NYU Shanghai Launches New Real Estate Institute and Hosts Inaugural Conference

The 2024 NYU Annual Conference on Global Real Estate and Capital Markets at NYU Shanghai on June 5 brought together nearly 200 attendees at the university’s New Bund campus, including over 30 academic and real estate industry executives as guest speakers. The conference, hosted by the newly founded NYU Institute for Cities and Real Estate in Emerging Markets at NYU Shanghai (ICREEM) and the Schack Institute of Real Estate at NYU School of Professional Studies, convened industry leaders for vigorous debate on global real estate equity investment, real estate finance, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and China’s real estate markets.

_{NYU Shanghai Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman}

NYU Shanghai Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman and Dean of NYU School of Professional Studies Angie Kamath (joined online) opened the event by welcoming the speakers and participants. Lehman observed that the real estate industry has been a core pillar of China’s national economic development during the 16 years he’s lived here. “Today is a moment of uncertainty for the industry,” he said.“The objective of a conference such as this is to help us look beyond the current moment to consider the various possible paths the industry might follow in the years ahead.” Kamath expressed her hopes for the future of the industry. “I have every hope and expectation that this year's event in Shanghai is the start of decades of fruitful and important conversations on the future of the real estate industry in Asia,” she said.

_{(Left) Executive Director of ICREEM Guohua Jean Zhang and (Right) Associate Dean of NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate Marc Norman} 

Executive Director of ICREEM Guohua Jean Zhang and Associate Dean of NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate Marc Norman hosted the unveiling ceremony for the NYU Institute for Cities and Real Estate in Emerging Markets at NYU Shanghai (ICREEM) at the event. Zhang welcomed the participants and gave a brief intro of the institute. “ICREEM will work closely with academic and industry institutions to host more events on cities and real estate, building a platform for academic and industry leaders to exchange insights, and also for professionals and students to combine their learning with real world practice,” he said. 

Norman spoke of the importance of convening industry leaders to share insights through the institute and at events like the conference “and all the collaborations yet to come.” “There's no better way to do this than to take what we teach in the classroom and marry it to the real world issues of convening [events] such as this.”

_{(From the Left) Academic Director of NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate Dustin Jones, Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education Eric Mao, NYU Shanghai Chancellor Chancellor Emeritus Yu Lizhong, NYU Shanghai Chancellor Tong Shijun, Chairman & CEO of Yufeng Capital Feng Lun, NYU Shanghai Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman,  Dean of NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate Marc Norman, Executive Director of ICREEM Guohua Jean Zhang, and NYU Shanghai Director of Development Rime Sun}

As an educational and research center on cities and real estate in emerging markets, ICREEM was established in cooperation with the NYU School of Professional Studies, Schack Institute of Real Estate, and Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. The institute seeks to provide cutting-edge real estate education with degree and professional training programs for Chinese and international students, as well as industry professionals. Meanwhile, the institute emphasizes innovative multidisciplinary academic research on cities and real estate that, in return, contributes to the educational programs.

At the conference, eight real estate academic and industry leaders from China and abroad delivered keynote speeches on topics including the challenges and opportunities in the real estate market, real estate finance, and real estate investment trusts (REITs). In the morning sessions, Scott Robinson and Manish Srivastava, professors from the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate, shared their insights on lessons learned from the US REITs market and global real estate capital market trends.

_{Founder of Beijing Vantone Real Estate, Chairman & CEO of Yufeng Capital, and Member of the NYU Board of Trustees Feng Lun}

The afternoon session focused on the Chinese real estate industry. Keynote speakers included Alfreda Zeng, COO of Ping An Real Estate; Cai Rong, General Manager of Shanghai Lujiazui Development (Group) Company Limited; Ding Liye, Chairman of SCP Group; Zhang Yue, Chairman & President of BROAD Group; and Lin Feng, Honorary CEO of CIFI Group. They addressed topics including asset allocation and management of China's real estate from the perspective of insurance capital, the practice of high-quality development of the core urban area of an international metropolis, how commercial real estate navigates through economic cycles, disruptive innovation and real estate market development, and challenges and solutions faced by private real estate developers. Feng Lun, Founder of Beijing Vantone Real Estate, Chairman & CEO of Yufeng Capital, and Member of the NYU Board of Trustees, delivered a keynote speech on Post-Development Era and Transformation of Real Estate Markets in China.

The conference featured four roundtable discussions with over 20 guests sharing their industry insights on the development of Asia and China REITs, global trends in real estate capital markets and China’s real estate investment and financing strategies, China real estate capital markets, and the development of China’s real estate market from a global perspective.

_{NYU Shanghai Chancellor Tong Shijun}

NYU Shanghai Chancellor Tong Shijun closed out the conference, wishing the Institute continued success and expressing gratitude to all the speakers and participants on behalf of the University and the organizing committee. “The cutting-edge academic research, corporate management experiences, and industry insights shared by everyone were truly remarkable,” he said. “This conference has provided a platform for face-to-face dialogue and exchange between domestic and international, academic and industry representatives, as well as an excellent educational opportunity for our students.”