ULI has made it easier to find and get the most out of its events, thanks to a new ULI Events mobile app for iPads, iPhones, and Android devices. The free app is designed to help ULI event attendees plan their schedules, communicate with each other instantly through Twitter—and even find nearby restaurants.

ULI gathers people from around the world, face-to-face and online, to share ideas and best practices. The institute offers large-scale events such as the Fall and Spring Meetings in the United States with thousands of attendees, and annual summits in Europe and Asia Pacific. But you can also find ULI members gathering locally nearly every day of the year, connecting to develop their skills, grow their professional network, and improve their neighborhoods and cities.

The ULI events app is now available for Android and Apple devices for use at the 2013 Spring Meetingin San Diego. To download the app, click on the icon below or search for “ULI Events” in your app store.

The Women’s Leadership Initiative is delighted to provide up to ten scholarships to female Associate, YLG or Student members of ULI to attend the 2013 Fall Meeting in Chicago. The scholarship will include complimentary registration and up to $1,500 reimbursement of approved expenses.

Applications are due June 14, 2013. For more information and to apply, please click here.

ULI Florida Summit closing session keynote speaker announced! Hear from the Honorable Sheila Bair, former FDIC chair; a statewide mayor’s panel moderated by ULI Chair Peter Rummell; and many more fantastic speakers at this year’s FL Summit in Naples.

Learn more and register here: http://ulifloridasummit.org/

Sheila C. Bair served as the 19th Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for a five-year term, from June 2006 through June 2011.

As FDIC Chairman, Ms. Bair presided over a tumultuous period in the nation’s financial sector, working to bolster public confidence and system stability.

In delivering a review of Manatee County government’s “How Will We Grow?” community visioning project last week, Urban Land Institute experts applauded the county’s detailed work and found all three alternatives to growth viable. The outside panel interviewed more than 80 community leaders in a broad range of public and private sectors while analyzing the county’s conclusions.

This thorough review by outside land-use experts validates the county’s report and expands the scope of the project with recommendations — some of which, though, are already in the works to varying degrees.

Here’s our take on several aspects of the ULI report:

n When consultants informed Manatee County commissioners that this area could be branded as “the sports training capital of America,” the idea did not come as a surprise. The region is well positioned to lay claim to that marketing label.

Manatee County’s robust sports industry continues to grow, led by IMG Academy’s massive campus expansion starting this month, the swift success of the Premier Sports Complex in Lakewood Ranch in attracting huge events, and the high hopes for the international aquatic center under construction at Sarasota’s Nathan Benderson Park, just south of Manatee.

Recognizing sports performance as a key economic driver, Manatee’s Economic Development Corp. reported to commissioners last August that the nine main sectors in the industry employ almost 2,000 workers in 156 businesses in the county.

Earlier in the year, the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau created an independent county sports commission to promote the industry.

The ULI report not only highlighted this “great asset,” it recommended expanding the brand … Read more here.

By BRADENTON HERALD EDITORIAL. Featured April 3, 2013.

A new U.S.-focused real estate forecast from the ULI Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate and Ernst & Young reflects renewed optimism for growth in real estate capital markets and commercial real estate fundamentals, and even stronger expectations for housing than those made just six months ago. The full presentation is now available for ULI members. Read more.