Urban Land Institute

The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a non-profit research and education organization with offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London. Its stated mission is "to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide." ULI advocates progressive development, conducting research and education in topics such as sustainability, smart growth, compact development, place making, and workforce housing.

The ULI was founded in 1936 and currently has over 33,000 members. More than 20% of the members work in government, academia, or public-private partnerships. Most of the rest are involved in the real estate and urban development industries.

ULI states that it produces regular research and publications "that anticipates emerging land use trends and issues, proposing creative solutions based on that research" and "imparts knowledge to help the development community continuously improve its performance."

ULI also maintains a number of initiatives and programs, including a respected Advisory Services program that provides government, businesses and non-profits with strategic advice on real estate development and urban policy issues. For more than 20 years, ULI has assembled a Real Estate School, designed to provide professional development skills to land use practitioners. ULI also hosts regular events, including local district council meetings its annual Fall Meeting & Urban Land Expo, and Spring Council Forum.

The oganization's current president and CEO, Patrick Phillips, is the former president of ERA AECOM. He replaced Richard Rosan, who served as the organization's president and CEO for 17 years. Rosan currently serves as the president of the ULI Foundation. ULI employs several research vice presidents, including executive vice president of strategic communication, Rebecca Senhauser (former chief of staff for U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and chief of staff at Fannie Mae); executive director of the ULI Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership in Land Use, Jess Zimbabwe; executive vice president of policy and practice, Maureen McAvey; and Pamela Patenaude, who serves as the executive director of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing.