COMMUNITY / ULI Fall Meeting 2018: Boston Doing Housing Right

A few weeks ago, 6,000 architects, planners, developers and city officials flocked to Boston for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Annual Fall Meeting. Ashley, along with about 40 other Kansas Citians, attended the conference and explored the city.

ULI is an international network of cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts that investigate areas to analyze how it can best be used.

Ashley was awarded a scholarship through the Young Leaders Group of Kansas City. As an incentive for the program, not only did she attend several sessions but she was paired with a mentor who accompanied her on tours throughout the city – including Tent City, Fairway, the Innovation District, Roxbury, Freedom Trail and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. These informative outings allowed her to capture Boston’s rapid growth first-hand.

The range of topics covered throughout the week emphasized progressive planning efforts mitigating gentrification. Expertise came from all over the world but primarily focused on Boston and the city’s 2030 plan. As Ashley observed, Boston is facing a lot of the same issues as Kansas City, only at a faster pace. The city has sorted out how it can lessen displacement through integrating affordable housing policies at an adequate pace.

Boston’s work for the public good and its quasi-public system allows established neighborhood associations and localized community developments to create hundreds of units. The sophistication and robust nature of these groups are creating dozens of opportunities throughout the city.

To read more about the ULI Fall Meeting, click here: https://fall.uli.org