Life is Berry Berry Good
I've just been a part of the Commencement at my alma mater, the University of Idaho. Lots of changes since graduation in the '60s...naturally. Among the most clearly delineated was the call, by all the spakers in various ways, for community involvement as the cornerstone of our democracy. One speaker quoted lyrics from a song that went something like: "when the music plays you can it it out or you can dance."
Idaho is adding service learning into its curriculum, so students get a taste of the outside world while taking their classes. The "me-too" attitudes that seem so prevalent at times in our society can be revived to a "with you" attitude. The understanding that one gets more than they give is a valuable lesson to learn early on.
ARDA, the trade group for divided interested real estate, took years to get into the outreach business long after many projects had done so themselves. It took Christel DeHaan, after selling RCI to Cendant, to really move ARDA forward into community thinking with her charity, Christel House.
I spent last week at ULI's Spring Council meetings, rubbing shoulders with the "big guys" in our industry.
Urban Land Institute has a long tradition of giving back. Maybe urban developers began out of self-interest, but regardless...the concept is fully imbedded with ULI. Good for them!