This week, with programs in Boise, Idaho, and Denver, Colorado, the ULI Infrastructure Initiative wraps up its annual summer District Council speaker series.

During summer 2013, speakers from ULI in Georgetown visited 13 District Councils to talk about two ULI recent infrastructure reports, Shifting Suburbs: Reinventing Infrastructure for Compact Development, and Infrastructure 2013: Global Priorities, Global Insights. These programs reached about 1,300 real estate and planning leaders in cities big and small throughout the country, providing a venue for important discussions about critical infrastructure trends and challenges.

At each event, stage-setting remarks summarizing the reports by ULI speakers were complemented by local leaders and panelists. ULI speakers included Rachel MacCleery, Ed McMahon, Tom Murphy, Maureen McAvey, and Uwe Brandes. Local panelists and speakers included developers, elected officials, and city and regional leaders.

ULI’s Shifting Suburbs report explores lessons learned from the infrastructure choices made by U.S. eight suburban redevelopment case studies. Infrastructure 2013 highlights infrastructure trends and issues in three global regions: the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe /Middle East/Africa.  Key findings from America in 2013 were also shared.

Event Highlights

Comments and questions at these events explored the themes and issues in the reports. Some highlights:

• In Kansas City, about compact suburban development: “In our region, there’s a lack of builders and developers who are willing to go first and embrace a development type that’s not proven yet.”
• In Raleigh: “2/3 of the city has been built since 1980, and it’s still growing. There’s a huge opportunity to get things right. The future belongs to generations X, Y, and Z.”
• In Raleigh: “How can we get anchor institutions more engaged in providing or pushing for transit?”
• In Dallas: “We’re seeing huge demand for our compact townhouse formats from Baby Boomers. They’re our primary market.”
• In Dallas: “These projects should be seen as the long-term real estate plays that they are.”

Shifting Suburbs Events

Shifting Suburbs-focused events included (click on links to learn more about the event and download powerpoints):

• ULI Triangle – Raleigh, NC, June 6, Rachel MacCleery keynote [PPTs available]
• ULI Chicago – Oakbrook, IL, June 13, Tom Murphy keynote (see pictures)
• ULI Memphis – Memphis, TN, June 13, Ed McMahon keynote
• ULI Kansas City – Kansas City, MO, June 25, Rachel MacCleery keynote [PPTs available]
• ULI Hampton Roads – Hampton Roads, VA, June 26, Tom Murphy keynote
• ULI North Texas – Dallas, TX, July 11, Rachel MacCleery keynote
• ULI Indiana – Fishers, IN, August 15, Ed McMahon keynote
• ULI Colorado – Arvada, CO, August 29, Ed McMahon keynote

Infrastructure 2013 Events

Infrastructure 2013-focused events included:

• ULI North Florida – Jacksonville, FL, May 21, Tom Murphy keynote
• ULI Michigan – Windsor, Ontario, Canada, May 22, Maureen McAvey keynote
• ULI New York – New York, NY, June 25, Uwe Brandes presenter and moderator
• ULI Cincinnati – Cincinnati, OH, June 27
• ULI Idaho – Garden City, ID, August 28, Ed McMahon keynote

Infrastructure 2013 was also featured at ULI Europe’s June Real Estate Trends Conference by Malcolm Bairstow of EY in London, and was distributed at the ULI Asia Pacific Summit in Shanghai, held on June 4 and 5.

If you participated in or attended a District Council infrastructure event, please let us know what you think by commenting below.

Read Ed McMahon’s impressions of this summer’s event series here.

Thanks to all of the District Council staff and leaders who hosted these meaningful programs. It was an honor to participate in these events, and we look forward to working with you again next summer!