The Vision Award

The highlight of each Impact Award event is the presentation of our prestigious Vision Award to a person or persons who has made a true Impact upon our Dallas-Fort Worth industry and region, and meets a set of rigorous standards.

The Vision Award recipient must be an individual in the field of real estate development or a related sector area such as finance, planning, design or who has made an outstanding contribution in his or her lifetime to the built environment of the Metroplex and it’s surrounding cities, and adhere to the following criteria:

• 20 Years minimum industry impact
• Lasting contribution to the built environment in one or more communities in the North Texas region (minimum of 3 examples)
• Innovation and creativity
• Community Leadership
• Community service

Previous recipients of the ULI Dallas-Fort Worth’s Vision Award include H. Ross Perot and Ross Perot Jr. (2015), the legacy of Trammell and Margaret Crow (2016), Herbert Weitzman (2017), Roger Staubach (2018), Craig Hall (2019), and most recently Steve Van Amburgh (2021.)

 The Impact Awards

In addition to the Vision Award, ULI Dallas-Fort Worth honors 6 regional developments/projects with an Impact Award from one of six distinct categories.

Applications for these awards are reviewed by a jury of experienced ULI members, representing multiple disciplines within real estate. The categories and their criteria are as listed below:

• Housing and Communities Award: Celebrating Excellence in Residential Development and Community Building Projects with exemplary leadership in the planning, design, financing, or construction of housing that promotes healthy, equitable, and thriving communities.
• Real Estate Finance and Investment Award: Recognizing Leadership in Capital Markets and Investment Strategies Projects, transactions, or investment initiatives which advanced the efficient connection of capital to real estate, promoting land use innovation and economic value creation.
• Sustainability and Economic Impact Award: Honoring Projects that Integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance Excellence Projects whose sustainability principles were embedded in the creation, financing, design, or management of the built environment.
• Innovation in Development Practice Award: Showcasing Breakthrough Approaches in Real Estate Development Case studies or projects that illustrate new ideas, technologies, or methodologies that advanced real estate development.
• Shaping Successful Cities and Regions Award: Advancing Strategic Growth, Policy, and Infrastructure Initiatives Projects that contributed to shaping dynamic, resilient, and inclusive cities or regions through planning, policy, or major development initiatives.
• The Next Big Idea: Innovative Ideas that can positively impact the region’s quality of the built environment Submissions do not have to be completed projects! We seek innovative developments that can positively impact the way in which planning and development are conducted, construction affordability, financing or other aspects of development. What would make our region more resilient? More enjoyable?

Proceeds from the gala benefit educational and volunteer programs of ULI Dallas-Fort Worth’s District Council including our UrbanPlan and UP4PO (Urban Plan for Public Officials) programs, Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs) for municipalities, our Building Industry Leaders career mentoring program offered in cooperation with the Boys and Girls Clubs in Dallas and Fort Worth, and programs like RE:Generation and Pathways to Inclusion.