What will our cities look like in the future? How will we keep up with all the rapid changes to how we live, work, invest and spend our free time? How will the built environment need to change to prepare for the different future scenarios that may lie ahead?

These are the broad questions being explored in the new JLL Future Vision program, an ambitious research initiative incorporating the perspectives of experts from a wide range of disciplines, from demography to anthropology and urban planning.

JLL Future Vision combines:
 

• JLL’s robust, long-term exploration of megatrends: Our network of 500 researchers across the globe have sought to uncover what will matter most to the real estate industry in the coming years.

  
  

• Thought-provoking input from a multi-disciplinary forum of future thinkers: We identify the meaningful signals that will shape our societies and the built environment.

  
  

Imagine a world where heatwaves, flooding, and droughts will continue to put cities and buildings at risk regularly and everywhere – not just in the most susceptible regions. In this new landscape, carbon regulation and the repricing of risk will be increasingly widespread, alongside strategic shifts to related investments - just like we are seeing in Amsterdam, New York or Singapore today. 

Climate resilience will be key. Minimizing environmental impact will be the default requirement for all buildings and asset classes. AI-powered building control systems and smart materials will play an increasingly large role. Buildings will need to be designed, constructed and configured to withstand greater damage and disruption.

Key questions for investors/occupiers

• What can we do today to reimagine buildings – and how they’re designed - so they’re more resilient to climate change? 
  
• How can infrastructure resilience be ensured alongside building resilience? 
  
• What kind of governance and public-private collaboration needs to be put in place to reduce climate risk? 
• How can occupiers and investors prepare for much stricter regulation and requirements for new and existing buildings?

In the months ahead, we will explore these imperatives and other themes in a series of articles and podcasts. We are starting with deep dives on the climate and technology imperatives – see The Climate Inflection Point and Get set for the 5th Industrial Revolution. An examination of the impact of the future of work on real estate will follow, along with ongoing analysis of the impact of macroeconomic trends on the real estate industry.

In addition to publishing regular articles, JLL Future Vision will provide insights to clients through one-to-one conversations and future workshops. 

Explore more of JLL's latest insights on World Economic Forum themes at our dedicated Davos page.