From Coordination to Implementation: Financing Urban Transitions through Partnerships and Real Estate Innovation

Cities are central to climate mitigation and adaptation, yet the decisive frontline is implementation, particularly the transformation of real estate and urban development markets. While multilevel governance and international coordination provide strategic direction, delivering climate-neutral and resilient cities depends on how capital flows, and regulatory frameworks shape investment in the built environment.

Real estate markets traditionally focus on the building scale, while the district and city dimensions remain insufficiently explored. Yet district-based climate action is increasingly influencing how assets are developed, managed, and valued. Approaches such as Climate-Neutral Districts (CNDs) and Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) are gaining prominence in European urban policy as instruments to accelerate decarbonisation at scale, though their implications for real estate stakeholders remain underexplored.

Organised with DUT Parntership, Capacities and RICS this session moves the debate from coordination to implementation, exploring how transnational research partnerships can translate climate commitments into concrete urban investment pipelines.