WBEF Newsletter – January 2025
World Built Environment Forum
Harnessing the enormous potential of the 21st century's people and places. #ExpertsInConversation #WBEF
Happy New Year! Welcome to our January edition. This month, we dive into the rise of North America’s superstar cities and the challenges facing former industrial powerhouses. Don’t miss our exclusive webinars: explore how legal contracting can drive decarbonisation in real estate and get the latest insights from the RICS Global Commercial Property Monitor.
Wishing you a successful year ahead.
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The Planet of Cities: the rise of North American cities
North America, home to just 6% of the world’s population, holds significant global influence. Over the past four decades, its cities have followed contrasting trajectories: deindustrialisation hit industrial hubs hard, while coastal cities thrived on tech and services.
In the US and Canada, suburbanisation dominated, while Mexico saw rapid urbanisation driven by migration from rural areas. Today, many cities have shifted toward diversified, knowledge-based economies, focusing on technology, finance, healthcare and innovation.
As North America’s future unfolds, challenges like regional integration, climate resilience, and housing affordability will shape its trajectory. Prof Greg Clark CBE FAcSS and Borane Gille explore these dynamics in detail.
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How can legal contracts help decarbonise the built environment sector?
19 Feb | 13:00 - 14:00 GMT | Online
Climate contracting is about including decarbonisation and sustainability goals in legal agreements to reduce carbon emissions and limit environmental impact in the built environment. By adding sustainability clauses to contracts and promoting teamwork across the supply chain, organisations can cut down on their carbon footprints.
Join us on 19 February for a webinar featuring expert panellists Meena Kamath , Rebecca Annison , Diane Dickson MRICS FCIArb , Chirag Rao and Veronica McGarry .
They will explore the importance of including decarbonisation targets in legal contracts, challenges and barriers; how contracts can help meet regulatory requirements and the role of contracts in the RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment.
Will recovery across commercial real estate markets gain traction?
26 Feb | 13:00 - 14:00 GMT | Online
Results from the RICS Global Commercial Property Monitor suggests a slightly more positive outlook for commercial property markets in 2025, as inflation slows and credit conditions improve. With polarisation and forced sales on poor performing assets set to continue, we ask: will sectors that struggled in 2024, like parts of retail, manage to recover in 2025?
On 26 February, join us for a thought-provoking webinar moderated by RICS Chief Economist Simon Rubinsohn . Our panel of experts explore the factors shaping commercial property markets in 2025, looking at both challenges and opportunities.
Our panellists will share insights on the strategies that are working in managing real estate portfolios across the UK, US, Europe, and MEA. The discussion will also focus on how different markets are responding to key economic pressures.
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Unlocking the full potential of digital tools for a resilient future?
The RICS Digitalisation in Construction Report 2024 captures the evolving perspectives on digitalisation in construction, highlighting progress and well-documented persistent challenges.
The findings reveal a complex picture. While a steady rise in digital tool adoption was expected, the results indicate a mixed trend: a modest increase in usage on some projects, contrasted with a growing share of projects where digital tools remain unused.
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Why does the industry need more environmental product declarations?
In a recent webinar in collaboration with Alliance for Sustainable Building Products , experts Dr Jane Anderson , Mark Lynn, Frank Hovorka and Simon Corbey discussed the role of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and why they are becoming global phenomenon.
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