New ULI Director Targets Homelessness, Affordability

Marty Borko has been named as the new executive director of ULI Los Angeles. Borko was formerly a principal at Gensler, and he will now oversee both the day-to-day operations of the organization as well as long-term planning. He will work with chair Claire DeBriere to combat the homelessness problems and the affordability crisis in Los Angeles. We sat down with Borko to talk about his new post with ULI and why he is focusing on homelessness and affordability.

GlobeSt.com: Why are you excited to take on this role as the L.A. executive director of ULI?

Marty Borko: After having worked in the Design Profession for the past 35 years and as a principal at Gensler here in Los Angeles for the past 27 years I am at the point in my professional career where I am ready to make a change and use my skills, expertise and relationships to help further the growth and meet the challenges of our city. I believe that great design solutions are one of the most important tools we have help our Cities grow and prosper. The design of the public realm, our streets, sidewalks, parks and open space will say a lot about Los Angeles’ future. I hope that as Executive Director I can help shape this conversation about our city. I have been an active member of ULI throughout my career and understand the value that the organization brings both Nationally and Locally. I believe that the Los Angeles District Council is a great vehicle to serve our city and help impact change.

GlobeSt.com: What are your goals with the organization?

Borko: My goals will be focused around three major areas. First, ongoing operations and organization, which involves insuring that the L.A. District Council continues to run as a well-organized business, managing and tracking the annual budget and growing and working with staff to ensure a good work environment and culture. I am a team player and hope to work closely with the Council staff and membership. Second, is outreach to the Los Angeles community. I am very interested in being the public face, along with District Council Leadership, and represent ULI in our community. I believe there is also an opportunity to enhance the LA District Council presence at the national ULI level. Finally, I will focus on providing thought leadership for the challenges facing Los Angeles. I have expressed my passion of city Building and believe that ULI is a great platform, for me  personally, to continue in this role as an active voice in the projects and policies that are ongoing in our city.  It will give me the opportunity to utilize my skills and expertise, the full resources of our ULI membership and power of the organization to help be a leader in our city.

GlobeSt.com: Why are homelessness and affordability the most pressing issues in Los Angeles?

Borko: There are many critical issues facing our city and much being done and planned to set the stage as we move forward. Finding and implementing solutions for both our homeless population and the overarching notion of housing affordability are paramount if we want to have our city continue to thrive and flourish. As we plan and build out our transportation infrastructure the relationship between land-use, density, mobility and infrastructure should be a key principle guiding our city. Homelessness is not a single-issue problem that only affects a certain segment of the population and therefore the solutions must be addressed on multiple fronts. ULI is in a unique position to help be an active voice in educating our city about the scope of the problem and the range of solutions. Within the context of political will and available resources, how we identify development opportunities and design the appropriate housing responses will ultimately make our city a better more inclusive place to live.