Energy Foundation has awarded the Urban Land Institute (ULI), via the ULI Foundation, a $200,000 grant to promote activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of a partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). ULI is a global real estate organization with more than 44,000 members dedicated to responsible land use and creating thriving, sustainable communities worldwide. The ULI Foundation provides philanthropic support for the Urban Land Institute’s mission-focused programs.

With this grant, ULI will facilitate the engagement of ULI District Councils, which serve members at the local level, in activities related to the American Cities Climate Challenge. The Challenge is a two-year program that provides support to 25 cities which have committed to specific policy and practice actions to achieve ambitious carbon reduction goals.

ULI will utilize the collective knowledge and commitment of its membership base to promote efforts to reduce transportation-related carbon emissions. The grant will support activities in nine District Councils: ULI Atlanta, ULI Austin, ULI Columbus, ULI Colorado, ULI San Francisco/San Jose, ULI Charlotte, ULI Indiana, ULI San Diego-Tijuana, and ULI Hawaii.

Currently, transportation accounts for nearly 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. The nine ULI District Councils will undertake work to advise on and build understanding of actions that can drive down transportation-related emissions, including parking policy reform and transit-oriented development.

“ULI members are committed to sustainable development practices that help reduce auto dependency,” said ULI Global Chief Executive Officer W. Edward Walter. “This generous grant from the Energy Foundation will allow us to further our efforts in this area. We are excited to work with our partners at the NRDC to make our cities more sustainable for the future.”

“Cities are incubating and scaling clean energy solutions that work – for the people, for the economy, and our planet” said Jorge Madrid, Senior Program Manager for Cities, at Energy Foundation. “Across the country, we have an opportunity to work with ULI and our partners to build a future in cities where resources are optimized and all communities thrive. These efforts will support a healthy and prosperous future for all.”

The work will be managed by the ULI Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance, which engages real estate and land use professionals in efforts to build more sustainable, healthy, and resilient buildings and communities.