Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Urban Land Institute Annual ConferenceLeadership Dinner

His Highness the Aga Khan, founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, urged guests of last night’s leadership dinner at the ULI Europe Annual Conference in Paris to consider the social and environmental impacts of its investment decisions.

His Highness the Aga Khan – who was recently named 2011 Laureate of the ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development – said the industry would benefit from “a great deal” of upside potential if it made investment decisions which pursued a balanced mixed of financial, social, economic and environment goals.

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The Prize

Honoring Visionaries Who Inspire The Great Places

The Urban Land Institute J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development was established to recognize an individual, or a person representing an institution, whose career demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of responsible development. The $100,000 prize honors the legacy of legendary Kansas City, Missouri, developer Jesse Clyde Nichols (1880-1950), a founding ULI member who is widely regarded as one of America’s most influential entrepreneurs in land use during the first half of the 20th century.

History of Nichols Prize

The Nichols Prize, endowed by the family of J.C. Nichols, honors the legacy of the legendary Kansas City, Missouri, developer. A founding ULI member, J.C. Nichols (1880-1950) is widely regarded as one of America’s most influential entrepreneurs in land use during the first half of the 1900s. He pioneered the development of sustainable, mass market residential neighborhoods built for permanence, and automobile-oriented shopping centers. The Country Club district, a model residential community; Country Club Plaza, a 77-year-old shopping center and multi-use development; and numerous well-preserved suburban communities south of downtown Kansas City attest to his enduring legacy in Kansas City. Vincent Scully, 2003 laureate of the Nichols Prize said of J.C. Nichols, “There is no one involved with the American city who does not owe J.C. Nichols a debt for his vision and method in the planning and development of residential communities. His example has helped this generation to take on that basic program intelligently once again.”