The District Council Program began in 1983 when ULI's Trustees approved a set of seven "District Council Network" regions. At that time the Trustees noted that "as the American economy shifts from a centralized industrial base to one of geographically separate, diversified economic centers, it is increasingly difficult to paint local issues with a national brush and that as the balance of power—the ability to get things done—shifts form the national level to smaller political units, local initiatives will become a driving political force parallel to the 'bottom up' theory of networking structures." By 1984 the network had expanded to nine regions and the first meeting was held in Chicago on December 13, 1984.

The District Councils were intended to provide an expanded base of membership resources needed to support the Institute's program of work at the local level. By 1987 there were 34 metropolitan areas represented in the network and nine meetings were held. By 1990, the regions were replaced by District Councils in individual metropolitan areas.

The District Council Program began to take off in the 1990s. Led by Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, the District Councils moved from the "breakfast club" mode to entities which produced ULI quality programs and began outreach activities in their communities. The number of District Councils grew from 8 in 1991 to 36 by the end of the decade. In 1996 a strategic plan was created, setting forth how the District Councils should be organized, how they should function and how they should be viewed within ULI. The plan created full-time senior staff positions to administer the District Councils and set the framework for a substantial increase in the prominence of the Program within ULI, extending ULI's influence into the hometowns of its members.

Upon assuming ULI's Chairmanship in July, 1999, Ron Terwilliger made the District Council Program one of his primary focuses with objective to take the District Councils to "the next level" and make them the place to be at the local level. Joe O'Connor, one of ULI's national officers and Chairman for 2001 to 2003 agreed to become the chair of the Boston District Council. A Summer Retreat at Deer Valley, Utah in July 2000 and a planning session in Prairie Crossing, Illinois resulted in a new strategic plan setting forth a "seamless" organizational structure, integrating all aspects of the Institute and the local level. The success of the community outreach program and the frequency of Senior Resident Fellows speaking engagements at District Council events are two examples.  The next two chairs, Joe O'Connor and Harry Frampton, continued to focus on "ULI in the Community"  and the District Councils continue to grow exponentially as more and more real estate professionals use ULI's tool to make a visible difference in the communities in which they live and work.  As a result, ULI's membership has grown from 15,000 in 2000 to over 41,000 today.

Today there are 52 District Councils in the Americas serving more than 30,000 of ULI's 41,000 members. In addition, there are 13 District Councils in Europe with over 2,000 members and 50 events annually. Attendance at District Council events has grown from around 10,000 in Fiscal Year 2000 to over 80,000 in Fiscal Year 2008. Growth continued at a record pace in Fiscal Year 2008 with over 80,000 attendees at over 900 events.  More and more District Councils have significant outreach strategies and our members are having a profound influence on the land use issues in the communities where they work and live. The District Councils have truly become the "delivery system" for ULI's policy and practice agenda at the local level.