwards County, Ontario.
• Matthew Kwatinetz, Volunteer Coach, is a real estate consultant, professor, and board member of the Burning Man organization.
• Marian Liou, Volunteer Coach (phase 1), is Director of Art and Culture at SmartGrowth America.

Art in Place is the next step in ULI’s ongoing commitment to Creative Placemaking (CPM) focused on the integration of art, culture, and creativity as levers of community revitalization and is made possible by the generous support of former Global Governing Trustee and Julia Morgan Society member Michael Spies.

Program Resources

• AIP Global Webinar 06.23.23 | Watch webinar via ULI Knowledge Finder
• AIP Pre-Program Fact Sheet | pdf
• AIP Informational Webinar 09.13.22  video | pdf
• AIP Scoping Workshop #2, 07.19.22  video | pdf
• AIP Scoping Workshop #1, 06.21.22  video | pdf

Background Resources

• Art in Place Welcomes ULI Indiana | Urban Land
• Creative Placemaking: Recommendations from and Impact of Six Advisory Services Panels | ULI Knowledge Finder
• Creative Placemaking: Experts Study Creating a Distinctive Sense of Place | Urban Land
• Art in Place Program Expands to Europe | Urban Land
• Art in Place Teams Paired with Global Experts | Urban Land
• Six Councils Join Global Cohort to Connect Art and Real Estate | Urban Land
• Michael Spies’ $350,000 Gift Supports New ULI Effort to Involve Artists in Real Estate | link
• Creative Placemaking: Sparking Development with Art + Culture | ULI Knowledge Finder