Category: Sustainable Communities

Lower income households may be particularly impacted by child care shortages  Early childhood education settings are often among children’s first communities. Research shows that high-quality child care can have long-term benefits for children, including increased cognitive abilities, improved language development and better relationships with peers. Beyond the underlying benefits, child care is a necessity for most […]

By Natallie Keiser, Executive Director, HouseATL and Delilah Wynn Brown, Director of Real Estate, HJ Russell and co-chairs of The Leaders selection committee for 2022 As we begin to emerge into these first post-pandemic years, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief that the total unknown is behind us – and our resilience was […]

Reinvestment Fund financing is supporting a mixed-use development in Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn corridor (birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr.) called the Front Porch In the 1970s, the U.S. Federal Government authorized the creation of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) as part of its efforts to address poverty and racial discrimination in both urban and […]

ULI Atlanta Center for Leadership has entered its 14th year and is a powerful local resource to help guide the responsible development of the Atlanta region by strengthening connections and understanding among area organizations that guide and influence real estate development.  During the course of the nine-month program, participants meet each month with a specific […]

Reinvestment Fund has commissioned Brookings Metro to write a report entitled A Call To Action for HBCU Investment. Authors Dr. Andre Perry and Anthony Barr write, “In response to 2020’s racial awakenings, philanthropic organizations and wealthy donors collectively pledged billions in donations to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). While such philanthropy is welcome, it […]

Last week, Governor Brian Kemp announced the distribution of $62 million in awards to Georgia nonprofits to combat housing insecurity and homelessness. With the growing number of persons facing housing insecurity and homelessness, significant investments are vital to Georgia’s most vulnerable residents. Although we applaud the awarding of these funds to Georgia’s nonprofits (including some […]

Alex Demestihas will be chairing CFL Class of 2023. He talks with ULI Atlanta about a happenstance encounter through his love of soccer led him to find his passion in real estate and how he got involved in ULI.  Over 10 years ago, before having his own children, Alex Demestihas coached youth soccer. A former […]

The climate crisis is one of our most pressing issues when it comes to envisioning a vibrant future full of opportunity for future generations.   We observe the effects every single day: from drying lakes, droughts and wildfires, to flooding coastal areas, severe storms, extreme heat, and an increase in human infections. But the risks and […]

On July 28, 2022, the NLIHC released its annual report, Out of Reach 2022: The High Cost of Housing, showing that low-wage workers are facing severe challenges affording housing amid record-breaking rent increases. The report highlights the mismatch between the wages people earn and the price of decent rental housing in every state, metropolitan area, and county […]

We spoke with Quinn about his passion for real estate and how to get the most through ULI “A jack of all trades,” is how Quinn Green described his consultive role at CENTURY 21 Connect Realty. Working on both the commercial and residential side of the business as a generalist – with investors, small businesses, nonprofits […]

The cost of buying a home in metro Atlanta is officially considered unaffordable, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. The annual mortgage payment for homes in the metro-Atlanta counties of DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton and Dawson now exceeds 30% of the area’s median income. Atlanta needs at least 500,000 affordable homes. Building more homes […]

Homelessness is a crisis in many Georgia communities: urban, suburban, and rural. Local, state, and federal governments, the philanthropic community, faith-based institutions, community leaders, grassroots citizens and those with lived-experience of housing insecurity are all needed to develop strategies and implement solutions to homelessness. Recently, I had the privilege to view the award-winning documentary: No […]

ULI Atlanta recently graduated 10 Etkin Scholars from Atlanta’s first cohort. Last year, ULI Atlanta was one of five district councils selected to participate in the ULI Etkin Scholar Program. The program is designed to introduce college and university students with a real estate interest and degree focus to the resources available through ULI membership […]

Reinvestment Fund recently announced $22.6 million in financial assistance awards to 134 projects through the 2021 round of America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative’s (HFFI) Targeted Small Grants Program. Funding for the HFFI grants program is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. The program provides one-time catalytic […]

We spoke with Arun about his love for Atlanta, relationships built through ULI and commitment to ESG in the golden era of industrial investment Arun Singh remembers being interested in real estate as a high school student in Columbus, Ohio. “I liked the tangible nature of it and every building being unique,” he said. However, […]

On May 19, ULI Atlanta hosted its 26th Annual Award for Excellence program recognizing 12 outstanding real estate development projects that exemplify ULI’s mission to shape the future of cities, while also amplifying ULI’s three new mission commitments. All 12 project finalists were evaluated by a jury of ULI members with a diverse range of […]

By Bambie Hayes-Brown, PhD, ThD., President and CEO, Georgia Advancing Communities Together, Inc. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s newly released report, The Gap: A Shortage of  Affordable Homes, documents a shortage of 207, 244 affordable and available rental homes  for Georgia’s lowest-income renters, who make up one quarter of all renters in the U.S. […]

Access to quality early childhood education programs is critical to the broader economy as it allows parents and guardians to work and earn, while giving children the foundational skills to succeed in life. A 2018 study by GEEARS and the Metro Atlanta Chamber found child care challenges led to at least $1.75 billion in losses in […]

The American Dream by any definition includes the belief that one can work hard and achieve financial success. This aspiration is most often connected with the dream of homeownership. For the majority of low- and moderate-income households, homeownership is the most common way to grow financial independence and wealth. Today, a plethora of issues are […]