The Emperor strikes back
2023-08-24T00:00:00+01:00By Alastair Stewart
“Some merchants are always eager to turn a profit. Therefore, we decree that the benefit of low prices is not hindered while greed, checked in advance, is restrained.” Not the words of left-wingers calling for price controls, but those of Emperor Diocletian’s Edict on Maximum Prices in 301AD. He failed; ...
LGIM’s Bill Hughes on whether the built environment can be a force for good
2023-08-23T06:00:00+01:00By Bill Hughes
We, the real estate industry, have reached an inflection point – one where our approach to environmental and social factors can ensure that the built environment becomes a force for good.
Regal London’s Ghislaine Halpenny on why reinforcing supply chains is key to social impact strategies
2023-08-23T06:00:00+01:00By Ghislaine Halpenny
Much like the Inuit are reputed to have 50 words for ‘snow’, so too does real estate often have a blizzard of terms that mean broadly the same thing – particularly when it comes to the relationships between us.
Get Living’s Ailish Christian-West on the role of belonging
2023-08-22T12:47:00+01:00By Ailish Christian-West
Plenty of column inches across the property press have been taken up with talk of environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments over the past few years. And for good reason – our industry is fundamental to the economic, social and environmental prosperity of the nation.
Runway East’s Natasha Guerra and Boodle Hatfield’s David Rawlence on B Corp office providers
2023-08-22T06:00:00+01:00By Natasha Guerra, David Rawlence
At a time when environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials and aspirations are being heavily scrutinised, achieving B Corp status is a useful differentiator and quantifier to cut through the noise, but should landlords care if their serviced office providers have this rubber stamp accreditation?
Ramboll’s Martin Bissell on how technology can save stranded assets
2023-08-21T06:00:00+01:00By Martin Bissell
The built environment is the second-largest source of carbon emissions in the UK after surface transport, and as such, it is of paramount importance that we take action to decarbonise buildings to meet net zero targets.
Berkeley Research Group’s Ian Mackie on the contentious issue of valuing commercial properties
2023-08-18T06:00:00+01:00By Ian Mackie
In a bid to strengthen oversight of, and increase confidence in, commercial property valuations, RICS has been looking to implement various changes to the profession, following the recommendations set out by Peter Pereira-Gray in his Independent Review of Real Estate Investment Valuations, published in January 2022.
Fleet Street Quarter’s Lady Lucy French on curating post-Covid mixed-use destinations
2023-08-17T06:00:00+01:00By Lady Lucy French
A dawn of a new day is being witnessed as perceptions of city centres have dramatically shifted, triggering a need to reshape and reinvent urban centres in a post-pandemic world.
Carter Jonas’s Katherine Jones on the Oxford-Cambridge Arc: a revitalised vision or ruin?
2023-08-15T06:00:00+01:00By Katherine Jones
An arch is one of the most enduring structures within architecture, and has a unique ability to link two separate elements with strength and beauty. The Oxford-Cambridge Arc, conceived before the pandemic and political uncertainty disrupted planning and development, was intended to create a strong link between the cities of ...
Instant Group’s Lucinda Pullinger on how macroeconomic forces are changing real estate
2023-08-10T06:00:00+01:00
Nowhere is the impact of the pandemic more pronounced or more ongoing than in the real estate industry. Shifting office habits and ways of utilising space are by now a familiar tune. But add in the war in Ukraine, with its macroeconomic fallout, the growing urgency for climate action, financial ...
Business for Health’s John Godfrey on housing policy’s role in ‘levelling up’ our health
2023-08-08T06:00:00+01:00By John Godfrey
At the heart of the government’s ‘levelling-up’ initiative is the belief that the country needs bold policies committed to improving the lives of all its citizens, rather than simply fuelling economic prosperity in concentrated bubbles.
BCIS’s Joe Martin on what is next for construction
2023-08-02T00:00:00+01:00By Joe Martin
Are there any reasons for the construction industry to be optimistic? The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) recently forecast that gross domestic product would not fall this year and would grow slowly over the next two years, buoyed by growth in world GDP.