At the recent European Property Investment Update 2025, organised by Property Forum and RICS in London, the Future Cities panel brought together leading voices in real estate, sustainability, and urban planning to discuss the evolving landscape of European cities. Chaired by Joël Scherrenberg, Chair of the Dutch Advisory Board at RICS, the session delved into the challenges and opportunities facing cities as they strive to balance economic growth, environmental responsibility, and social well-being.

New York, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo and San Francisco are the top five most resilient cities in the world, according to Savills, as they continue to harness their power as gateway locations, benefitting from a virtuous circle of large companies gathering to take advantage of business ecosystems and large talent bases, thereby attracting more talent, contributing to strong economic performance and robust real estate markets.

Urban space in the twentieth century belonged to cars. In the 21st century, it has been reclaimed by people – this is how current urban trends can be summarised. Inward development, the narrowing of streets to expand space for pedestrians, the building of a dense network of cycle lanes and strengthening the role of public transport are some of the measures taken in modern cities to improve the lives of residents. Colliers International, in cooperation with ULI, published an expert article on current urban trends