The 2025 Building the Future Policy Forum promises to be an essential gathering for leaders and innovators in housing policy and development. This in-person event will convene a multidisciplinary group of ULI members and industry leaders to explore effective strategies for increasing housing production, with a focus on affordable housing. Attendees will have the opportunity to network, share ideas, and learn from proven successes in housing policy that address today’s most pressing challenges.

This year’s forum will center on Federal Housing Policy and takeaways from the National Housing Crisis Taskforce, offering participants an in-depth examination of how federal initiatives impact state and local housing policy and production. Participants will contribute to shaping actionable solutions and gain early insights from a forthcoming report by the Terwilliger Center that continues the work initiated in the 2024 Building the Future report.

The goal of the forum and publication is to support the mission of the Terwilliger Center, which is to ensure that everyone has a home that meets their needs at a price they can afford.

For anyone invested in solving the housing affordability crisis or scaling innovations in housing production, this forum is a unique chance to engage with peers and experts in an interactive, solution-oriented setting. This Forum is invitation only.

Lunch will be available beginning at 12:00pm.

Recap of the 2024 Building the Future Policy Forum

In May 2024, the Terwilliger Center hosted the ULI/Charles H. Shaw Forum on Urban Community Issues, an event with over two decades of history fostering collaboration among private, nonprofit, and public sector leaders. Held virtually, the 2024 Forum focused on state and local housing policies that successfully expand housing production. Presentations from across the United States highlighted innovative solutions and lessons learned, followed by dynamic discussions among participants.

The resulting report, Building the Future: Innovations in State and Local Policies to Boost Housing Supply, categorized policies into three actionable themes—reform, connect, and leverage—and offered replicable best practices for overcoming barriers to housing production. The forum’s success underscored the importance of creating spaces for knowledge-sharing and collaboration among housing professionals.

Give us an hour and help change the industry! Join us for a short, interactive focus group led by ULI's Homeless to Housed team to inform 10 Principles for Addressing Homelessness: A Guide for Real Estate & Finance. This forthcoming ULI publication seeks to identify actions the real estate community can take to address homelessness and define the industry's role in catalyzing the production and preservation of deeply affordable housing. All are welcome to participate regardless of industry and expertise.

Each year, the Housing Opportunity Conference opens with a general session titled “State of the U.S. Housing Markets.” Ken Rosen, Chairman of Rosen Consulting Group, and Adam Ducker of RCLCO will provide this year’s keynote remarks. Mr. Rosen will speak to the national landscape and trends. Adam will focus on the latest affordability data and challenges facing different markets, while presenting the 2025 update to the ULI Terwilliger Center’s Home Attainability Index. This dynamic session will set the stage for the panels and conversations that take place during the course of the Conference.

In this session, industry leaders will provide real-time financing solutions for constructing and acquiring affordable and market-rate housing. They will provide an in-depth analysis of current market conditions relative to interest rates, capital flows, and lending conditions, and the implications of each of these for housing financing. 

Securing financing and building the right capital stack is critical to catalyzing the supply of deeply affordable housing connected to supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness. A panel of public, private, nonprofit, and philanthropic leaders will discuss impact investing, risk-adjusted returns, and converting market-rate properties to affordable housing. The discussion will highlight how these strategies promote equitable growth, strengthen communities, and create lasting change.

As the single-family rental (SFR) sector continues to grow, it faces a range of opportunities and challenges, from preserving aging housing stock to navigating complex financing and market dynamics. This panel brings together diverse perspectives from key industry leaders to discuss the future of the SFR market, with a focus on sustainability, financing strategies, and the balance between growth and social responsibility. Whether you're a developer, investor, or policy-maker, join us for an in-depth discussion on how these strategies are shaping the future of single-family rentals and ensuring long-term viability through responsible development, management, and investment. 

The evergreen housing issue is how supply constraints are limiting growth where it is needed. Limited housing supply is ramping up costs, forcing sprawl, and most American cities will need years to catch up. However, states and local governments have finally begun implementing reforms to address the factors that limit production. This panel, moderated by Atlanta Housing’s CEO, Terri Lee, will discuss how Atlanta’s housing study informed city-wide housing targets and goals and the policies that are being implemented to achieve these ambitious goals. National examples will show other ways cities and states are trying to boost production and reduce supply constraints. From regulations to incentives, the panel will share what can and should be done to achieve a more balanced, healthy and affordable housing market.

Design innovation can find better housing solutions for the evolving homeowner or renter; while traditional single family detached homes and apartments dominate the market, other product types have emerged to cut costs, design for different needs, and add density without high rises. This panel will feature a presentation on manufactured housing, modular housing, and other housing typologies, dispelling the myths on what each of these designs look like, how they are designed and delivered, and what are the challenges facing their ability to scale.

