The Lewis Center Sustainability Forum, generously supported by ULI Global Board member Randall Lewis, brings together leaders in sustainability, resilience, and health and equity to exchange learnings and advance action on affordability, climate, and health challenges. The forum is a content-heavy, interactive discussion and exchange. 

This spring’s Forum in Nashville will center on housing strategies that respond to rapid growth and persistent affordability challenges across the city and state. Discussions will explore innovative partnerships, particularly with faith-based and mission-driven organizations, to activate underutilized land and expand housing supply. The Forum will also examine housing models that support workforce, unhoused, and artists communities as essential contributors to vibrant, resilient places, demonstrating how cross-sector collaboration can deliver equitable, community-centered outcomes. 

Through tours, exploration of innovative case studies, and interactive peer dialogue, participants will explore how to apply insights on cross-sector collaboration, inclusive planning, and strategic investment to their work to strengthen neighborhoods, advance equity, and deliver lasting community benefit. 

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

Activities in Music City Center — Level 1M Davidson Ballroom 

Visit this central meeting space for exclusive access to activities including networking lunches, coffee breaks, and afternoon pick-me-ups; grab the latest issue of Urban Land magazine; music from featured local artists; short sessions at Presentation Areas A & B; ULI research reports, learning and publications; workstations and places to relax and recharge between sessions.

Join the ULI Advisory Services team and fellow Spring Meeting attendees in an opportunity to provide on-the-spot insight and recommendations on a local land use challenge. The session will include a short presentation about the land use challenge followed by a brief Q&A. Attendees will then have the opportunity to form small groups to address the land use challenge. Advisory Services team members and experienced Advisory Services Panel and Technical Assistance Panel participants will facilitate these small groups. The session will close with a report-out of key recommendations produced during the session.

Nashville's rapid growth has created a sense of both opportunity and urgency. This session examines how mixed-use projects can act as models for balancing growth, culture, and community through intentional placemaking. Panelists from development, design, capital markets, and community leadership will share strategies for creating spaces that are not only economically viable, but also emotionally resonant and inclusive. Drawing on Gensler's City Pulse survey data for Nashville, Austin, Charlotte, and Detroit, the discussion will connect development decisions with lived experience, highlighting how urban sentiment can validate or challenge assumptions about what makes cities thrive.

Harrison Street will discuss the evolution of their company, their growth, and how, as they grew, their evolving insurance policies impacted their investment decisions and the criteria they enforced on partners. The session will be a dynamic conversation with their developer partner about these requirements, what might be over and above current regulations, and what is soon-to-be regulatory policy.

Join us at the Welcome Reception to kick off the ULI Spring Meeting at Skydeck on Broadway located within The Assembly Food Hall in Nashville. Don't miss the chance to reconnect with your peers! 

Join other ULI members in a reception to support equity and inclusion in the Nashville community.

Join us for a vibrant Nashville celebration that commemorates the ULI Spring Meeting and honors the dynamic women of WLI. Guests will connect over cocktails, soak in live Music City sounds, and roll up their sleeves for an authentic Hatch Show Print experience—creating their own commemorative poster to mark the moment. The event blends creativity, community, and recognition, spotlighting the women shaping the industry’s future while capturing the spirit of Nashville in every detail.

Kick off your Spring Meeting experience in style at a reception that’s equal parts curated and energetically fun, hosted by the Young Leaders Group. Forget stiff networking - this is your chance to spark real connections with peers and industry trailblazers in the vibrant city of Nashville. 

Expect an evening of smart conversation and bold flavors: craft cocktails flowing from the premium bar, paired with delectable bites and sweets. Whether you’re looking to expand your circle or trade ideas with fellow thought leaders, this is the place to start your Spring Meeting story and set the tone for the days ahead. Separate registration required.

Activities in Music City Center — Level 1M Davidson Ballroom 

Visit this central meeting space for exclusive access to activities including networking lunches, coffee breaks, and afternoon pick-me-ups; grab the latest issue of Urban Land magazine; music from featured local artists; short sessions at Presentation Areas A & B; ULI research reports, learning and publications; workstations and places to relax and recharge between sessions.

Start your morning with WLI Americas for coffee and a delicious continental breakfast. Join us to meet other women in a relaxed and welcoming environment with the goal to broaden and enrich professional networks and strengthen industry connections. We will also be announcing the recipients of the WLI Americas Innovation Grants! Come and celebrate all of WLI's successes!

Join us for an inspiring and interactive showcase featuring the inaugural cohort of WLI Americas Entrepreneurs Program, who are redefining opportunity across the real estate landscape. Each founder will deliver a focused presentation, then receive actionable, expert guidance from a panel of business advisors hearing their ideas for the first time. Attendees will gain a front-row view into the shaping of ventures poised for impact.

The ULI Real Estate Economic Forecast is a semiannual survey of leading industry experts. The latest edition will have been completed just before the Spring Meeting. How do the experts see 33 key economic and real estate indicators moving by the end of 2026, 2027, and 2028? How have forecasts changed from six months earlier? And why? How are tariff realities and other uncertainties expected to impact CRE? What signals are the experts watching for in real estate as they look ahead? Where do the experts agree and disagree? Hear a lively debate among leading economists and analysts who participated in the Real Estate Economic Forecast survey as they explain or defend their opinions. Ask questions or challenge their views about what's ahead for the real estate industry through the end of 2026 and all the way through 2028.

