Ten-Year Old Partnership of 54 Municipalities Includes Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul

For more information, contact: Robert Krueger at 202-624-7086

WASHINGTON (November 6, 2014) – The Minnesota chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) has been selected as the 2014 winner of the ULI Impact Award, an annual honor given to a district or national council that has catalyzed an exceptional example of impact, or a positive change in the design and development of its community. The ULI Minnesota district council initiative, the Regional Council of Mayors, was selected for its impact in providing a non-partisan forum for building networks that foster regional awareness in solving pressing land use issues.

The Regional Council of Mayors, formed in 2004, is a collaborative platform through which mayors convene monthly to learn from experts and each other on ways to strengthen the region’s economic competitiveness and quality of life. The influence of the collaborative is derived from un-biased monthly conversations, integrated initiatives, and city workshops that are facilitated by ULI Minnesota. All of the group’s advisory committees are co-chaired by a mayor and a ULI Minnesota real estate professional.

Over the years, the original group of 8 members has grown to 54 municipalities and has worked together to implement regional action plans for four initiatives: expanding housing choices, improving connections between transportation and land use, building healthy communities, and increasing regional competitiveness. During the past decade, the Regional Council of Mayors has collaborated to produce a number of reports and tools including the Housing Initiative’s Opportunity City Program, the CEO to CEO Conversations jobs report, the Minnesota Housing Policy Tool Box, the MSP Housing + Transportation Calculator, and the Reinvesting in the Region – (Re)Development-Ready Guide.

As part of its ten-year effort, ULI Minnesota has conducted 37 “Navigating the Competitive Future” interactive workshops. These dialogues were provided at no charge to cities seeking to learn from real estate professionals and policy leaders about public-private strategies that attract the kind of development that will make their communities more liveable and economically sustainable.

“I am a better leader today because of the wisdom of the Regional Council of Mayors,” said Shakopee Mayor Brad Tabke. “Mayors are learning and working together to find good, progressive solutions to the real world problems we are facing at the city level. This is the one group that I can be a part of that does not waste my time. The conversations and topics are highly focused and I can guarantee that I take away a valuable lesson from every meeting.”

ULI Minnesota is the second winner of the Impact Award, first given in 2013 to the ULI Colorado district council for its work helping the Denver Public Schools improve the management of its real estate assets. The award winner is selected from submissions to the annual Impact at the Local Level report, released each year at the ULI Fall Meeting. The winner is chosen by the senior executive leadership of the district and national council program, who judge submissions on outcomes in the past fiscal year that were triggered by previous ULI activities.

NOTE TO EDITORS AND REPORTERS:  Each year, ULI produces a report entitled Impact at the Local Level, which highlights many of that year’s district and national council projects. For a copy of the report, contact Robert Krueger at 202-624-7051.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (uli.org) is a global 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 over 32,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.