Center for Balanced Development in the West
Home to a sizable percentage of ULI members and many groundbreaking land use issues, the western United States plays a critical role in ULI’s mission to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ULI opened a Western Regional Office (WRO) in Los Angeles in December 2007. Using a generous one-time funding allocation from a group of western land use leaders, ULI hired staff for its Center for Balanced Development in the West and housed it within the WRO.
The Center for the West engaged in a variety of pressing issues affecting the West, including water rights, edge development, transit, and changing demographics, among others. The center partnered with over ten district councils across eight states and involved countless members as well as many new to ULI. In light of constrained economic conditions, ULI decided to close the WRO in July 2010. ULI continues to place a tremendous emphasis on development and land use issues in the West. The work the Center for the West initiated continues today through the ongoing efforts of the western district councils and ULI staff members in Georgetown.