UrbanPlan for Community Leaders

The mission of UrbanPlan is to generate more positive and informed dialogue about land use at the local level through an open exchange of ideas among public officials, community leaders, and the private sector.

Who Should Attend?

UrbanPlan workshops are ideal for local decision makers who would like to learn more about the fundamental forces that shape and affect the built environment and the important leadership roles that elected officials, appointed officials, and community leaders play in the development process.

The workshop enables participants to more deeply understand the trade-offs and risk at play in the process associated with land use, especially in public/private partnerships (P3s). The UrbanPlan case study is an example of a city-led redevelopment effort where compromise is needed from the locality, the development team selected through the RFP, and the community.

Workshop as a Living Case Study

Through a one-day workshop, participants work as competing development teams to respond to a hypothetical request for proposal (RFP) for the redevelopment of a site in the fictitious town of Yorktown. Teams work together, using blocks to represent different building types and a financial analysis tool, to create a feasible proposal that meets the RFP’s objectives, the community’s interests, and the investor’s bottom line. ULI members serve as facilitators challenging the conceptual proposal, act as a selection committee to review the final proposals, and present a case study to spur discussion and analysis.

Key Takeaways

By taking on the role of developer, participants in the workshop get a chance to broaden their knowledge in the following areas:

• the basics of a pro forma and funding of a complex project;
• the economics of different building types and community benefits;
• the different time horizons for the public and private sectors;
• the risk associated with lengthy negotiations among all parties; and
• the importance of a clear and open process in the selection of a private partner.