UrbanPlan for Communities

UrbanPlan for Communities harnesses the power of experiential learning to drive participants to more deeply engage in the complex nature of land-use decisions and inspire them to take an active role as engaged citizens to create better communities.

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.

For questions regarding the program or to learn how to bring a UrbanPlan workshop to your city or organization, please contact [email protected].

Volunteer for UrbanPlan

UrbanPlan workshops benefit from ULI members who volunteer their time to participate in the program and bring a sense of reality to the case study. It presents an opportunity for senior real estate professionals to volunteer and create a dialogue between the private and public sectors that will help improve the community. Volunteers are critical to the success of the program.

All volunteers (regardless of the role you want to play) must be trained UrbanPlan volunteers.

Volunteer Roles

  • Team Advisors: help with the proforma financial model, act as guide throughout facilitation
  • Team Facilitators: Through Socratic interaction, Facilitators challenge the teams to think more critically about the UrbanPlan issues and the specific responsibilities of their assigned “roles” (Marketing Director, Site Planner, Neighborhood Liaison, etc.).  After each facilitation, the teams have the opportunity to revise their proposals.
  • City Councilors: Participants present their final proposals to a mock City Council at the end of the day. By challenging their work as if in an actual City Council meeting, the volunteers assess whether the proposals are responsive to the RFP, grounded in the facts of the UrbanPlan case, and consistent with reality. The City Council then awards the contract to the winning team.

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