Mary Ludgin has been our constant since we began our Tales From the Front Line 12 weeks ago.  The enormity of what has happened in these weeks is hard for me to put into words, words that Mary presents so thoughtfully. I encourage you to pause and give some thought to Mary’s comments this week.

An individual journey for each of us – a journey for the country. A commitment we must make.
Cindy McSherry | Executive Director | ULI Chicago

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Tales From the Front Line | June 15, 2020

MARY LUDGIN
Senior Managing Director & Director Global Investment Research | Heitman LLC
Read Mary’s Bio

It’s Sunday morning and I should have turned this essay in yesterday. Eula Biss, author of White Debt, is being interviewed on the radio; I would usually turn the radio off to maximize concentration but I can’t because what she has to say is so relevant. My fingers are frozen over the keys of my laptop. What do I as a white woman of privilege have to add to the conversation at this fraught moment? I assess my life. I have chosen to live in a diverse community. It’s not enough. The group I oversee is more diverse than the rest of my firm. It’s not enough. The work I do supports the retirement income of pension plan participants – a diverse group. It’s not enough. My firm’s hiring policies involve making certain that diverse candidates are presented for every position and our interns are drawn from a program focused on bringing diversity to our industry. I could go on, but it’s not enough. It’s not enough because the deep inequity we are trying to address today, is the result of generations of intentional and systemic racial discrimination.

Since the pandemic turned daily life upside down, the difference in America between those with privilege and those without has been illuminated, with race and skin color as predictors of privilege. It is visible in health outcomes for people who contract COVID-19. It shows up in the unemployment statistics, in household income, in access to capital, in who has a job today and who doesn’t and, within that, whose jobs can be done from home – the safest option – and whose can’t. On each count, short-term difference in physical and economic health are mirrored by long-term ones where the gap is even starker, lower lifetime earnings, more-persistent unemployment, shorter life expectancy. The widespread and sustained protest ignited by the murder of George Floyd is long overdue.  What took us so long?

Further, what are we going to do to start addressing these differences? More specifically, what do we as members of ULI, do? ULI’s mission statement involves the thought that we, its members, “provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ULI is committed to bringing together leaders from across the fields of real estate and land use policy to exchange best practices and serve community needs.”

In my view, we must begin by understanding and acknowledging the role of our industry in perpetuating and sustaining racial discrimination and listen with open minds and hearts to the lived experiences of our Black colleagues. Doing so requires that we have diverse voices around the table so we can be more effective in guiding policy that promotes equity and inclusion.

What we do well as an organization is to think through tough land use problems and create smart solutions, like our Accessory Dwelling Unit work in Chicago. I joined ULI for access to the best minds in our industry, capable of thinking through complicated issues and generating thoughtful solutions. We must come together and work to drive change, to ensure equal access across the region – a renewed commitment to our mission of creating thriving, resilient, equitable communities.

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If you have questions or want to share your thoughts, email us at chicago@uli.