JLL & The Economist: Future-Proofing Cities

Please join me on Nov. 30 for a special virtual event hosted by The Economist, starring the city of Paris’ Marion Waller, JLL’s Walid Goudiard, Invesco’s Mike Bessell, and The Economist’s Vinjeru Mkandawire. Register here; event description below:

The covid-19 pandemic has redefined the shape of cities and sped changes in the way people and organisations use built environments. As economies reopen, the use of city infrastructure and buildings is set to be transformed. The rise of e-commerce and hybrid workplaces has propelled cities to reuse and repurpose their urban fabric, adapting and regenerating urban centres. As space becomes more flexible, elastic and distributed, many organisations are envisioning new ways of staying connected with customers and employees.

In stimulating urban activity, city governments are creating opportunities to align recovery initiatives with environmental and social goals. Central to making built environments more sustainable is a focus on multi-stakeholder engagement and investment. Now more than ever there is a chance, even a need, to reimagine the plan, design and fit-out of built environments to ensure they are adaptive, resilient and long-lasting. The questions we will seek to address include:

• How are cities changing and adapting to trends in hybrid work and shifts in consumer behaviour?

• Has the pandemic changed the playbook for property investors, developers and policymakers? If so, how?

• What steps are companies taking to decarbonise their portfolios? What are the risks of failing to decarbonise their assets?

• How difficult will it be to reach environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives within the built environment? And how are different stakeholders rising to the challenge?

• What role are data and technology playing in the transformation of the built environment?