Urban Land Institute to Work with Abu Dhabi Tourism Development and Investment Company to Create ULI Centre for Real Estate Education in United Arab Emirates

The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use, will work with the Abu Dhabi Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) to create a ULI Centre for Real Estate Education, which will be located in the United Arab Emirates Urban Development Centre in Abu Dhabi.

The pledge to jointly create the centre illustrates “the vast importance of the United Arab Emirates in the increasingly globalised real estate industry,” said ULI President Richard Rosan. “In the UAE, incredibly exciting projects are underway and being planned that will make a lasting contribution to the built environment. The region holds enormous potential as a global magnet for investment and development. We are extremely pleased to be part of this initiative in a market of such significance in the world of land use.”

The goal of the ULI Centre for Real Estate Education will be to advance the professional knowledge and skills of those working in land use and development. Using a selection of continuing education programmes—conferences, workshops, symposia, real estate school, certificate programmes, and forums—the center will offer real estate and land use professionals a greater depth of understanding of the current state of the industry, as well as insight into future industry opportunities and challenges.

“The creation of the centre represents ULI’s ongoing effort to foster the creation of sustainable cities around the world,” explained ULI Executive Vice President and ULI Europe President William P. Kistler. “The centre will draw upon ULI’s broad membership of internationally recognised professionals to serve as faculty members who can provide invaluable insight into the real estate business from multiple perspectives. We believe the influence of ULI can be used to bring additional credibility to the many projects emanating from this region.”

The agreement signed in Denver covers a three-phase plan that would culminate in the creation of the centre. In the first two phases, ULI will conduct a needs assessment and develop a business plan for implementing the centre. The final phase will involve establishing and managing the centre.

In conjunction with the planning and creation of the center, ULI is seeking to establish a ULI District Council in Abu Dhabi, which would be located with the Centre. Both the Centre for Real Estate Education and the ULI district council are expected to be integral parts of the UAE Urban Development Centre.

The council has won the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. Chairing the ULI Middle East council will be Lee Tabler, chief executive officer of TDIC.

“This is a major acknowledgement of how far the region's real estate industry has come in the past few years,” commented Tabler. “It is our hope that Middle East real estate professionals will advance ULI's overall goal of creating better places. The council will assist by supporting and initiating ULI events aimed at facilitating the open exchange of ideas, information and experience among local, national and international industry leaders and policy makers.”