New Report on Investment, Development Prospects for 28 Cities in China to be Released at Summit

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BEIJING (May 16, 2012) – More than 300 of the world’s foremost real estate and land use leaders have assembled this week in Beijing for the Urban Land Institute’s first-ever real estate summit in mainland China. ULI is a global research and education organization dedicated to responsible land use and creating thriving communities worldwide. Founded in 1936, the institute has nearly 30,000 members around the globe, including more than 700 in the Asia Pacific region.

The summit, co-chaired by ULI Chairman Peter S. Rummell and Professor Nie Meisheng, president of the China Real Estate Chamber of Commerce, is based on the theme “Shaping Sustainable Urban Growth.” Starting with an opening address today by Professor Wu Jiang, vice president of Tongji University, the event will examine the impact of urbanization, demographic shifts, economic changes and environmental factors on China’s rapidly growing cities; and it will focus on how these forces of change are affecting urban development worldwide.

“This real estate summit is a milestone in ULI’s 75-year history. It’s a wonderful example of how ULI’s time-honored tradition of information sharing has been embraced in and expanded to markets worldwide,” Rummell said. “It is critical that ULI be at the forefront in China — in this area of the world that is making such important contributions to the built environment. At this summit, we’ll be discussing how to keep our cities attractive, sustainable, and competitive. This will include how urban areas will meet the expectations of future generations for livability, flexibility, mobility and choice. What we accomplish here will be an important contribution to ULI’s ongoing dialogue about sustainable urban growth.”

The real estate sessions on May 17 will start with a keynote speech from Dr. Cheong-Chua Koon Hean, chief executive officer of the Housing and Development Board in Singapore, who will be discussing planning and policy innovations that have made Singapore one of the most livable urban areas in Asia. Other sessions will include the challenges and opportunities of urban development in mainland China; finding the right balance of land uses for live, work and play environments in mixed-use developments; and a case study highlighting the application of sustainable planning and design initiatives at Tongzhou, the largest redevelopment project currently underway in Beijing. In another key session, internationally acclaimed urban designer Peter Calthorpe, founder of Calthorpe Associates, will focus on design and development practices that help lower carbon emissions in China’s rapidly growing cities.

Other highlights for May 17: A distinguished panel of ULI’s Asia Pacific Trustees will provide insights into how sustainable development practices affect their business plans and investment decisions, and the role that ULI should play in the Asia Pacific region. Additional panels will focus on the challenges of providing senior housing and the applications of green technologies in architecture.

On May 18, the summit’s second and final day of programs will begin with a keynote presentation by ULI Senior Resident Fellow Tom Murphy, who will discuss the important role that anchor institutions such as medical, education and research organizations play in fostering innovation and economic growth for competitive cities.

A conference highlight: the May 18 launch of a new ULI report, Mainland China Real Estate Markets 2012: ULI Analysis of City Investment Prospects. The institute’s second annual report on China cities, it gauges investment and development prospects for 28 of China’s largest markets over the next 12 months, and is based on interviews and survey responses from Asia’s leading developers, fund managers and institutional investors. The findings will be presented by Andrew Ness, independent consultant for the report; and a response to the report will be offered by Ken Rhee, chief executive officer, Huhan Advisory; Ng Beng Tiong, chief executive officer, ARA Private Funds; chief executive officer, ARA Managers (Asia Dragon) Pte. Ltd.; director, corporate office, ARA Asset Management Limited; Lu Feng, managing director, real estate group, CITIC Capital Holdings Limited; Deng Wei, president, Century Bridge Capital; and Adam Chikeung Yu, president, Winland International Finance Center.

Closing the summit will be sessions that focus on improving the energy efficiency of building portfolios, and on improving the quality of high-density residential development. Continuing the summit’s sustainable urban growth theme, one discussion will explore how investors, lenders, owners and tenants are acquiring information to manage the sustainability of buildings and measure and report on their ongoing performance. Another will take a broad look at how to enhance both the livability and sustainability of high-density residential development, based on projects that have been built in Singapore, Bangkok, Hanoi, Manila and Hong Kong.

“ULI’s presence in Asia benefits our members around the world,” said ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips. “We can stretch our thinking and create successful communities by learning from each other. ULI is in Asia for the same reason ULI is in the Americas and Europe, and that is to exchange ideas and expertise on how our cities will be experienced in the years ahead. This summit will help us gain different perspectives on how we can create communities that are prosperous and competitive, and it will provide us with a better-informed approach to land use leadership for the 21st century.”

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.