Repurposing Real Estate: The future of the world's towns and cities

A radical rethink for global property – and where we live, work and play

As the real estate world emerges from the pandemic it is clear that all around us the urban landscape is changing. Many properties are obsolete but also have exciting futures with new uses. Our town centres and cities are undergoing fundamental change – which all adds up to a world focused on Repurposing Real Estate.

Now in its tenth year, our Real Estate Thought Leadership series has covered topics such as the rise of international investment in the UK, the growth of tech, the future of the office, the rapid rise of industrial & logistics and the arrival of build-to-rent as a major asset class.

This year, with the Government having published its Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill, we focus on the future of towns and cities not only in the UK but in a series of key global investment hubs: Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

After two years of lockdowns, working, shopping and socialising at home, a debate is raging about the future of town and city centres. Will they recover? How will they look in ten years? Will urbanisation go into reverse? And what does this mean for the real estate world?

In `Repurposing Real Estate’ we provide the first answers having polled more than 300 leading industry professionals and almost 15,000 global consumers.

The results are fascinating: almost a third of real estate is earmarked for conversion – with retail and offices to housing the most popular choices. Consumers want more green and open space, having spent too long confined to their own homes.

But the good news is that investors, having come through the pandemic, are still confident in real estate as an asset class. The big changes will be in what property they invest in, meaning the places we live, work and play in may be very different in the years to come.