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The Urban Land Institute has named Portland Mayor Charlie Hales one of four fellows of its Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership.

The yearlong fellowship program helps the mayors of four large U.S. cities tackle local land-use development challenges, and is intended to provide city leaders with peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Other mayors selected this year are Kirk Caldwell of Honolulu, Gregory Ballard of Indianapolis and A.C. Wharton Jr. of Memphis, Tenn. The program includes a study tour of another U.S. or foreign city, a working retreat and visits to each of the four fellowship cities.

Hales began the fellowship Nov. 7 with a trip to ULI’s headquarters in Chicago. Joining him were Portland civic leaders Susan Anderson, the director of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability; Patrick Quinton, the executive director of the Portland Development Commission; and Leah Treat, the director of the Bureau of Transportation.

In a prepared statement, Hales said he hoped the opportunity would help the three Portland agencies integrate their planning efforts. Anderson said the fellowship was timely because the city is beginning to develop a new 25-year plan for the Central Eastside. She said she hoped access to other city leaders would help the Portland team identify new ways to meet the needs of existing industries, but be flexible enough to serve others in the future.

Treat also hoped the fellowship would offer solutions on that looming conflict. Specifically, she said the multimodal transportation network on the inner east side has helped the neighborhood become a destination, but acknowledged that its intersection with the long-standing industrial district was creating tension.