Former ULI Foundation Chairman and longtime ULI Trustee Robert C. Larson died March 11 after a lengthy illness. He was 75.

A member since 1974, Larson served as ULI Foundation chairman from July 2000 through July 2004. Through his leadership of the foundation and the institute, he championed new ways for ULI to address the most pressing issues facing the industry and urban areas, and to more closely engage ULI members in guiding ULI’s program of work.

“Bob epitomized the spirit of ULI, eager to share with others the formidable knowledge he had accumulated during his real estate career,” said ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips. “As a ULI leader, his was the voice that was listened to most closely. His insights usually came after others had spoken, and typically left the strongest impression and impact. It was something more than simply industry insights, experience, or sensitivity to ULI’s unique role and mission. It was all those things, but more. It was wisdom.”

During his tenure as ULI Foundation chairman, Larson was instrumental in the creation of a funding plan through which donors could target specific institute programs and activities for their contributions. Established in 2002, the funding plan allows participants to direct 100 percent of their gifts to specific institute initiatives.

Larson was an avid supporter of institutionalizing the foundation as the philanthropic arm of ULI, said current ULI Foundation Chairman and former ULI Chairman James D. Klingbeil. “Bob recognized the great potential of the foundation to help ULI expand and improve its work. He viewed the foundation as an excellent way to give back to the institute,” Klingbeil said.

Larson’s charisma and gravitas made him a compelling leader, noted ULI Foundation President Richard M. Rosan. “When Bob spoke, everyone felt he was right. He had a wonderful ability to be personable, and to focus very strategically about where ULI should be heading as a land use organization.”

The targeted giving initiative led by Larson served as a catalyst for the establishment of several successful ULI programs, including those aimed at workforce housing, infrastructure and sustainability issues. According to former ULI Chairman J. Ronald Terwilliger, Larson was chief among those who encouraged him to pursue his passion for workforce housing through ULI by founding the ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing. Larson was an original member of the center’s advisory board. “Bob was a strong supporter of the Center, and a great representative for ULI in general,” Terwilliger said. In Larson, Terwilliger recalls a thoughtful, reserved ULI leader who inspired confidence. “In meetings, Bob was always on point. He was gracious, he was dignified, and he had a lot of common sense.”

In 2001, Larson endowed the ULI Robert C. Larson Forum on the Future of Cities, which he envisioned as an information exchange by an interdisciplinary group of planning, design and development experts to stretch ULI’s reach into new land use issues. The first Larson forum, held in November 2001, explored the ramifications of 9-11 on the downtown revival that had been building momentum during the 1990s. Following that forum, future discussions centered around issues as varied as the impact of water shortages and demographic shifts. The Larson Forum has evolved into one focused on industry leadership; and the first ULI Larson Leadership Forum is being held at the institute’s 2010 Real Estate Summit at the Spring Council Forum in Boston.

Larson was the first jury chairman for the ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development and the first jury chairman for the ULI Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition. He also served on several ULI councils and committees.

Larson was chairman of Lazard Real Estate Partners, LLC, and managing director of Lazard Alternative Investments LLC, both based in New York City; and he was the non-executive chairman of Larson Realty Group in Detroit. He also was chairman of UDR Inc., a multifamily real estate investment trust based in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. From 1974 to 2000, Larson was an executive at The Taubman Company in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; he was elected as president and chief operating officer in 1978, chief executive officer in 1988, and as vice chairman of Taubman Centers Inc. and chairman of the Taubman Realty Group in 1990. He retired as vice chairman and director in May 2000.

In addition to his volunteer service at ULI, he was a leading member of numerous other organizations, including the Washington, D.C.-based Real Estate Roundtable, where he was a founding member and chairman emeritus. In a joint statement, Roundtable Chairman Daniel Neidich and Roundtable President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey DeBoer described Larson as a “giant” of the real estate industry, saying, “Our organization would not exist if not for Robert Larson's vision, passion and perseverance.”

A resident of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Larson is survived by his wife, Bonnie; and the couple’s merged family of six children and several grandchildren. Larson’s son, Eric, is a ULI member and president and chief executive officer of the Larson Realty Group.