Futureplace: Dialogues and ideas for the necessary system update for our cities

The current crisis is potentiating general change

Our current industry crisis has been on the horizon for some time. As a result of trends and developments such as demographic change, migration, climate change and changing consumer behavior, we have been experiencing an increasing change in use and needs in real estate and urban development for years. So far, this has been addressed more selectively in individual projects. With the three disruptive waves of change that we have now experienced in quick succession, this process of change became a fundamental crisis: The corona related changes in trade and offices, the material shortages resulting from the Ukraine war, the increased construction and energy costs and, most recently, the rapid rise in interest rates have caused the market to completely collapse within a few months.

The revival of the industry requires a new mindset

Only agile thinking outside the traditional can help out of shock. These new opportunities and starting points for real estate and urban development are among the central topics of our 'Futureplace' dialogue tour. This is not about remote utopias, but about rapid, targeted and, above all, meaningful action that creates sustainable, 'good' places. We meet stakeholders and decision makers from our industry, with whom we discuss what consequences can be drawn from the crisis in order to enter the market with intelligent concepts and better quality following consolidation.

We see the most important levers for stabilization in the first step in mindset: We need to build up our horizons and get out of silo thinking. Only a perspective on society as a whole and thinking in terms of cross-sectoral ecosystems will spur needs-oriented and forward-looking urban development.

Existing properties are stranded between regulations and new needs

Our world is changing: Global and national goals have been clearly formulated by the UN, the EU and the Federal Republic of Germany. The urgent measures and regulations relating to sustainability and climate protection are also shaking up our markets. We are under acute pressure to act. Together with the profound change in the needs of our working and living environments and the financial crisis, real estate portfolios are moving increasingly towards the new phenomenon of the “stranding point”: the point at which existing properties fall outside the regulatory framework and the attractiveness of these assets is lost.

A comprehensive system update for sustainable change

In order to achieve the necessary industry-wide shift towards ecological construction, social and hybrid uses and new economic products, we need a fundamental system update for our cities and real estate. As an industry, we will only find these solutions in collaboration with bright minds from various disciplines.

That is why, together with our partners, we are looking for sustainable places and products. On the Futureplace tour, we want to find out in dialogues and workshops with experts and knowledge holders how we can find faster, better solutions. We would also like to look at the individual challenges faced by companies as well as approaches and support options for these transformation processes.

As leading specialists in integrated placemaking, we have asked ourselves key questions on four topics in particular:

1. Which strategic narratives can help us shape the necessary change and promote joint action?
2. Which urban products and city building blocks that represent a sustainable and generational city are the logical result of this?
3. What do the hybrid living and working environments look like that anticipate and integrate technological transformation?
4. How can we learn faster and turn new things into proven ones more quickly in order to obtain systemically transferable solutions?

Reboot and revive: Renaissance Assets

Concrete ideas have already emerged with the first Futureplace Dialogues. Like the transformation from “Stranded Assets” to “Renaissance Assets.” Here, the expertise of placemaking and sustainable engineering can be combined to create new methodological procedures in order to generate marketable and value-maintaining projects that also provide better solutions for the city of tomorrow. The first methodological model has already been developed in cooperation with Happold engineers and will now be tested on model projects. There is a wide range of activities from existing areas to B-locations of offices. We will report on progress.

New narratives for urban logistics

Logistics is needed everywhere, but infrastructural expansion is almost always met with criticism and opposition. Nobody wants to have new rail lines, roads or airports on their doorstep. In addition, legal regulations will mean that less and less space will be available for new logistics.

This requires creative new ways and ways of thinking. We want to pursue the thesis that logistics must not only be a necessary evil, but can also become an intelligent, urban provider of our prosperity. With changed narratives and complementary approaches in energy production and programming. We believe in closing the circle: More acceptance brings us better solutions — and better solutions lead to more acceptance.

Participate in the discussion and create future places

But it's not just the city that needs to change. Transformation also affects the old ways of doing things of companies themselves. It is a time to question yourself in order to move forward stronger with new approaches and clear visions.

We would like to thank the first discussants who have inspired us — and we hope you too — and look forward to expanding this circle. In the future, we would like to inform our business partners about the progress from the Futureplace tour.