Urban Partners

At #NYCW2024 this year, alongside our strategic partners C40 Cities, we were proud to bring together 150 key decisionmakers for a critical event on the sustainable financing of our cities🌆🌿   For us, this event marks the next stage of our partnership with C40, providing an evidence base for #greenandthrivingneighbourhoods through our 22 pilot projects in cities around the world, and developing sustainable financing models to unlock different types of capital needed to make these projects a reality.   Kicking off with two panels on ‘𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻’, we discussed what conditions and actors are needed to scale the technologies that will transform our building stock, to hearing from some of the inspirational institutional investors that have led the way in embracing sustainability as a key criteria in how they invest to shape the future of our cities. Proving the business case.   We then rounded off our discussions by diving into new approaches to create neighbourhood-scale impact, hearing from Mayors and influential global organizations on the current state of our cities and need to act fast if we are to respond to climate challenges, as well as investors and developers on how they can respond to these needs with a new approach to long-term financing, both providing outsized returns and creating neighbourhood-scale impact.   More than anything, we’re truly honoured to be able to gather together such an inspirational group of business and policy leaders at the forefront of the change our cities need and hope this will lead to many meaningful collaborations to come, our cities need it!💯   Thank you to our fantastic speakers Lola Woetzel, Christian Jølck, Chris Trott, Paula Kirk, Paul Polman, Nina Galbiati, Peter Stensgaard Mørch, Mikkel Bulow-Lehnsby, Jesse Shapins, Josh Sirefman, Bertrand Millot, Mark Watts, Anacláudia Rossbach, Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven and Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE✨   And of course, thank you to our partners C40 Cities, we look forward to continuing to deepen our partnership together and respond to the need for #greenandthriving cities🌱🏙

🎙 Our Co-Head of Neighborhood Investments, Jesse Shapins, was recently featured in a podcast discussion hosted by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions & Cities. In this episode, Jesse joins Shayne MacLachlan from OECD to delve into the topic of achieving climate action and social sustainability through Urban Partners' projects at the local, municipal, and national levels.   🌱 Jesse introduces the concept of green and thriving neighborhoods and cities, emphasizing that a truly great city encompasses more than just green buildings. He also shares examples of how Urban Partners has worked in the urban sphere to help cities overcome their challenges. Additionally, the episode addresses the critical issue of bridging the investment gap in climate action and explores the role of committed partners in making real change happen.   You can find the full episode and additional information in the comments below 👇   #UrbanPartners #greenandthriving #OECD #ClimateAction

Updates from #ClimateWeekNYC2024🍏 Today, we hosted an inspiring panel discussion at the 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗡𝗬𝗖 together with Ramboll and Henning Larsen.   We were pleased to have Jesse Shapins representing Urban Partners as a speaker on the panel conversation titled "𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦-𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘜𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦", moderated by Julia Gamolina. Alongside the other panelists, Simon Kates and Michael Sorensen, our aim was to identify holistic solutions and pave the way for innovative, scalable approaches. Approaches that will ensure our cities are equipped to meet the future demands of sustainability. The discussion was also enhanced by the valuable insights of Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE and Rohit Aggarwala providing important global perspectives as representatives for international governments💡 It is imperative that both urbanization and the increased importance of cities in the global economy, are met with efforts to accelerate decarbonization and develop low-carbon cities. Bridging the gap between the interests of people, cities, and capital, is crucial for the climate transition to succeed🌎   At Urban Partners, we deeply understand the importance of collaboration and collective efforts to mitigate climate change. Through the partnership with Ramboll, Henning Larsen and Denmark In New York, we aim to form alliances with other leading Danish companies, expanding our impact and sharing our insights and learnings on sustainability with a global audience. We would like to extend a warm thank you to everyone who joined us today🙏 Join us on the journey towards a more resilient, thriving and inclusive tomorrow!

New York Climate Week is just around the corner, and we are excited to bring the topic of investing to build better, greener cities to the forefront of this agenda🌱🏙 At the core of the Urban Partners' approach is our commitment to decarbonize the built environment by uniting insights, stakeholders, and capital within the urban ecosystem. The value of new, multi-stakeholder partnerships in this complex ecosystem are key, hence why we place such importance on connecting with a global network of innovators, investors and policymakers🌎   Collaborating with our core strategic partners C40 Cities and Bloomberg New Economy to host a series of events throughout the week, we aim to provide concrete examples that demonstrate the commercial case for investing in the urban transition, an area in which purpose comes hand in hand with an unprecedented market opportunity. Together we can unlock capital for a better built environment where business and planetary interests are aligned, and we believe New York Climate Week is a great platform to drive these conversations forward and make it happen⏩ Stay tuned for more updates and highlights next week!💫 #ClimateWeek #urbantransition #netzero 

The need for alternative credit solutions to fill a growing structural funding gap for real estate grows. Which is why we one of our strategies, Velo Capital, is tailored to address this exact demand across the Nordics, and Germany.   But what are the mechanisms that puts Germany specifically on everyone's mind? Velo Capital's Managing Partner, Emanuele Bena, recently had the privilege of discussing the current lending landscape and the opportunities it presents for debt providers with a group of industry specialists in a roundtable hosted by Real Estate Capital.    Check it out ⬇

