ULI Minnesota has been selected as the 2014 winner of the ULI Impact Award, an honor given annually to a district or national council that has catalyzed an exceptional example of impact, or a positive change in the design and development of its community. ULI Minnesota’s initiative, the Regional Council of Mayors, a partnership of 54 municipalities, was selected for its impact in providing a nonpartisan forum for building networks that foster regional awareness in solving pressing land use issues.

The Regional Council of Mayors, formed in 2004, is a collaborative platform through which mayors convene monthly to learn from experts and each other on ways to strengthen the region’s economic competitiveness and quality of life. The influence of the collaborative is derived from unbiased monthly conversations, integrated initiatives, and city workshops that are facilitated by ULI Minnesota. All of the group’s advisory committees are cochaired by a mayor and a ULI Minnesota real estate professional.

Over the years, the original group of eight members has grown to 54 municipalities and has worked together to implement regional action plans for four initiatives: expanding housing choices, improving connections between transportation and land use, building healthy communities, and increasing regional competitiveness. During the past decade, the Regional Council of Mayors has collaborated to produce a number of reports and tools, including the Housing Initiative’s Opportunity City Program, the CEO to CEO Conversations jobs report, the Minnesota Housing Policy Tool Box, the MSP Housing + Transportation Calculator, and the Reinvesting in the Region – (Re)Development-Ready Guide.

As part of its ten-year effort, ULI Minnesota has conducted 37 “Navigating the Competitive Future” interactive workshops. These dialogues were provided at no charge to cities seeking to learn from real estate professionals and policy leaders about public/private strategies that attract the kind of development that will make their communities more livable and economically sustainable.

“I am a better leader today because of the wisdom of the Regional Council of Mayors,” said Shakopee Mayor Brad Tabke. “Mayors are learning and working together to find good, progressive solutions to the real-world problems we are facing at the city level. This is the one group that I can be a part of that does not waste my time. The conversations and topics are highly focused, and I can guarantee that I take away a valuable lesson from every meeting.”

ULI Minnesota is the second winner of the Impact Award, first given in 2013 to the ULI Colorado district council for its work helping Denver’s public school system improve the management of its real estate assets. The award winner is selected from submissions to the annual Impact at the Local Level report, released each year at the ULI Fall Meeting. The winner is chosen by the senior executive leadership of the district and national council program, who judges submissions on outcomes in the past fiscal year that were triggered by previous ULI activities.

Impact at the Local Level 2014 | Impact at the Local Level 2013