The 2021 ULI Asia Pacific Summit brought together a panel of investors and managers with nearly $500 billion of owned or managed real estate to discuss the importance of environment, social, and governance (ESG) standards to the industry.

Real estate economists predict markedly improved U.S. economic and property market conditions over the next three years, 2021 to 2023, compared with the forecast of six months ago, according to the spring ULI Real Estate Economic Forecast.

In a 2021 ULI Virtual Spring Meeting session, participants from different parts of the United States discussed what it takes for stakeholders to achieve a triple bottom line in real estate development, and what they see in the years ahead for the industry.

In a recent ULI webinar, a panel of experts discussed the dynamics of the Asia Pacific region’s fast-growing market for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) related debt. While the growth of the green finance market regionally still lags that in Europe, the pace of adoption is picking up rapidly.

Will the COVID-19 pandemic bring about the end of the viability of open-plan office space? Panelists speaking during a recent ULI Asia Pacific webinar concluded that flexibility, technology, variety, and health would be the key concepts bringing companies and key employees back to offices.

Technology is paving the way for a segment of investors, many of whom are “digital natives,” to explore real estate as an additional part of their investment portfolio and participate financially in the real estate sector like never before, said panelists speaking at the 2021 ULI Singapore Annual Conference, held both virtually and in person in early March.

ULI MEMBER–ONLY CONTENT: In an Oxford-style debate, two property experts locked horns virtually during the 2021 ULI Virtual Europe Conference in February on one of the most talked-about subjects of the past year—the future of the white-collar workplace. Once the pandemic has passed, will most office workers return to business as usual, working five days a week in proximity to colleagues? Or has the world changed forever, with most people working from home for at least a couple of days a week?

Though investor interest in the hospital sector was muted for most of 2020 in response to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and global travel, the lodging industry is poised to rebound in 2021, according to JLL Hotels & Hospitality’s annual Hotel Investment Outlook.

According to data provider Zonda, the U.S. New Home Lot Supply Index came in at 63.5 for the third quarter of 2020, representing an 8.9 percent drop year over year. Hear more about trends in U.S. housing policy and development at the 2021 ULI Housing Opportunity Conference.

ULI MEMBER–ONLY CONTENT: Real estate investors gathered for a panel at the ULI China Real Estate Investment Summit said they are optimistic about continued opportunities in China across a broadening group of sectors and product types, a position echoed by a second panel featuring Chinese developers. The summit was held in December with both virtual and in-person participants, as well as tours in Shanghai.