About UrbanPlan for Communities (UP4C):

The workshop will enable public officials and community members to better understand the trade-offs and risk at play in the entitlement and negotiation process associated with land use, especially in public/private partnerships. The UrbanPlan case study is an example of a city-led redevelopment effort where compromise needs to be met between the locality, development team selected in the RFP, and the community.

Who Should Attend the Workshop?

The workshop is intended for elected officials (e.g. mayors and city council members), appointed officials (e.g. planning commission members), and community members and leaders. Senior departmental staff are also welcome to attend the workshop.

What to Expect at the Workshop:

The workshop typically runs seven hours and includes lunch. The agenda for the workshop is as follows:

• Overview
• Teams work on vision for RFP proposal
• Teams build out their proposal
• Facilitators visit teams
• Networking lunch
• Teams revise their proposal
• Facilitators visit teams a second time
• Teams finalize their proposal and present it to the Selection Committee
• ULI member presents case study of local project
• Discussion of how the workshop will affect the work of public officials and community members in their own community

Take a look at a sample agenda for an UrbanPlan for Communities workshop.

Volunteers:

UrbanPlan workshops benefit from ULI members who volunteer their time to participate in the program and bring a sense of reality to the case study. It presents an opportunity for senior real estate professionals to volunteer and create a dialogue between the private and public sectors that will help improve the community. Volunteers are critical to the success of the program.

All volunteers (regardless of the role you want to play) must be trained UrbanPlan volunteers who have participated in the high school or university classroom UrbanPlan program. To get on the list of UrbanPlan for Communities volunteers, please email Joy Woo at [email protected].

Volunteers Roles:

• Team Advisor: Help teams translate their ideas into the pro-forma template (financial model), stay in their team roles, and stay within the UrbanPlan rules. Volunteers must be familiar with the UrbanPlan pro-forma template and adept at spreadsheets. Time commitment: 6 hours each workshop.
• Facilitator: Meet, consult, and advise the teams once during the day. Volunteers must have real estate experience, be familiar with the Elmwood case, and be able to guide participants and give good advice. Time commitment: 1 hour each workshop.
• Selection Committee/City Council: Serve on the mock City Council at the end of the day. Volunteers must be familiar with the Elmwood case study and RFP in order to ask good questions. Time commitment: 1-2 hours each workshop

Past Clients & Participants Include:

• Silicon Valley Economic Development Alliance (SVEDA)
• Jack London Business Improvement District
• Downtown Oakland Association
• Leadership Sunnyvale
• TransForm
• City of San Jose
• City of Palo Alto
• City of Santa Cruz
• City of Fremont

To learn how to bring an UrbanPlan for Communities workshop to your city/organization or how to volunteer at an UrbanPlan for Communities workshop, please contact Joy Woo at [email protected].