WASHINGTON, DC-The Urban Land Institute’s Washington District Council is launching a Washington Regional Land Use Leadership Institute and is seeking applicants for the inaugural class, executive director Lisa Rother tells GlobeSt.com. The Washington District Council sees this annual program as an endeavor that will deliver long-term benefits to the region. “Our goal is to have an active alumni group that will continue to work on these issues even when their class is over--a cadre of real estate executives that are focused beyond their own jurisdictions and committed to making the entire Washington area the best region overall.”

Land use will be the third such leadership program established in the US by the District Councils, she says. Another exists in South Carolina on a statewide level and there is one in Atlanta as well. It is a nine-month program with eight program days that focus on a variety of land use-related topics relevant to the region. Topics to be covered include transportation and infrastructure, development and capital markets, economic development, the environment and sustainability. The program begins in September 2011 and ends May 2012.

ULI hopes to have 30 people in the inaugural class who are evenly split between the private, non-profit and public sectors. “We are looking for mid-career executives with at least five years of commercial real estate experience or planning and who are involved in the community.” To apply, visit the ULI website.