27.06.23
UKREiiF 2023 Round Up
A month on from the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum 2023, we’ve taken stock to reflect on the value of attending.
This was our first time at the UK’s foremost property event, the sun was out and there was an undeniable buzz as over 7000 property professionals descended on Leeds. Our team, Director Adam West and Architect Alexandra Horsman, found the event both insightful and inspiring!
The vast programme and refreshingly diverse panel of speakers spanned themes of Net Zero, ESG, levelling-up and responsibility in regeneration. Our key takeaways came from sessions on implementing up and coming legislation on Biodiversity Net Gain, new research and recommendations on designing cities that work for women safety, and several discussions on ESG topics, measuring social value in particular. Another recurring discussion was how to attract more women into the construction sector. Despite the buoyant atmosphere, there was also notable consensus (and frustration) on the excessive challenges posed to development and quality housing by changing regulations and planning processes, and the uncertainty driven by risk and viability. The benefits of collaboration, not just within design teams but between bigger institutions and political bodies was also regularly highlighted.
UKREiiiF’s focus on local UK partnerships is perfectly suited to us as a practice - and with a considerably smaller investment than MIPIM. The fringe events were excellent and overall we found people open to have the meaningful conversations we were hoping for.
We look forward to continuing the conversations over the coming weeks and months - and we will be back in Leeds for 2024!
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