MIPIM, the world's largest property event, has kicked off today. The first session of the MIPIM 2017 has drawn a general framework to deliver clear city visions in the long term. Called City Visions, the experts of the session have focused on UK cities in general, presented other sub-parameters of smart-investments, which are also valid for all cities.

2017 is a year unprecedented on many levels, with many variables. City Visions session briefly touched upon new political and economic landscape, which will deliver surprise, and will favour the bold, the innovative and the adaptable visions. The session basically asked that if city leaders, investors and advisers had a blank page to list three things: an innovation, a policy change, a person or people, and anything else that would help realise their vision for their cities, and their regions, with inspiration coming from wherever it can be drawn, what would they be?

City Visions session comprised of prominent experts including: Clark Paul-Chief Investment Officer, The Crown Estate, Gahan Anthony-Founder & Chairman, IPSX, Howie Stuart- Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Knowles Nigel, Sir-Chair Sheffield City Region LEP, Sheffield City Region, McLaughlin Deborah-Head of Housing Delivery and Strategy, Capita Real Estate & Infrastructure, Ritchie Pat- Chief Executive, Newcastle City Council and Wylie Suzanne-Chief Executive, Belfast City Council. 

Moderated by Wild Damian from Estates Gazette, the experts sorted several advantages of investment for investors in UK cities -why are the UK cities right place to invest? What are the demands & supplies for domestic and international investors? Why UK's real estate market opened up again to global potential investors? 

''We can match occupier's demands with supplier's possibilities or other alternatives,'' said Wylie Suzanne, Chief Executive, Belfast City Council. ''We have very clear vision for city in the long run,'' she added.

''Digital industry for big companies has grown in recent years and introduces new investment models,'' said Ritchie Pat, Chief Executive
Newcastle City Council. 

''Particularly, younger people choose where to live and how to live and we see that it works very well because UK is very friendly city and we have a lot of student residents since we have ambitions to grow,'' she added.

The session also tackled some educational institutions taking place UK and proved that how smart-investments revolutionise itself by collaborating with universities in the city -to deliver a tangible work.

The experts stated that ''this is not an international competition, the picture is big and changing.'' ''We need to collaborate effectively.''

''For a smart-investment, it is also needed talk about the ''right scale'' for the right place. Some investments do not put money for a basic level of connectivity.'' ''Many things in the city should be coherent.''

''It is a quite centralized system for investors, but we need to make specific city, or region analyses to get more concrete results,'' said Wylie Suzanne, Chief Executive, Belfast City Council.

''For a successful vision, there are two things we need to highlight; the first one is how do you finance? and the second one is how do you provide engagement?,'' stated the experts.

The experts insisted that there are many assets to complete this big picture, we shouldn't talk about only ''economic growth'', it is about scale, size, collaboration, connectivity and others.

All images © WAC