From Ideas to Action: Helping Rebuild Puerto Rico Through ULI Advisory Services
Thought leadership is important…But real leadership is measured by action.
Following the catastrophic devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, Puerto Rico faced one of the greatest rebuilding challenges in its modern history. Communities across the island were confronted not only with repairing damaged infrastructure and housing, but with a much larger question:
How do we rebuild stronger than before?
Rather than simply discussing resilience from the conference stage, AG&T joined a multidisciplinary team of national experts through the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Advisory Services Program to help answer that question.
Supported by The Kresge Foundation, ULI Southeast Florida/Caribbean, Alvarez-Díaz & Villalón, and the Puerto Rico Builders Association, the Advisory Services Panel traveled to the Municipality of Toa Baja to work directly with local government, business leaders, community organizations, and residents to develop a practical roadmap for long-term recovery and resilience.
Turning Expertise into Action
ULI’s Advisory Services Panels are among the organization’s highest forms of professional service.
Rather than serving as conferences or academic exercises, these panels assemble nationally recognized experts in planning, architecture, engineering, finance, economic development, housing, resilience, public policy, and real estate to solve complex urban challenges.
For one intensive week, the team immersed itself in Toa Baja meeting with local stakeholders, touring neighborhoods, evaluating damaged infrastructure, reviewing economic data, and identifying opportunities that could strengthen the municipality for generations to come.
For AG&T, organizing and participating in the panel reflected a core belief:
Knowledge creates value only when it leads to action.
The Challenge
Among Puerto Rico’s municipalities, Toa Baja was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Maria.
The municipality sustained more than $1.3 billion in damages, with widespread impacts to housing, businesses, transportation infrastructure, utilities, and public facilities.
Its geographic location also made it particularly vulnerable to future flooding, storm surge, sea-level rise, and other climate-related hazards.
The challenge extended well beyond reconstruction.
The objective was to create a strategy for a safer, stronger, and more economically resilient community.
Looking Beyond Recovery
The panel’s recommendations extended far beyond repairing damaged buildings.
Instead, the team examined how resilience could become a catalyst for economic development.
Among the key areas explored were:
Identifying Toa Baja’s long-term competitive advantages within Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Strengthening economic drivers capable of creating sustainable employment.
Improving land use planning to reduce exposure to flooding and future storm events.
Integrating resilience into future housing and commercial development.
Leveraging public-private partnerships to accelerate investment.
Creating more efficient land development processes.
Expanding access to resilient housing for residents across all income levels.
Aligning reconstruction efforts with long-term economic growth rather than short-term recovery.
The panel also examined how natural systems, coastal conditions, transportation networks, and infrastructure investments could work together to create a more resilient municipality.
Resilience as Economic Development
One of the panel’s most important conclusions was that resilience should not be viewed simply as disaster preparedness.
Well-designed resilient communities are also stronger economies.
Investments in flood mitigation, resilient infrastructure, modern utilities, housing, transportation, environmental restoration, and thoughtful land planning improve quality of life while making communities more attractive for residents, businesses, investors, and employers.
Today, that philosophy has become increasingly accepted throughout the development industry.
Institutional investors, lenders, insurers, and governments now recognize resilience as a critical component of long-term value creation.
From Recommendations to Lasting Impact
Although the Advisory Services Panel lasted only one week, its influence extended well beyond the final presentation.
The report continues to serve as a strategic resource for municipal planning, resilience initiatives, economic development discussions, and future investment opportunities.
More importantly, it demonstrated what can be achieved when the public sector, private industry, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders collaborate toward a common objective.
The challenges facing island communities require integrated solutions.
No single organization can solve them alone.
AG&T’s Commitment
For AG&T, participating in the Toa Baja Advisory Services Panel reflects the type of work we believe matters most.
Our role extends beyond advising individual developments. We are equally committed to helping strengthen the communities in which those projects exist.
Over the years, AG&T has contributed to numerous initiatives involving the Urban Land Institute, the Puerto Rico Builders Association, universities, government agencies, institutional investors, and nonprofit organizations, all with the shared objective of advancing sustainable economic development throughout Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Whether the challenge involves resilience, housing, hospitality, infrastructure, climate adaptation, or economic competitiveness, we believe meaningful progress begins with collaboration.
Because rebuilding communities is about more than replacing what was lost. It is about creating places that are stronger, safer, more prosperous, and better prepared for the future.
That is the kind of work that creates lasting impact.