The Future of Cities

The ULI/Robert C. Larson Forum on Land Use Policy was created as an annual forum to gain a more detailed understanding of current land use and real estate trends and to identify the key land use policy issues on which ULI should focus its research and education programs. On November 16, 2001, a small group of leaders from the land use and real estate community met in Washington, D.C., for a one-day forum to share their vision and expertise in examining the future of the world’s leading cities in light of the September 11 terrorist attacks and recent market trends. The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon drew Americans together and provided a sense of unity that had not been experienced in decades. At the same time, the attacks caused many to be concerned about the safety and viability of cities. As a focus of the forum, participants discussed the perceptions, the dangers, the opportunities, and the constraints that will shape the future of cities as places where people will want to live, work, and play. Speakers presented an analysis of the attacks’ consequences for cities and their longand short-term effects. At the conclusion of the forum, participants discussed topics that ULI might want to address to respond to the repercussions of the September 11 terrorist attacks. These topics included the following: ? The emerging economic, demographic, social, and market trends that will affect major cities; ? The public and private investment strategies cities need to pursue to assure their continued viability; ? The key factors office and retail tenants may consider when deciding where to locate; ? The factors that influence decisions on whether to live in or to visit cities; ? The ways in which architecture and site design can accommodate heightened security needs, and the ways developers can use these features to attract tenants; and ? The ways policy makers should reassess standards and design for transportation and other infrastructure systems. Following up on the findings and recommendations of the forum, the ULI Board of Trustees at its January 2002 meeting in New York City considered how the Institute could address the issues identified in November. The 2002 edition of ULI on the Future will feature papers by leading experts on these topics, and the ULI district councils may sponsor programs to examine these themes in their own communities.