Todd Mansfield appointed new chair of ULI

Todd Mansfield, chairman and ceo of the US development firm Crosland, has been appointed the new chairman of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Crosland, headquartered in Charlotte, in the US state of North Carolina, is one of the leading real estate development companies in the southeast of America. As ULI chairman, Mansfield will serve a two-year term that expires on 1 July, 2009.

Of particular interest to ULI's new chairman is the long-term viability of the outlying areas, widely considered by industry experts as targets for much future growth. 'As chairman, I want to continue our focus on identifying best practices and on promoting better growth patterns throughout our urban regions. This is not about downtown versus the exurbs. It's about pursuing more effective land use models and achieving better connectivity within these areas so entire regions can function more efficiently,' he said.

He views this focus on outer-ring areas as an extension of his long-standing commitment to community building. 'As our cities have grown outward, our employment centres have become more dispersed. These outer areas tend to have very little access to transit, leaving people with no choice but to constantly drive between suburbs for work and errands.' Mansfield said. 'This is not conducive to fostering a strong sense of community, nor is it sustainable, in terms of preserving quality of life, energy or land. I want to strengthen ULI's role in the efficient development of entire urban regions.'

Mansfield, 49, was most recently chairman of ULI's policy and practice committee, which guides the Institute's research and publishing agenda. He views ULI's emphasis on sustainable urban areas as being concentrated in three priority areas: 1) environmentally conscious investment and development; 2) connecting infrastructure and land use planning; and 3) workforce housing.

In the area of infrastructure, Mansfield noted a recent report by ULI and Ernst & Young, which showed the US lagging far behind Asia and Europe in virtually all aspects of mobility-related infrastructure - airports, public transit, railway systems, roads and bridges. He sees infrastructure investment and development as having stronger-than-ever implications for urban growth patterns; and, as a result, he wants to strengthen ULI's involvement in infrastructure-related issues, including financing and construction. 'Revamping our infrastructure calls for long-term solutions that include rethinking land planning models. This is where ULI's role in this issue really crystallises. We can promote models that are less auto-dependent and offer plenty of options for getting from on place to another,' Mansfield said.