Building Sustainable Communities that Save Energy and Land is Major Theme of Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Event

For more information, contact: Trisha Riggs, 202/624-7086; [email protected]

WASHINGTON (January 6, 2012) – The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use, is continuing a year-long recognition of its 75th anniversary with the institute’s 2012 Real Estate Summit at the Spring Council Forum, set for May 8-10 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C. With the theme “The Power to Lead, the Energy to Thrive,” the event will focus on building sustainable communities through development that conserves land and energy. The benefits of strong public-private partnerships – an area in which Charlotte has excelled — will also be showcased. The meeting will feature presentations from nationally renowned energy, land use and financial industry leaders.

The annual Real Estate Summit at the Spring Council Forum – one of ULI’s two major all-member meetings held each year in the U.S. — routinely draws nearly 3,000 members and guests, including industry experts from around the world representing all land use disciplines.

The ULI Local Arrangements Committee, which is charged with maximizing the visibility of the Charlotte metropolitan area real estate market to meeting attendees, is being chaired by ULI Trustee Peter Pappas, president and managing partner of Pappas Properties, LLC in Charlotte. “The landmark anniversary of ULI and the forward-looking programming being planned to mark the occasion will enrich the meeting experience for both seasoned industry professionals and those starting their real estate careers,” Pappas said.

The impressive list of keynote speakers includes:

• Erskine Bowles, co-chairman of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform in 2010, chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and former president of the University of North Carolina
• Hugh L. McColl, Jr., chairman of The McColl Group, LLC and former chairman and chief executive officer of the Bank of America, and
• James E. Rogers, chairman, president and chief executive officer of the Duke Energy Corporation.

The forum will open Tuesday with several highly interactive “town hall” sessions on a variety of timely topics, including energy and the built environment, financing energy –efficient retrofits and development, market globalization, and public private partnerships. Wednesday’s programming will continue the discussions with sessions focused on capital markets, market trends, innovative urban initiatives, and leadership in land use. A track specifically targeted to successful community building practices in the Charlotte area will also be offered. The closing sessions set for Thursday will feature ULI’s most seasoned members providing analyses and insights on a variety of real estate property types, including housing, mixed-use, commercial/retail, industrial/office, and recreation/ entertainment.

According to ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips, the rich program content of the Spring Council Forum will help inform the institute’s program of work as it prepares for its next 75 years. “Dramatic changes related to demographics, the economy and the environment are necessitating a major overhaul in what and where we build, and will continue to do so in the decades ahead,” Phillips said. “The 2012 Spring Council Forum will help set the stage for what ULI has yet to accomplish. The institute’s expertise in the responsible use of land has never been more necessary in more places around the world.”

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 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.