Property and Land in a changing world

Meeting Property and Land challenges through climate risk management and adaptation, changing values, business models and legal frameworks in rapidly evolving environmental, commercial and digital contexts.

This theme encompasses the delivery of construction and infrastructure assets and property management, including the use of smart contracts. 

The aim is to establish and promote best practice and provide thought leadership. Research in this theme is undertaken in collaboration with industry and academic partners within the UK and internationally. This means better technology, improved operations, sound policy and resolving practical issues for the whole society.

Research streams

Socio-legal:

  • Formal and customary property rights over land, water and buildings
  • Procurement innovation and smart contracts
  • Construction and infrastructure law
  • Ethics and professionalism across surveying professionals and researchers

Economic:

  • Property management, resilience and adaptation
  • Transparency and innovation in valuation 
  • Generating and leveraging on social value
  • Heritage management
  • Disaster prevention and management (earthquakes, floods, draught)
  • Property investment, finance and affordability
  • Property users - Occupational health, safety and well-being
  • Organisational change for sustainable futures
  • Harnessing PropTech and tech innovations on the built environment sector

Further information about our research streams

Construction and infrastructure law

The construction and property sector and the provision of infrastructure remain an integral part of the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In developed economies new infrastructure has to be delivered to replace or improve the aging stock. In the developing/emerging economies there is demand for new infrastructure to address the deficits.

The process of procurement of infrastructure from inception to occupation is fraught with numerous challenges and unenviable outcomes including:

  • resource constraints
  • dysfunctional teams
  • inefficient processes and tools/technologies
  • waste
  • adverse environmental impacts
  • legal bottlenecks
  • unethical practices; and
  • dire occupational safety and health consequences.

Alternative investment valuation

Commercial real estate as an element of the UK economy has a market value of £1.6 billion. This sector drives everything from commerce, to employee wellbeing, to sustainability. The practical application to research in this area can have dramatic consequences in everyday life.

Alternative property investments also play a major role and is finding its way into areas as diverse as long term residential accommodation and fishing quota. Monitoring the development of these sectors is vitally important to understand their broader impacts on investment and society.

Contact

For further information about this theme, please contact Dr Grazyna Wiejak-Roy (grazyna.wiejak-roy@uwe.ac.uk) and Dr Jim Mason (jim.mason@uwe.ac.uk).

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