Power On 50

As president of the Urban Land Institute, the leading think tank in land-use development, Rosan is one of the guiding lights in global real estate decisions. As an architect with 22 years of experience, he brings his “keep it local” perspective to the global conversation. He oversees 130 employees and a $50 million annual budget plus the $30 million ULI Foundation.—L.M.S.

IHP, one of the nation's biggest real estate investment firms, provides equity financing for home builders large and small. The Irvine, Calif., company and its partners have created residential neighborhoods, communities, and projects valued at more than $4 billion since Neff founded IHP in 1992. The group also provides a bonding program for small and medium-sized builders.—B.H.

Pyatok's 22-year-old firm, with headquarters in Oakland, Calif., does well by doing good. It designs high-density, mixed-use developments in low-income areas. The firm has designed more than 30,000 affordable units in projects that incorporate the community's social and cultural needs, a philosophy that wins awards and has earned Pyatok overseas contracts in the Philippines and Malaysia.—B.H.

Owens Corning, best known for its pink fiberglass house insulation, provides builders and contractors free downloadable software to help them design energy-efficient homes to take advantage of tax incentives available through the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The company also offers a duct–energy-efficiency calculator that lets builders quantify the amount of money consumers can save on annual energy costs by using insulated fiberglass ducts in an HVAC system.—B.H.

Lauded for the groundbreaking Seaside, Fla., project (“the most astounding design achievement of its era,” according to Time magazine), Duany has been instrumental in Gulf Coast rebuilding, overseeing the redesign of numerous communities in Louisiana and Mississippi. As a leader of the new urbanism movement, Duany just won't stop until there's an end to suburban sprawl and urban disinvestment.—L.M.S.