Kumar Bahukhandi
Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global non-profit and the oldest, largest network of cross-disciplinary land use experts, is set to host the fourth edition of its flagship ULI India Annual Conference in February. Scheduled for 26 February 2026 at the Four Seasons, Worli, Mumbai, the conference is anchored around the theme “Big Ideas Shaping Indian Cities.” It will bring together senior leaders from India and across Europe, the US, and Asia to examine the forces redefining the country’s urban future.
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The ULI India team committed to advancing best practices in urban development and fostering meaningful industry dialogue
Established with the backing of ULI India’s founding partners Anarock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Hines, K Raheja Corp, RMZ Corp, and Xander, the ULI India Annual Conference has, in just four years, evolved into one of the country’s most influential independent platforms for urban dialogue. Supported in 2026 by a coalition of leading industry sponsors – led by Platinum Sponsor EAAA Alternatives; Gold Sponsors Arcadis, CapitaLand, Cushman & Wakefield, Gensler, and Phoenix Workspaces; and Silver Sponsors Aedas and Perkins Eastman – the conference comes at a pivotal moment, as Indian cities navigate global fragmentation, shifting capital flows, technological disruption, climate risk, and demographic change. The forum will move beyond projects and transactions to focus on how leadership, policy, and innovation can enable cities to adapt with purpose and resilience.
Attendees will include CEOs, CXOs, partners, investors, planners, policymakers, and senior leaders from real estate, infrastructure, finance, technology, architecture, and government bodies, reflecting the breadth of stakeholders shaping India’s urban future.
This year’s conference forms part of an expanded three-day experience, featuring curated study tours, UrbanPlan workshops, education roundtables, leadership engagements, and a full-day conference. A central highlight of the experience will be the ULI India Project Showcase, presenting 20 leading projects from across the country that reflect best practices in design, sustainability, and urban impact.
The programme will open with global and India-focused perspectives from Angela Cain, Global Chief Executive Officer, Urban Land Institute, and Dr. Parag Khanna, Founder and CEO, AlphaGeo, alongside a distinguished line-up of speakers including Amit Grover, Chief Executive Officer – City Side Development, Adani Airport Holdings Limited, Rohan Sikri, Managing Partner, The Xander Group Inc, Sandra Lee, CEO, Asia, BMS Group, and Jane Drummond, Chief Commercial Officer at Aon, APAC. Together, they will examine India’s position in a fragmenting global order and its implications for cities, capital, and long-term growth, setting the course for India’s urban future.
Throughout the day, over 20 senior industry leaders, policymakers, and global experts will address critical themes including domestic capital’s growing role in real estate, city-level transformation, the future of downtowns, emerging technologies, risk and insurance, and urban regeneration. Sessions will draw on both international experience and India’s evolving development models to offer actionable insights for decision-makers.
The conference will also feature a special collaboration with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), reinforcing ULI India’s commitment to strengthening dialogue between public institutions and private-sector leaders.
Speaking about the conference, ULI India’s Executive Director Manasvini Hariharan said, “Creating transformation in built environment is a long-term game. The impact isn’t visible tomorrow, but the conversations we have today will shape how our cities look 20 years from now. India has already entered a defining urban decade. The way we invest, govern, insure and design today will determine whether our cities offer real opportunity and quality of life for ourselves and the next generation. This conference is a convening catalyst, a space to challenge thinking, spark ideas, and turn dialogue into action that endures.”
Since its launch in 2023, ULI India has built a strong community of professionals committed to advancing responsible, inclusive, and resilient urban development. Through its research, convenings, and global network, ULI continues to position India within international conversations on city-making and sustainable growth.
With its most ambitious programme to date, the 2026 Annual Conference reinforces ULI India’s role as a neutral, high-trust platform shaping the future of Indian cities through collaboration, insight, and long-term thinking.
About Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is a nearly 100-year-old, global, member-led, multidisciplinary organisation dedicated to shaping the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Founded in 1936, ULI brings together professionals from across the real estate, finance, public, design, and academic sectors to advance responsible land use, foster better-planned and more liveable cities, and share practical knowledge through research, education, and convenings.
ULI India is the India chapter of the Urban Land Institute and is now in its fourth year. Since launching in 2023, it has built a growing community of around 200 members across the country, including developers, investors, policymakers, architects, planners, academics, and civil society leaders focused on the future of Indian cities. Through its councils, research, education initiatives, and flagship ULI India Annual Conference, ULI India provides a neutral, high-trust platform for dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and action on issues ranging from urban resilience and governance to capital flows, design innovation, and inclusive growth.
