Two Minnesota High School Teams Participated in Urban Land Institute’s UrbanPlan National Student Competition, with one of them earning a 3^rd place win!

ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA (JUNE 18, 2022) – Two teams of students from Mounds View High School, had the honor of being selected to participate in the third-annual UrbanPlan National Student Competition, run by the Urban Land Institute (ULI). One of these teams, named JHM Developers earned a third-place win in a competition with eight other high schools from across the United States. ULI is a global, multidisciplinary real estate organization whose work is driven by more than 45,000 members dedicated to responsible land use and building thriving communities.

UrbanPlan is a realistic, engaging exercise in which participants—high school students, university students, or public officials—learn the fundamental forces that affect development in our communities. Participants experience challenging issues, private and public sector roles, complex trade-offs, and fundamental economics in play when proposing realistic land use solutions to vexing growth challenges. Generously supported by member gifts to the ULI Foundation and offered through District Councils and National Councils, UrbanPlan has reached over 60,000 students and public officials globally.

The students were tasked with redeveloping six blocks in the fictional city of Elmwood. The student’s fictional companies must balance historical preservation, dereliction, and competing neighborhood priorities, along with financial constraints to meet the needs of the city. The students had all previously completed UrbanPlan during their academic year, so the competition is an opportunity to engage with the program for a second time. As a result, the competition includes an addendum to the RFP (Request for Proposal) with a unique new set of parameters.

This year, the students needed to provide a summary of social services or other creative solutions to provide support to those experiencing short-term homelessness. In addition, the students needed to consider how to provide permanent housing solutions for homeless individuals in the fictional community. ULI partnered with the Lotus Campaign to share an innovative program for the students to consider. Using the Lotus Campaign’s successful Landlord Participation Program, student teams needed to propose how many market-rate units would be committed as permanent housing for those individuals who are not able to qualify for housing without the financial support of Lotus (the organization guarantees rent and damages for tenants in the program) and also a sponsoring organization to provide social services (in this case the fictional Grace Memorial Church would partner with Lotus). The students provided thoughtful responses to the RFP Addendum and explored how developers and cities can provide more housing for those experiencing homelessness.

The competition involved over 45 students comprising nine teams from eight high schools around the United States: Berkeley High School, Berkeley, California; Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn, New York; Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto, California; High School for Arts & Design, New York, New York; Iolani High School, Honolulu, Hawaii; Jurupa Hills High School, Fontana, California; Kalani High School, Honolulu, Hawaii; Mounds View High School, Arden Hills, Minnesota.

Team Quilt Co. of Iolani High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, won the competition and took home $5,000 in prize money. Team Beacon of Berkeley High School placed second and Team JHM Developers of Mounds View High School placed third.

About the Urban Land Institute The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has more than 45,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. For more information on ULI, please visit uli.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.