2021 ULI Forums

Advisory Services Retrospective Forum
May 14th- 2:00pm-3:00pm ET

Colorado Convention Center Panel from 1987 (Knowledge Finder)

The Colorado Convention Center on 14th Street in downtown Denver is one of the country’s busiest meeting venues, hosting more than 400 events annually—more than one a day. The facility’s 2.2 million square feet (204,000 sq m) of meeting and exhibition space includes 584,000 square feet (54,000 sq m) of exhibit space on one level, six individual halls, outdoor terraces, and a 5,000-seat theater.

The work of a ULI Advisory Services panel played a significant role in Denver’s decision to build the convention center, and also laid the groundwork that guided its growth and success as a major economic engine for the city. But it had a humble and fractious start. Join this Forum session to hear about the results of the panel and to take a look back on what worked and did not based on what we know now. Participants will be able to ask questions and share their perspectives on the recommendations of the panel from more than 30 years ago.

Coastal Forum
May 11th- 4:15pm-5:00pm ET | May 12th- 1:00pm-3:00pm ET

Part 1: Q&A with Staying High and Dry: Public/Private Partnerships Tackling Sea-Level Rise Concurrent Session Speakers (Knowledge Finder)

The Coastal Forum is happy to host the Staying High and Dry Concurrent Session Q&A with speakers. Join this meeting to continue the conversation with panelists and engage with other ULI members working in coastal markets.

Part 2: Follow the Money for Resilience (Knowledge Finder)

Engage with real estate and land use experts who are “following the money” for resilient development projects– either by attaining capital from investors who prioritize ESG and Resilience goals and have related requirements for financing, or are navigating projects that interlace or partner with multiple funding sources and levels of government to pay for flood and other climate impact mitigation.

Construction Forum
May 14th- 11:00am-1:00pm ET

Moving Offsite: A Discussion of Prefabrication in Construction (Knowledge Finder)

Join us for a lively and informative conversation on the current and future state of prefabrication in the construction industry. Our guest speakers will cover topics such as: the barriers to off-site construction, new players in the industry, successes and failures, economies of scale, role in the retrofit market, and more! Be prepared to learn something new, expand your thinking, and engage in conversation with your peers.

Equitable Development Forum
May 13th- 11:30am-1:30pm ET

What IS Equitable Development? (Knowledge Finder)

The term “equitable development” is tossed around a lot these days but what does it truly entail? What do we mean when we seek to create and develop communities that takes equity into account? The definitions are as varied as the goals of such an approach and, while not new, has no proven process. With this in mind, the Spring session of the ULI Equitable Development Forum will create the space for a dialogue with members about what the term means and the range of approaches being used or explored by the land development industry. Come share your stories about your successes and challenges with equitable development. Speakers will discuss equitable development from a variety of perspectives and then members will break out into smaller discussions to focus on particular aspects of equitable development. The outcomes of this session will lay the foundation for gaining consensus around core principles of equitable development as well as the future thought leadership of the Forum on this topic. 

Infrastructure Forum
May 13th- 12:00pm-2:00pm ET

An Equitable Approach to Infrastructure at the Neighborhood Scale (Knowledge Finder)

In the ULI Infrastructure Forum, we examine the intersection of infrastructure and real estate. For the 2021 Spring session of the Forum, we will be discussing how likely trillions of dollars in new infrastructure investment by the federal government will impact real estate investment decisions at the local and neighborhood scale. Our speakers will comment on how they are responding to key priorities and policies of the new Administration as they look to respond to ongoing crises such as crumbling infrastructure, addressing racial injustice, recovering from COVID-19, adapting to and mitigating against climate change, and remaining globally competitive. Then, we will have a facilitated discussion with attendees and speakers as well as invite you to share your observations on the changes in infrastructure priorities affecting infrastructure and real estate development decisions in your communities, and on the real estate business and local economy.

