Asia Pacific
ULI MEMBER–ONLY CONTENT: The global COVID-19 pandemic promises to accelerate the adoption of property technology (proptech), which lies at the intersection of the roughly $230 trillion global property sector and the nearly $3.4 trillion global technology sector, speakers said in early September during the virtual ULI Asia Pacific REimagine conference.
Members Only
Thirteen outstanding real estate development projects have been selected as winners of the 2020 ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence. The winners, each of which demonstrates a comprehensive level of quality and a forward-looking approach to development and design, include four projects in China, two in Hong Kong, two in Australia, two in Singapore, and one each in India, Japan, and New Zealand.
Themes of identity, governmental responsibility, and local empowerment in cities were discussed by a small group of experts during a May 20 webinar hosted by ULI Asia Pacific. While the discussion leaders each offered their own talking points, all agreed that governance and design play crucial roles in the establishment of a modern community.
In recent decades, SOM’s urban design work in China has created several successful old town redevelopment planning projects—such as Shanghai Xintiandi and Foshan Lingnan Tiandi—that integrate China’s ancient urban heritage into a new type of urban placemaking, one that celebrates local traditions while also creating immeasurable economic, social, and cultural value. Guangzhou’s Old Town is the latest of these.
When the SARS epidemic surfaced in China in 2003, the impact on domestic real estate was severe but fairly short-lived, with rents and prices rebounding quickly once the outbreak had peaked. The fallout from COVID-19, however, promises to be more profound, as shrinking global demand for Chinese products turns the screw on firms that have only recently restarted operations, said industry experts working in the region.
Kenneth Rhee, executive director of ULI China Mainland, spoke with ULI leader Vincent Lo, chairman of Shui On Land, about his thoughts on the near-term impact of COVID-19 on China’s real estate market and how the urban environment and real estate industry will change.
The Punggol Digital District, set to launch in 2023, will form a fresh nexus between higher education and industrial innovation, with its two anchor institutions being the Singapore Institute of Technology and a new business park developed by JTC Corporation, an industrial property developer and manager.
At the 2020 ULI Singapore Conference, which was held virtually, panelists discussed how hotels have started to offer takeout and delivery to nonguests, in addition to working with the local government to house those under quarantine orders.
Many countries in Asia have successfully mitigated the spread of COVID-19 through a range of strategies that include universal mask use, testing, sophisticated technology for contact tracing, and strict government quarantine and cleaning protocols, according to leading real estate professionals participating in a recent ULI webinar. The participants described impacts on their real estate businesses, and how the real estate industry has been enlisted in the fight against the coronavirus.
Real estate investment in the Asia Pacific region has been on a downward trend since 2019, and market uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation, said speakers at a recent ULI Singapore event held virtually.
Singapore
As cities become denser, the cost of high-density parking begins to pencil out for developers—which is when the development of parking that automatically stores and retrieves cars becomes attractive.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is famous for its hospitality industry, but the sector has been under fire for the past three years. Even so, the hotel and food and beverage (F&B) industries have shown resilience and adaptability said panelists during a ULI Hong Kong conference in September.
The Hong Kong government’s recent decision to embrace a new tendering process for the sale of a prime parcel of waterfront land adjoining the Central business district marks a welcome departure from longstanding policy. In the past, such tenders were invariably awarded to the highest bidder without regard to the quality of the proposed development. Now, however, use of a “two-envelope” approach to sell the plot, known as Site 3, means that design also becomes part of the equation.
Communities around the world are racing to control the spread of the novel coronavirus and the disease that it causes, COVID-19. Increasingly, that means implementing aggressive social distancing measures, which can inhibit the spread of the virus and flatten the transmission curve. Given what is known about the virus so far, using building strategies to help slow the spread of the disease makes sense to help protect those who must work in an office or commercial setting and in multifamily settings.