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.