Institutional Capital Providers Forum
May 12th- 1:30pm-2:45pm ET (Open) | May 21st- 3:30pm-5:00pm (Invitation Only)

Part 1: Going Direct: How to Approach Institutional Capital (Knowledge Finder)

How can operators/developers approach institutional capital (pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, etc.) directly, rather than going through funds or investment manager allocators? The advantages are access to long-term capital and the potential to retain more upside. However, there are issues including potentially longer investor response times and more onerous reporting. The session will feature a panel of experienced institutional investors discussing their expectations of direct operating partners and providing suggestions on how to prepare to “go direct” to the capital source. The session will also feature virtual breakout groups to give operators and institutional capital providers the chance to interact directly with each other.

Part 2: Institutional Capital Providers (Invitation only, not recorded)

The Institutional Capital Providers Forum is limited to only institutional investors (sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, public or private pensions) who will share ideas on markets, investment strategies, and lessons learned from ULI. This session takes place following the virtual product council meetings in order to provide council and non-council members (including institutional investors who haven’t yet joined ULI) the opportunity to share information and insights gained during the week’s meetings.

Large Landowners Forum (Invitation Only, not recorded)
May 13th- 2:00pm-3:30pm ET 

New Housing Paradigms Forum
May 10th- 12:30pm-2:00pm ET

New Innovations in Measuring Home Health (Knowledge Finder)

The global pandemic has forced us to spend more time in our homes and take a critical look at how the construction of homes affects our health. Are our homes healthy? Today, the quality of a building’s digital infrastructure, and the capability of a home’s information and operational technology, is beginning to rival physical importance. We have seen a growth in sensor technologies designed to track air quality and log movements in real-time to provide benefits to the user and also help meet energy requirements. With the race to net zero, reducing household emissions have become a priority as it accounts for roughly 35% of global emissions. The complexity of retrofitting a home to be carbon neutral has led to an emerging sector focused on information technology innovations for the home. This field has the capability to define metrically what a healthy home is, tailored to its occupants needs and based on performance measurements rather than the traditional route of guidance and standards. For this session, we examine the innovations for the home used to measure performance to protect occupants from disease and keep them healthy. Through a description of recent research, case study presentations, and robust discussion, participants will come away with a better understanding of what is being done in housing innovation that is metrically drawing health into the existing delivery of housing, what technological innovations are assisting this, and what gaps exist in the field that are in need of filling to transform the housing market of the future.

Owner/End User Sustainability Forum
May 13th- 12:00pm-1:30pm ET | May 14^th – 12-1:30pm ET

Part 1: Sustainability, health and wellness, and carbon emissions reductions in leased spaces (Knowledge Finder)

The first part of the first ULI Owner/End User Sustainability Forum will focus on diving into many facets of sustainability and how owners and end users can help each other to meet mutual carbon emissions, healthily living, and sustainability goals. Speakers to include representatives from both the owner and end user side.

Part 2: How owners and end users can better collaborate on sustainability (Knowledge Finder)

Attendees will hear from both owners and end users on best practices, strategies and lessons learned on sustainability. Hear what’s leading the market today, what owners are prioritizing, and how your company can better ingrain sustainability into your bottom line.

 

Randall Lewis/ULI Building Healthy Places Forum
May 12th- 3:30pm-5:00pm ET | May 13th- 3:30-pm-5:00pm ET

Part 1: Innovations in Parking (Knowledge Finder)

Cities are increasingly recognizing that parking requirements impact development costs and quality of life. Explore how parking reform, including policy and design, is fostering more vibrant, thriving, and healthy places.

Part 2: Innovations in Buildings (Knowledge Finder)

More than one year into the pandemic, we are continuing to question many long held assumptions about the built environment. In this session, participants and speakers will reflect on how the global health emergency may compel us to reimagine the form and function of the buildings where we live, work, and play.

University Forum
May 12th- 3:30pm-5:00pm ET

Inaugural University Forum Session (Knowledge Finder)
This session will explore the future of the real estate job market for recent graduates, the state of undergraduate real estate education, and the research interests of ULI member faculty in real estate and related fields.