(Crystal Proenza is associate editor of Real Estate Florida.)

MIAMI-As the Urban Land Institute's four-day fall meeting ended Thursday, professionals gathered at the closing session to hammer home crucial takeaways. Next year is being forecast as a challenge, but camaraderie is important during tough times, one audience member said. That spirit was apparent during the conference, as speakers shared their stories of failure and triumph with approximately 6,000 attendees in the hopes of bettering the industry.

"The road through 2009 won't be easy. What we're going to need is heart," said Joseph E. Brown, COO of EDAW Inc. in San Francisco. He pointed out that discussions taking place in the hallways between sessions revealed that that heart is already present, as professionals shared stories proving that real estate is still alive and well.

Everyone is tired of the repetition from Wall Street, Brown said, and it's time to think positive. Other panelists expressed that this is the perfect time to focus on getting creative with future development, finding new ways to define public and private partnership, work closely with tenants and start to look at cities in a new way.