Abu Dhabi is to host a dedicated Urban Development Centre within three years with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) – the international, non-profit research and educational organisation that caters to professionals in land use and real estate development – committing to establish a real estate education facility within the centre.

The Urban Development Centre and ULI’s Centre For Real Estate Education will be housed within the new headquarters of Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), being built adjacent to Maqta Bridge – the gateway to Abu Dhabi city.

“The creation of the Urban Development Centre is a solid commitment by TDIC to furthering best-of-breed practices throughout the Middle East’s evolving real estate industry,” said His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of TDIC and patron of ULI’s Middle East District Council.

The new TDIC headquarters is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2009 and the Urban Development Centre will be operated by TDIC’s client services division. The ULI Centre For Real Estate Education will boast a library, seminar and conference rooms.

“ULI offers a broad range of courses in real estate development, valuation, contract management, urban and regional development, investment and economics,” explained Lee Tabler, CEO, TDIC and Chairman of the ULI’s Middle East District Council.

“We anticipate bringing all these existing courses to the Abu Dhabi centre and will tailor new ones for the region and the real estate professionals within it. Once we have established the centre, we will work with regional developers, governments and individual entities to create a code of best practices for the Middle East.”

ULI says its Centre for Real Estate Education will be developed in three phases with the institute utilising the first two phases to conduct a needs assessment and business plan for the facility.

“Using a selection of continuing education programmes – conferences, workshops, symposia, real estate school certificate programmes and forums – the centre will offer real estate and land use professionals a greater depth of understanding of the current state of the industry and insight into further industry opportunities and challenges,” explained Rick Rosan, President, ULI.

“The Urban Development Centre will draw upon the institute’s membership of internationally recognised professionals representing the entire spectrum of the real estate industry, to offer faculty that will share balanced and effective knowledge of the real estate business from multiple perspectives.”

The Urban Development Centre will also house the institute’s Middle East District Council which was established in February this year and currently boasts 200 members.

“Membership numbers continue to grow,” explained Tabler. “We anticipate a regional membership of approximately 1,000 from across the region. The council reaches out across the Arab world and takes in the GCC, Levant and North Africa.”