Shaping Sustainable Places

Report by Skanska (2026) | Conversions, Regeneration, Urban Planning

Curators: Ana-Mihaela Faciu and Alexandra Faciu

Westmount, Canada

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Why we recommend it: Published in 2026 by Skanska, this report offers a clear, actionable framework for improving long‑term performance in urban development. Its strength lies in combining climate resilience, collaborative delivery, and people‑centered design into a coherent strategy supported by real‑world evidence. By highlighting the financial value of adaptability and the importance of social outcomes, it gives developers, investors, and city leaders practical guidance for creating places that remain relevant, resilient, and economically strong over time.

Key takeaways:

- Urban development, the report argues, must shift from delivering finished projects to creating places that perform over decades. Cities are growing, but planning and delivery systems lag behind climate pressures, demographic shifts, and changing work patterns. Long‑term value is defined by a place’s resilience, appeal, and economic strength. Drawing on international experience, expert insights, and case studies, the report presents four actions that together offer a practical framework for improving long‑term performance in the built environment. Below are the four actions the report proposed to shift urban development from short-term delivery to long-term value creation:

1. Design for Change to Protect Long-Term Performance - Many buildings are still optimized for completion rather than lifecycle performance, leaving owners exposed to rising climate and regulatory risks. Climate exposure is becoming a direct financial concern — a significant share of European commercial real estate sits in highly vulnerable cities, and insurance costs are rising sharply in the US. Adaptability is presented as a competitive advantage: certified, sustainable buildings demonstrate stronger rental and capital performance. Designing assets to be reconfigured or repurposed extends useful life and reduces future retrofit costs. As regulatory frameworks tighten, resilience becomes a financial safeguard, not just a sustainability ambition.

2. Work Together to Unlock Long-Term Place Value - Fragmented decision-making is a major source of inefficiency. When planning, development, and long-term management operate in silos, places fail to deliver intended value despite significant investment. A notable share of European construction costs stems from preventable errors linked to poor communication. Misaligned incentives reinforce fragmentation: collaboration’s benefits are long-term and shared, while its costs are immediate and individually borne. The report argues for shared stewardship built on early alignment, transparent risk allocation, and coordinated lifecycle planning — shifting collaboration from coordination burden to value driver.

3. Design For and With People to Strengthen Relevance and Demand - Places must reflect how people actually live to sustain demand over time. Cities increasingly compete on the quality of everyday life, not employment alone. Weak everyday quality produces higher vacancy, weaker tenant retention, and less stable income. Early community engagement is framed as structured risk management — integrating local knowledge reduces opposition, delays, and redesign costs while producing solutions that are more trusted and adaptable. Insights from Snøhetta reinforce that buildings and public spaces designed as social infrastructure — supporting connection, safety, and belonging — ultimately strengthen economic performance by driving long-term demand.

4. Measure Holistically to Capture Full-Spectrum Value - Environmental performance is embedded in investment processes; social value measurement is not, creating a blind spot that weakens long-term outcomes. Social value is typically the first element cut under cost or time pressure, despite its influence on attractiveness and occupancy. Regulatory frameworks across the UK, US, and EU are making social value an expectation rather than a voluntary add-on. Skanska’s Social Value Index and Destination Navigator illustrate how structured measurement reduces vacancy risk and strengthens asset performance. Case studies from Stockholm, Copenhagen, Prague, and Houston demonstrate that lasting place performance is intentional — dependent on adaptability, collaboration, people-centered design, and holistic measurement from the outset.

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