Riga to discuss the future of cities and development trends

What will the city of the future look like? On 8 November, Riga will host leading real estate experts, businesspeople and investors from Europe and America to discuss this question. At the Baltic Real Estate Leaders Forum 2019, being held for the eighth time, the focus this year will be on three key themes – the sustainability, growth and impact of the cities of the future. 

Specialists representing internationally renowned real estate developers and research centres will discuss the greatest challenges facing cities today, tomorrow’s trends and strategies for achieving ambitious goals. 

• The conference’s first session is devoted to urban sustainability, focusing on the decisions that need to be made today in real estate planning so that future generations do not have to face the painful consequences of our generation’s inaction. It will include discussions on technologies and solutions for creating smart cities where people can work productively and enjoy their leisure to the full without harming the environment. 

• The second session is devoted to effective urban development strategies, attracting investment to specific regions, alternative sources of financing and new ways of achieving maximum returns on investment.

• The third session will focus on the latest trends in real estate and offer a glimpse of the cities of tomorrow – what urban residents can expect in a wide range of areas, from smart mobility and the sharing economy to conceptual changes in retail. 

“Consumers’ desire for sustainability is growing worldwide and encompasses new areas – from food to the fashion industry. The United States is urging Western Europe and Australia to start thinking about supply-chain transparency, bulky materials and food waste, environmental impact and workplace safety, while retail companies are increasingly focusing on meeting the wishes of millennials and Generation Z. And this is beginning to manifest itself in new real estate projects,” – says Anna Natunēviča (Ann T. Natunewicz), one of this year’s speakers and a retail expert from San Francisco (USA), introducing the new trends.