As chairman, Mansfield says he wants to focus on, among other issues, economic, social and environmental sustainability of urban regions--and, just as importantly, their outlying areas.

"I want to continue our focus on identifying best practices and on promoting better growth patterns throughout our urban regions," he says in a statement. "This is not about downtown versus the exurbs. It's about pursuing more effective land use models and achieving better connectivity within these areas so entire regions can function more efficiently."

To address this goal, he believes ULI's resources will be best deployed in three areas: 1) environmentally conscious investment and development; 2) connecting infrastructure and land use planning; and 3) workforce housing.