Prime office costs in major global cities continued to rise in the first quarter of 2026, driven by strong demand for high quality workspace and limited availability, according to Savills. The real estate adviser says net effective occupier costs, including rents and fit-out costs, increased by 0.7 percent globally during the quarter. That brings the annual increase to 5 percent and the rise over the past two years to 9.1 percent. Savills tracks 47 cities worldwide and found that occupier costs increased in 23 of them during the first three months of the year. Costs rose by 1 percent across EMEA, 0.7 percent in North America and 0.4 percent in Asia Pacific. (more…)

This week, four real estate projects were named the overall winners of the 2025 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Europe Awards for Excellence from this year’s ten finalists. The winning projects include a social housing project in Milan situated on an abandoned office development site, a new secondary school in Brussels developed in a former brewery, a new flexible life sciences hub in Stockholm, and an acute healthcare facility in Birmingham which is intended as a catalyst for community regeneration. (more…)

The world’s major business districts are recovering their appeal after the disruption of Covid-19, according to new research from EY and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The 2025 Global Business Districts Attractiveness Report shows that nearly two thirds of surveyed stakeholders now consider these districts more attractive than before the pandemic. The study assesses 30 leading districts across Europe, North America and Asia using 2,400 data points measuring macroeconomic performance, talent, real estate, innovation and sustainability. The findings suggest that long-established hubs retain their dominance, with Midtown Manhattan, the Financial District in New York, Tokyo Marunouchi, Paris La Défense (pictured) and the City of London occupying the top five positions. Collectively, the districts generate USD 4.5 trillion in annual GDP and provide more than seven million jobs. (more…)

The UK Cabinet Office has published updated functional guidance titled Managing Surplus Government Property, setting out how government departments should identify, evaluate and dispose of surplus real estate within the central government estate. The document was released on 10 November 2025. The guidance replaces the earlier Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land and reflects a broadened scope, placing greater emphasis on reviewing multiple options and combining factors when considering disposal or reuse of property assets. (more…)

The number of coworking spaces in the UK and Ireland has reached a new peak, according to new industry data, signalling the continuing shift in how offices are being used. Data from CoworkingCafe’s third quarter 2025 report show around 4,315 coworking locations across the region, of which approximately 4,048 are in the UK and 267 in Ireland. In the UK the distribution is heavily concentrated in major urban centres. Greater London alone hosts roughly 1,191 coworking sites. Manchester follows as a leading regional hub with around 120 spaces, while Glasgow and Birmingham also show significant numbers at 68 and 67 respectively. (more…)