The transport, infrastructure and real estate that enables this are themselves subject to major global changes such as COVID-19, technology and the sustainability agenda. Mobility solutions will play a clear role in shaping real estate and its future, from last mile logistics, to better connected buildings and spaces.
Housing developments are being designed with electric and even autonomous vehicles in mind. Our cityscapes and town planning will change as cars become less welcome in the centre and citizens embrace a move to clean air experienced anew during the pandemic. The move away from the internal combustion engine may have a dramatic impact on the future of the filling station, with exciting opportunities for those who adapt to meet the new charging demand.
Lockdowns, and new shopping habits engrained since, highlighted the importance of last mile logistics, with our reliance on and increased appetite for home deliveries of groceries, goods and meals. We see space being repurposed into hubs to meet this ever-growing demand.
Overarching all these developments will be the need for any mobility solutions to be sustainable. Substantial behavioural and design changes will be needed to meet the UK’s 2050 net zero carbon targets, not least encouraging people back onto public transport as offices in particular reopen. The pandemic required us to live locally and it will be interesting to see how the 15-minute city concept (where your neighbourhood fulfils your living, working, supply, caring, learning and enjoyment needs) develops.
These are not sci-fi notions or fickle trends but are instead shaping the very future of real estate.
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