Last week, we hosted an Urban Impact seminar in Helsinki. We gathered both our experts and partners across the urban ecosystem to explore and discuss the many challenges - and opportunities - in cities today, and in the future.   Bringing people together is in our DNA. For learnings, to challenge each other and find a way to collaborate for impact, clearly conveyed by Joonas Lemström, our Head of Country in Finland.   Understanding our field - the current state and direction of a market is key for everything we do. Our market view was transparently provided by Jani Nokkanen, CIO of our real estate equity strategy Nrep - an update pointing to the huge opportunity to act in a market moving towards recovery, with strategies built on strong fundamentals and proven capabilities.    From our real estate credit specialist, Velo Capital's COO Sanna Weiss we heard about the increased demand and opportunity to provide alternative credit solutions to fill a growing funding gap and accelerate decarbonization across existing buildings and those being developed.    And last but not least, a thought-provoking presentation on the solutions cities worldwide are seeking for their current challenges was given by Thure Krarup, our Head of Global Stakeholder Relations.   One of the highlights of the event was the panel discussion titled "What Does the Future of Capital Look Like?" We were fortunate to have members of Helsinki's Urban Environment Committee, Mia Haglund, Olli-Pekka Koljonen, Otto Meri and Sameli Sivonen sharing their perspectives and insights into the future direction of Helsinki.   Thank you to all the speakers, participants, and partners who made the annual Urban Impact seminar a resounding success. See you again next year!

How can public-private partnerships and thoughtful urban planning help revitalize segregated neighborhoods? Our real estate investor Nrep has been working with the Municipality of Copenhagen and local social housing companies to contribute to the prosperous development of the area Tingbjerg since 2017. In addition to creating new housing options, by building 1,000 new homes by 2027, we are collaborating with the local organization to support fostering a community and increase the feeling of safety and the attractiveness of the area. As of December 2022, the area is no longer on the Danish government's list of parallel societies. After decades of declining population, we continue to work for the area’s current and expected growth to come alongside creating a vibrant and inclusive neighborhood. The ongoing transformation of Tingbjerg truly showcases the impact of collaborative urban development – creating a vibrant, diverse, and thriving community! Curious to learn more about how we work with neighborhoods? Read more from our latest Impact Report: https://lnkd.in/dYwfcNtB Or about the work in Tingbjerg: https://lnkd.in/g6Nq7DDi

🏳️🌈 Last week, we proudly hosted a panel debate in connection to #𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 2024, engaging in meaningful discussions on how our industry can move the needle on #𝗟𝗚𝗕𝗧𝗤 inclusion. In our debate, centered around the empowering theme ’𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 #𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲,’ we explored the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. This year, 39% of industry professionals attending expressed concerns about the lack of diversity and inclusivity in our sector.   During this edition, we focused on solutions – how do we overcome these challenges, and what does the end goal look like at the end of the rainbow? 🌈   Thank you to the panelists for sharing your insights on driving progress towards a more inclusive environment;   Jack Rentaria from Urban Land Institute in Denmark, Louise Sjøntoft, from NCC Denmark, Gry Gronenberg from Urban Partners, and Ezra Leader from 3XN/GXN. And to our very own host and moderator, Frederik Nagel Fryland, who is leading Urban Partners’ ERG Unicorns.   Together, we can build a more inclusive future for everyone!

Did you know that residential buildings contribute approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions? That's a significant amount, but we believe that change is possible!     One of the biggest challenges faced by homeowners and decarbonization startups is the undersupply and fragmentation of the installer landscape. Up to 40% of phone calls to European HVAC technicians go unanswered, while half of heat pump installer time is spent on tasks unrelated to actual installation. This slows down the crucial process of home decarbonization, even for homeowners who are highly motivated.     Last year, our technology venture strategy 2150 invested in 1KOMMA5°, a company with an integrated digitalized product offering to accelerate the transition. 1KOMMA5° has the ambition to build and manage Europe’s largest install base of decentralized residential renewable energy assets.      Read about the 1KOMMA5° 3 step approach in our latest Impact report: https://lnkd.in/ehA2Cw62 and find out more about 2150's portfolio companies: https://lnkd.in/gmH2uy-K    So, curious to explore why the ‘urban stack’, as we call it, is the next frontier of tech and sustainability investing? This is how we see it: https://lnkd.in/ejbJaVAq

We are excited to share our involvement in last week's two-day intensive advanced financial modelling course for women in real estate private equity! Organised by WIRE Global Group and Bayfield Training in London, the course was aimed at building confidence, skills, and advancing female talents' investment careers💫 Two of our international Nrep team members, Susse Schaumann and Vanessa Lin, attended alongside other talented women representing 12 nationalities. A true flagship of diversity, without even trying! It was a privilege to sponsor and host a dinner with senior investment professionals and industry leaders from firms such as Hines, Oxford Properties Group, LaSalle Investment Management, Starwood Capital Group, and Morgan Stanley participating. The evening celebrated diverse perspectives and the remarkable talent within our industry🎉 A heartfelt thank you WIRE Global Group and Bayfield Training, as well as our colleagues Mariya Tsvetkova, Nick Melgaard and Amin Amirian for supporting this initiative. The positive feedback from both attendees and guests underscores the impact we can make together – within our organisation and beyond – through diversity🙌 We hope to make this an annual tradition and continue fostering growth within our community✨