Emerging Trends in Real Estate® Europe is a joint survey by PwC and the Urban Land Institute. Now in its 18th edition, the report explores two shifts which are, as one interviewee puts it, ‘not on the same wavelength’: a cyclical downturn juxtaposed with long-term structural changes to real estate.

This year’s Emerging Trends in Real Estate® survey presents a sector in flux. The COVID-19 pandemic, government responses, the Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) agenda and push towards net zero and the acceleration of blurring of previously distinct asset classes are all driving significant change. Real estate is generally still seen as one of the few investment asset classes to generate acceptable returns at a time of low or negative interest rates. However, the pandemic has forced millions to work from home, closed retail stores and accelerated structural changes impacting three mainstay sectors of the real estate world – office, retail and hospitality. 2020 poses immediate challenges to the security of income from these sectors. Read more on the PWC website. https://www.pwc.ch/en/insights/real-estate/europe-2021.html