2021 Annual Recap

ULI Philadelphia hosted its pilot Universities program in Spring 2020, pivoting from in-person to virtual delivery.

Look back. Scroll through.

The past year has looked unlike any other in recent memory. Through a global health pandemic and national attention on racial inequity, ULI members rose to the occasion to convene critical conversations that are more important than ever. Take a moment to look back, and scroll through, a snapshot of ULI Philadelphia, including who our members are, the conversations we have had and the partnerships we have formed to help solve some of our area’s most pressing land use and real estate challenges. Sections below include:

  • Membership & Engagement
  • Events & Programs
  • Financial Performance
  • Annual Sponsors
  • ULI Philadelphia Reach

ULI Philadelphia Membership & Engagement

Membership Trends

Membership by Type

Associate: 59%
Full: 11%
Young Leaders: 20%
Student: 6%

Member Engagement

Nearly 400 members serve on 18 various committees and councils, including Local Product Councils (Community & Economic Engagement, Health & Life Sciences, Housing and Small Scale & Impact Development); Affinity Groups; Committees; and Regional Councils.

Local Leadership

35 local leaders chair each of ULI Philadelphia’s committees and councils while serving on the Advisory Board, made up of local leaders, top sponsors and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisors.

ULI Philadelphia Releases Diversity Equity & Inclusion Framework for Action

ULI’s mission is unattainable without hearing, understanding and amplifying more diverse perspectives involved and engaged in solving today’s land use and urban development challenges. To truly fulfill our mission, we need leadership, membership and programming that is more representative of and responsive to the needs of the populations within which we work. That’s why we are intent on cultivating, fostering and nurturing a culture of inclusion.

Read the Entire Framework >>

ULI Philadelphia Members are Part of a Global Community

UrbanPlan Volunteers

25 members volunteered for UrbanPlan, serving 18 students and 25 community leaders.

In August 2020, ULI Philadelphia delivered the Inaugural UrbanPlan program at the University of Pennsylvania pivoting from in-person to virtual delivery. In January 2021, the pilot UrbanPlan for Communities workshop was delivered virtually to graduates of the Citizen’s Planning Institute or board members of local Registered Community Organizations.

National Product Council Leadership

Six ULI Philadelphia members serve as National Product Council Chairs, convening leaders from across the country on topics such as:

Placemaking

Commercial and Retail Development

Residential Neighborhood Development

University Development and Innovation

Urban Development/Mixed-Use

Affordable/Workforce Housing

ULI Philadelphia Events & Programs

In the face of an unprecedented and ongoing public health crisis as well as a groundswell moment for advancing racial equity in America, ULI Philadelphia developed a series of accessible virtual programming to foster critical conversation while advancing the real estate and land use industries.

ULI Philadelphia members volunteer expertise to position Lower Schuylkill sites for responsible Life Sciences investment.

Life Sciences Programming

ULI Philadelphia continued its work supporting the Life Sciences sector by providing important educational and technical assistance programs to both the private and public sectors. These programs included:

Life Sciences & Economic Resiliency – Philly’s Advantage Webinar: April 19, 2020

Lower Schuylkill District TAP: Creating a World Class Life Sciences District: April 29, 2021

The Formation of A Life Sciences Neighborhood – A Study of the Navy Yard: April 15, 2021

The programs above build on previous work including the creation of a Health & Life Sciences Local Product Council and research and convening around the Future of Work.

Rising stars pitch their impact development projects to a team of seasoned sharks during ULI Philadelphia’s annual Shark Tank program.

Transformative Development

ULI Philadelphia used its platform to highlight transformative development projects throughout Philadelphia. Some of these programs included:

4th Annual Shark Tank – Two emerging developers pitch their impact development projects to a team of seasoned “sharks.”

Building in Brewerytown: Balancing Business, Community, and Development – A conversation on how business, community and development organizations look to revitalize their neighborhood through thoughtful and intentional partnerships.

Refinery Redevelopment: Creating a New Legacy – The reuse of PES Refinery site represents an opportunity to create a new landscape for the nearby neighborhoods and region.