The session will use a Pecha Kucha format featuring eight presenters to showcase innovative, cross-sector approaches to housing across Tennessee—highlighting how cities such as Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Memphis are leading through strategies including adaptive reuse, partnerships with faith communities, and revitalization of public housing. This rapid-fire session will explore how financing, design, and policy intersect through real-world projects, with a focus on replicable models and creative partnerships.

Nashville's identity as Music City is rooted in its vibrant creative community, from independent music venues and local artisans to cultural entrepreneurs who shape the city's soul. As the city grows and evolves, it faces increasing pressure on affordability and access to space for artists to live, create, and perform. This session will explore how urban development can reinforce cultural identity rather than displace it. Panelists will examine policy tools and planning strategies that preserve cultural infrastructure, including zoning innovations, adaptive reuse, and incentives for integrating affordable creative space into new developments. The discussion will highlight how public/private partnerships and community-led efforts can foster long-term cultural resilience. By aligning cultural preservation with equitable growth, Nashville can maintain its authenticity while advancing inclusive urban development. This session invites ULI members to consider how land use and investment decisions can sustain Nashville's creative spirit.

With 31 percent of warehouse leases due to expire in 2027, the U.S. industrial market will be at a crossroads in the very near future. What will happen with all that turnover? Will companies stay in their buildings because of rent sticker shock or overinvestment in the building, or will they move somewhere else? Join key logistics executives as they discuss their strategies and considerations for staying or going, taking into account trends such as flight to quality, innovation/automation, and changing supply chain design.

Since it last hosted Spring Meeting in 2019, Nashville has experienced significant shifts in how it approaches transportation infrastructure. This session explores what has changed—and what remains a challenge—as the city navigates rapid growth and evolving regional dynamics. Hear the experts describe progress on Nashville International Airport's $3 billion New Horizon program and plans for Terminal II, Metro Nashville's $3.1-billion-referendum-backed Choose How You Move transit program, and the State of Tennessee's Transportation Modernization Act of 2023, which greatly increases access to funding and new infrastructure models to meet the state's projected transportation challenges. Whether you are flying in and out of BNA, commuting to work, or just trying to get around town, your life should get easier and more convenient.

Nashville's dining scene is a dynamic, nationally recognized blend of elevated Southern comfort food, innovative farm-to-table concepts, and a booming craft cocktail culture, evolving from its traditional roots to offer world-class, diverse options from hidden speakeasies to celebrity chef-driven restaurants.

The WLI Curated Conversations Dine Arounds will be an intimate dining experience in small groups to cultivate meaningful connections. We will first convene at Music City Center. Each dinner group will be hosted by a WLI Nashville member, who will lead their small group on a walking tour to their restaurant destination. 

Groups will enjoy a seated dinner featuring inviting fireside chats to discuss key issues and topics of the day. 

This separately ticketed event is open to all Spring Meeting attendees. Limited spaces are available. Attendees must select a restaurant when registering.

Click HERE to view flyer. 
Click HERE to register. 

Please note: No refunds will be provided for cancellations made after 12:00 pm on April 29th.

Each ULI Fall and Spring Meeting, the Americas Young Leaders Group organizes a buy your own (BYO) dinner meet-up event. This event is open to all young leaders under 35 attending the Meeting. No fee is required but registration is requested. A location will be determined in advance and all registrants in this demographic will be invited to an informal dinner where each person is responsible for their own meal.

Activities in Music City Center — Level 1M Davidson Ballroom 

Visit this central meeting space for exclusive access to activities including networking lunches, coffee breaks, and afternoon pick-me-ups; grab the latest issue of Urban Land magazine; music from featured local artists; short sessions at Presentation Areas A & B; ULI research reports, learning and publications; workstations and places to relax and recharge between sessions.

The YLG Impact & Connect session is a special event for young leaders (under 35) attending the conference to hear from local rising stars on the various projects they are working on and their impact on the local community. It is also a good opportunity for young leaders to share how ULI has improved their commercial real estate career path and to connect with fellow colleagues. After the panel, young leaders and other attendees will have the opportunities to discuss the challenges most affecting them and the CRE industry during facilitated roundtables.

This session will explore how riverfront development can drive large-scale neighborhood transformation and private economic development, drawing on lessons from Chattanooga, Nashville, Knoxville, and Memphis. Learn how thoughtful planning, investment, and public/private partnerships can catalyze inclusive, long-term growth. Hear from public officials, developers, and nonprofit leaders about their roles and perspectives.

Know that feeling when a small but vocal group of residents stands between you and success, sidelining great projects and stalling planning efforts? Our panel of developers, practitioners, and the public-sector professionals from across the nation will discuss innovative public engagement approaches that build broad public support to help you garner key approvals and entitlements. Learn how to use mindful, meaningful, and inclusive outreach methodologies that better engage hard-to-reach populations while activating groups and individuals who are likely to support new development, planning, and revitalization efforts. Come with an open mind and leave with specific strategies and lessons learned that will help push your project to success.

In celebration of the 2026 ULI Spring Meeting, we invite you to the legendary Gensler & WLI Americas signature Red Party! Please join us for cocktails and the flavors of Nashville, celebrating the unique tastes from our city in recognition of our diverse perspectives.