This session will explore innovative investment strategies that balance social impact with financial viability, addressing the urgent need for affordable housing. Join a panel of national and local experts from Atlanta, Charlotte, and other smaller markets as they discuss successful approaches, challenges faced, and replicable solutions. Topics will include the impact of private investment in unlocking new housing developments and preserving existing affordable units, as well as success metrics and challenges in scaling to generate solid returns on investments.

This session will focus on how technology is changing the landscape of how housing is leased, managed, and financed. Experts will share the benefits of using technology to optimize operations, support sustainability, and increase housing access. The impact of these new technologies on these systems is key to understanding the future of housing in the US.

Homeownership among Black, Hispanic, and Native American households remains lower than that of white households across all U.S. states. This panel will explore how data-driven actions and targeted strategies can help close this gap. Specifically, we will examine the critical roles of assessments and appraisals, the opportunities created by strategic partnerships and proactive investments, and how the real estate community is developing better offerings to support local wealth creation.

Join Egbert Perry, Renee Glover, and Josh Humphries, three prominent figures in the field of affordable housing and urban development, as they discuss their experiences in transforming communities through mixed-income housing, revitalization efforts, and the importance of equitable development. Through this general session, Egbert, Renee, and Josh will illuminate how transforming neighborhoods through investments in housing, infrastructure, and community services can lift communities out of poverty, improve safety, and create economic opportunities for residents. Egbert and Renee's work in places like Centennial Place (first HOPE VI community) will be discussed as an example of successful urban renewal and specifically how Atlanta set the stage for the HOPE VI model nationally. Josh will share solutions for scaling affordable housing efforts that the City of Atlanta has undertaken and all will discuss sustaining the growth of mixed-income communities, with an emphasis on policies and strategies that benefit both current and future generations.

This session will explore how houses of worship can help address the housing crisis by leveraging faith-owned land to develop affordable housing. Partnerships between faith organizations and developers can lead to innovative projects that align with religious missions while expanding housing supply, especially in high cost areas. However, these projects can be complex and difficult to execute. Panelists will share successful models of faith-based land development, best practices, and strategies for overcoming barriers such as zoning, financing, and community concerns.

This panel will feature a robust discussion on how magnet suburbs manage increasing population growth, changing demographic profiles, and land use pressures. Stakeholder engagement, planning and entitlement, design and density strategies will be explored through successful development in Charlotte, Alpharetta's growth and transformation, and national examples from ULI's Suburban Development and Redevelopment Product Council. Panelists will take the attendees through the nuts and bolts of case studies, covering the project approval process, community engagement strategies, partnerships with public agencies to shape zoning policy, and creative density and design solutions. The session will be interactive with opportunities for conference attendees to share their experience in similar communities or to learn other tools for working in suburban communities.

An efficient real estate development process will ensure future financial affordability and sustainability. From policy to design to construction to management, practitioners of the built environment must embrace and deploy technology to achieve affordability. This session will discuss current academic work at Georgia Tech on implementing technology in real estate development and construction.

This engaging roundtable, led by Lisa Benjamin and Althea Broughton, brings together top African American Executive Women who are fostering innovation and leading in the commercial real estate (CRE) industry to explore the challenges and opportunities in housing development, investment, and economic mobility. Panelists will discuss barriers to entry, access to capital, and workforce housing disparities, particularly the impact of Pink Collar Housing - affordable housing critical for women in professions like teaching and nursing.
The discussion will also address systemic challenges facing women developers and CRE professionals, including navigating capital markets, overcoming bias in deal-making, and scaling projects. Additionally, panelists will examine how shifting policies and the evolving political landscape shape funding, tax incentives, and regulations affecting women entrepreneurs and affordable housing development. With a focus on economic opportunity, industry inclusion, and long-term sustainability, this session will offer actionable strategies and policy insights to empower women leaders in CRE and drive meaningful change in housing investment.

The Conference will close out with a fireside chat between Dennis Shea, Executive Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy, and Raphael Bostic, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Mr. Shea and Mr. Bostic will speak on big picture housing issues, including inflation and interest rates, and what measures might ease housing concerns for Americans.

Join us for a tour of Sweet Auburn and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic District, hosted by Civitas. Tour stops include: Auburn Point, Civic Center, Marchon, The Front Porch at Auburn Avenue, and Thrive Sweet Auburn.

Join us for a bike tour of the Atlanta BeltLine, hosted by Amanda Rhein of the Atlanta Land Trust. Tour stops include: Capitol View, The Avenue at Oakland City, Murphy Crossing, and other points of interest. Bikes will be provided.

Join us for a Downtown Atlanta Mega Tour, hosted by Central Atlanta Progress. Tour stops include: Lofts at Centennial Yards, The Melody, Redevelopment of Underground and 2 Peachtree, and South Downtown.