The Urban Land Institute (ULI) St. Louis is accepting applications for its education initiative aimed at increasing the diversity of local real estate development professionals. In its third year, the Real Estate Diversity Initiative (REDI) works to help people of color and women advance their careers as real estate developers.
In response to the benchmark Ferguson Commission report, ULI seeks to energize greater engagement in equitable development.
“After listening to students and our volunteer teaching corps, we’ve made some refinements to the REDI program,” said Kacey Cordes, chair of ULI St. Louis and vice president of affordable housing at US Bancorp CDC.
“They include more detailed information on certain aspects of the curriculum, such as construction and community engagement, as well as broader plans for follow-on engagement with other professionals and potential mentors in the real estate industry.”
The month-long application window began June 1. It is posted on at stlouis.uli.org, where additional information about the program and ULI can be found.
REDI classes will run from 6-8 p.m. Mondays, August 30 to December 13. The 15-session curriculum will be taught by ULI volunteer professionals in the fields of finance, design, urban planning and real estate development. It covers feasibility studies, financing, market research and real estate planning and engages students in work on an active development site. To date, 56 students have been taught in the REDI program.
Nineteen volunteer instructors and 16 mentors will guide students through the REDI program, and they represent real estate industry companies including LJC, Development Strategies, SWT Design, Green Street St. Louis and more.
Mentors are drawn from companies including NorthPoint Development, CASCO+R5, Enterprise Bank, Cortex, US Bank and others.
Cordes said the volunteers “have bought into the long-term benefits of broadening diversity in local real estate industry.”
“Engagement in REDI also helps firms identify and develop high potential prospects that could be a good fit for their teams.”
ULI-St. Louis’ companion program, UrbanPlan, is in its fifth year of empowering high school students to more fully understand and participate in land use decisions. More than 150 students have participated in the program.
With more than 250 members, ULI St. Louis’ roster includes real estate, design, construction, institutional, legal and accounting professionals, along with civic leadership with a goal of increasing responsible use of land and creating and sustaining thriving communities.
