In many cases, the debate about property fund structures has never gone beyond the “open-ended bad, closed-ended good” stage. It has been all too binary.

Relentless global urbanisation means that the investment potential of cities is high on real estate investors’ agendas.

As we say goodbye to 2019 and usher in 2020, I am sure that many of you will be reflecting on how you, your organisatons, and your investments have performed over the last 12 months. But taking stock of the past year is not just a chance for us to pat ourselves on the backs or admonish ourselves for our various successes and failures. It is also an opportunity to better understand recent events, which can give us a glimpse of what we can expect to take place as the coming year unfolds.

Over the past few months, investors, managers and consultants convened at the Editorial Advisory Board meetings for each of Institutional Real Estate, Inc’s regional publications, gathering to discuss the latest issues facing the real estate investment industry.

2019 ended with several new funds entering the European market.

There is an urgent need for the construction sector to digitise in the face of rapid urbanisation and the growing threat of climate change.

A potential Brexit deal could trigger a new inflow of foreign capital into the UK, particularly into the London office market, where yields remain higher than in Paris and Berlin.