How can we future-proof the physical and social infrastructure assets we will need as a society?

I recently wrote a report, with the B Corp Newcore Capital, on the future of social infrastructure in the UK. (The report focuses on the built assets for social infrastructure, not the human networks and capital).

The report suggests that real estate investors can – and need to - do a better job at engaging with the future.

“Nobody wants stranded assets, figuratively or literally.”

It sets out some of the drivers of change, the major trends (such as demographics, climate change, digitisation) that we’re pretty certain are going to shape our context in the years to come. It looks at some tools and techniques that we can harness in order to help understand what we might face. And it suggests some of the areas where society might need new social infrastructure in the future.

As well as identifying opportunities for new social infrastructure investment, the report also draws broader conclusions for investment across the real estate sector: an increased focus on resilience; more emphasis on flexibility; greater integration; and a continuing shift towards sustainable solutions.

It suggests that those building, refurbing, and investing in physical assets can’t be passive in the face of the future. They have resources and the ability to make choices that can help shape a more sustainable world.

They should, as I said at the launch of the report:

“Be prepared for the probable; be flexible for the possible; be proactive for the preferable.”

For the full report, see here:

https://newcorecapital.com/the-future-of-uk-social-infrastructure/