ULI Philadelphia’s Small Scale and Impact Development Local Product Council hosts conversation on how immigration is driving development patterns across the city.

Policy Programming

ULI Philadelphia brought together the public and private sectors for important policy conversations affecting real estate and land use throughout the city. These conversations included:

A Decade of Retail: Rebuilding to Recovery – In 2009, Philadelphia was facing high retail vacancy rates across the city. Through collaborative and intentional efforts, those conditions improved in the last decade, while panelists discuss the circumstances that may threaten some of those gains.

Immigration & Development Patterns – The Small Scale & Impact Development Council explore how immigration is affecting Philadelphia’s development patterns.

Approaches to Community Engagement: CBAs and Beyond – Panelists shared ideas and best practices for both developers and community group leaders navigating the CBA and community engagement process.

Panel of experts discuss “Navigating a Post Pandemic Economy” during ULI Philadelphia’s Annual Real Estate Forecast.

Annual Real Estate Forecast

This year’s Annual Real Estate Forecast featured over 18 speakers, during a full day program, exploring issues of equity and resilience. Sessions included:

Keynote Presentation with Calvin Gladney: The Pandemic, Politics, and the Proforma

Navigating a Post Pandemic Economy

CRE Conversations

Local and National Emerging Trends

Development Outlook Panel

We were thoroughly pleased with our experience with the Technical Assistance Panel.  The Panel’s final presentation demonstrated how quickly they were able to get the feel of who we are and included thoughtful and practical recommendations!  All in all, a tremendously positive experience and at a cost that is a remarkable value given the level of expertise that the Panel represents.

John Weller

Director of Planning & Zoning, West Whiteland Township

Building Thought Leadership

ULI Philadelphia works with public sector partners to solve land use and real estate challenges through various advisory service models. Recent work includes:

Pottstown, PA Advisory Services Panel (November, 2019)

Cramer Hill Waterfront Park, Camden, NJ National Study Visit (October, 2019)
Funding provided by The JPB Foundation

West Whiteland Township Technical Assistance Panel (October, 2020)

PIDC Lower Schuylkill Life Sciences Technical Assistance Panel (December, 2020)

Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing National Study Visit (February, 2021)

Upcoming projects include:

Delaware Riverfront Waterfront Resilient Pier Development Advisory Services Panel (Spring, 2021)
Funding provided by JPMorgan Chase

Fairmount Park Centennial District Advisory Services Panel (Spring, 2021)
Funding provided by The JPB Foundation

THANK YOU TO OUR ADVISORY SERVICE PARTNERS

District Council Financial Performance

Total Revenue: $581,523

Total Expenses: $575,010

*Note: Financial data reported for July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. COVID-19 impacts about a quarter the year for this data.

Thank You to Our Annual Sponsors

Urban Visionary

Diamond Sponsors

Leadership Circle

Platinum Sponsors

GOLD SPONSORS

TD Bank
The Flynn Company
The Norwood Company

SILVER SPONSORS

AMC Delancey
Ballinger
BB&T
Campus Apartments
City Center Allentown
Coscia Moos Architecture
Econsult Solutions
GMH Capital Partners
Harkins Builders
IMC Construction
INTECH Construction
JKRP Architects
Kitchen & Associates Architects
Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP
Larsson & Scheuritzel P.C.
LCOR
MacIntosh Engineering
Pennoni Associates
PNC Real Estate
Post Brothers
Shoemaker Construction Company
The Harman Group
Timothy Haas & Associates
University City Science Center
Urban Engineers
WSFS

FRIEND SPONSORS

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation

ULI Philadelphia Reach

Email Distribution

7,000 + distribution

25% email open rate

Events

1,900+ in person attendees

2,000+ virtual attendees

33+ programs and webinars

Social media

52k monthly Twitter impressions

6.5k qualified monthly LinkedIn impressions

Website

2019 redesign

Enhanced KnowledgeFinder

Enhanced Member Directory