UrbanPlan is in a class by itself: advancing ULI’s mission and brand while enriching students, the broader community and ULI members alike. You can’t grasp the power and sophistication of the program until you’ve done it.

Rick Dishnica; Chair, MFC Blue; President, The Dishnica Company, Point Richmond, CA

Our goal is to create a more sophisticated level of discourse among local stakeholders involved in land use decisions. The education of tomorrow’s voters, neighbors, community leaders, public officials and land use professionals is mission critical for ULI.

Ron Nahas; IOPC Gold; ULI Foundation governor; Principal, Rafanelli, & Nahas, Orinda, CA

Like Advisory Service Panels, UP does what ULI does best: help external audiences understand how market and non-market forces in their community effect what can be approved, financed, built, and sustainably tenanted. That insight is essential for any meaningful discussion about land use.

Bryan Thornton; Partner, Pacific Coast Capital; Co-Chair, UP Committee, San Francisco, CA

Every City and Regional Planning student should take UP. Actually, every practicing planner should take it. Understanding markets and risk make planners better communicators with developer partners. MBA’s too; understanding social and political influences help developers communicate more effectively with other stakeholders and manage risk more effectively. UP could transform the public/private dialogue.

Mark Rhoades, AICP; past Planning Manager, City of Berkeley; Partner, Citycentric Investments, Oakland, CA

UrbanPlan volunteer training goes deeper than any traditional real estate development class. The takeaway value transcends effective volunteering. The intellectual discipline and Socratic method of questioning is an asset in my professional life.

Kim Diamond; Principal, ev8 Consulting, San Francisco, CA