'Visionary' collects accolade.

Richard D. Baron, one of the nation's most successful developers of inner-city mixed-income communities, has been selected as the fifth annual laureate of the Urban Land Institute J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development.

Baron, 62, is co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc., (MBS) in St. Louis, Missouri, a for-profit firm that specializes in the development of economically integrated urban neighborhoods.

The Urban Land Institute J.C. Nichols Prize recognizes a person 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 J.C. Nichols, a founding Urban Land Institute (ULI) member considered to be one of America's most influential entrepreneurs in land use during the first half of the 1900s. Baron was awarded the prize during a celebratory luncheon today in New York City.

Since 1973, MBS has developed more than 11,500 units of affordable and market-rate housing in 102 developments in 28 cities across the United States, including St. Louis, Kansas City; Cleveland; Pittsburgh; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Phoenix; Ft. Worth, Texas; Atlanta; Richmond, Va.; Minneapolis; Highland Park, Mich.; New Haven, Conn.; and New York City. Most of the projects are rentals, although the firm has incorporated some for-sale housing in its developments. MBS manages all of the rental properties, as well as 5,000 other properties nationwide.

While the residences are well-designed and well-built, the housing itself is only half of the MBS story. Under Baron's guidance, the firm places equal emphasis on connecting residents with social services they need to succeed in life, such as job training, child care, after-school programs, youth activities and elder care. It is a holistic approach to community development that stems from the company's mission: "to rebuild neighborhoods in central cities that have deteriorated through decades of neglect and disinvestments."

"I see our firm as an agent of change. We set out to change the economics of communities and empower families," Baron said. "What has sustained me over the years are the stories of families whose lives have been turned around, the stories of children who are in a better place, whose parents are in job training. The pleasure I get out of this comes from being involved in the turnaround of these communities, of making a difference in people's lives."