The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has named Chris Choa as the new chair of its UK national council for the next two years, succeeding Simon Clark who held the post from 2015.
US-born Choa is director of cities and urban development at multinational engineering firm Aecom, where he has led several major projects, advising on large-scale engineering and architectural endeavours.
His recent work includes advising on major urban renewal projects in China and the Middle East, and in India, where prime minister Narendra Modi is leading a major initiative to develop smart cities across the country.
A long-time supporter of ULI, Choa aims to further boost the UK council's membership – now at over 1,000 industry professionals - and raise its profile as Britain tackles a number of economic and political challenges.
He sees greater solidarity and more collaboration between cities as key to engendering a more cohesive society. 'Cities are crucial to help Britain bridge uncertainties,’ said Choa. ‘Our urban lands bring together the greatest number of people, and create the most social and economic value.'
As part of this effort, Choa plans to build relationships with UK mayors to support their understanding of the built environment.
The new UK chairman, who holds a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard University, will shortly set out his vision for the next two years, which is likely to include a heavy focus on helping cities evolve for senior citizens, making the most of connectivity, and providing the necessary hard and soft infrastructure that the country needs to thrive.
'ULI attracts an extraordinary range of considerations from every related discipline – from investors and developers, to designers and software engineers. We identify and create new opportunities for individuals and companies who seek ways to influence and contribute to the communities around them,' Choa said.
ULI is a non-profit education and research institute supported by its members with more than 40,000 members worldwide. The institute has been active in Europe since the early 1990s where it now has nearly 3,000 members across 27 different countries. The UK national council is the largest in Europe with over 1,100 members.
