Competition among regions in the global economy is pronounced. Indeed, it is regions, not cities or counties or states that are now the functional unit of international economic competition. Thus the future prosperity of a region will depend to a significant extent upon its ability to compete with other leading regions in offering the best mix of economic vitality and lifestyle amenities to attract and retain its most valuable resource—its people. ULI believes that those regions with a clear plan for how they are going to grow, a plan that has broad-based support from the private, non-profit and public sectors, will have a key competitive advantage. “Regional visioning” is a tool that is increasingly being used to effectively engage local stakeholders in building a consensus around a framework for long-term regional planning infrastructure investment decisions and local land use decisions.

10 ULI District Councils have implemented the ULI regional visioning program, Reality Check.

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• Smart Growth Alliance Information Network (SGAIN)
• ULI Atlanta Center for Regional Leaders program
• ULI South Carolina Center for Sustainable Leadership program
• San Francisco Public Officials case study
• Regional Equity and Land Use Strategies publication

Other Regional Visioning Efforts

In addition to Reality Check District Councils and ULI members have also been involved with the following regional visioning efforts: