Singapore, 24 February 2025 – Is it possible to talk about Made in Italy in the real estate and urban planning sector? Does an Italian urban planning model exist in conceiving large-scale and sustainable projects? The topic was addressed during the INSPIRING CITIES event, a seminar on the perspectives and opportunities of the real estate sector that took place today at the Italian Embassy in Singapore, in collaboration with COIMA. The initiative was held in front of an audience of leading investors, representatives of banking institutions, insurance groups, private funds and experts from Italy and the wider APAC area, who came to the City-State also in conjunction with the PERE Asia Summit, the annual global real estate investment conference.
The event, organized to explore issues, trends and foster networking opportunities, was opened by the Ambassador of Italy to Singapore Dante Brandi, followed by a speech by the Ambassador of Italy to Malaysia Massimo Rustico. The floor was then given to Alberto Agazzi – Head of International Markets at Generali Real Estate; Manfredi Catella – Founder and CEO of COIMA; Justin Gabbani – CEO of Lendlease Investment Management; Jonathan Yap – CEO of CapitaLand Development, one of the major players in Singapore's real estate developments; Ahmad Fadzli Zainudin, Strategic Director of the Malaysian group JLand Group, active in the province of Johor bordering Singapore and interested in the future development of the special economic zone between the two countries.
The workshop took its cue from "Inspiring Cities", a volume edited by architectural historian Fulvio Irace on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of COIMA, one of the leading Italian real estate asset management companies specializing in urban regeneration. During the event, CEO Manfredi Catella addressed the theme of cities as crucial infrastructures of the planet, exploring the demographic, environmental, social and technological trends that will mark and characterize the cities of the future, and the investment opportunities that these changes are creating today. A virtuous example and bridge with innovative Asian projects is the Milan Porta Nuova district, the first in the world to receive LEED and WELL for Community certification, which recognizes the social, environmental and economic sustainability of a real estate project.
Lendlease CEO Investment Management, Justin Gabbani, addressed the critical intersection of sustainable urban development, urbanization, and aging populations. He highlighted the opportunities these challenges presented for creating inclusive and resilient environments, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to sustainability that encompassed environmental, social, and economic considerations. Gabbani shared Lendlease's expertise in creating thriving communities through an ecosystem-based approach to urban regeneration, stressing the importance of understanding urban ecosystem interactions, valuing biological and cultural diversity, and fostering public-private partnerships. He showcased how such collaborations could drive innovation, streamline development processes, and leverage public and private anchors to achieve successful and sustainable outcomes in large-scale urban projects.
The future IBTECH technopole, presented by JCORP and which will rise in the Malaysian federal state of Johor, is also inspired by the public-private partnership. It represents the most innovative segment of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) launched by the signing of the related MoU between the two Prime Ministers of Malaysia and Singapore last January, and which will extend over an area equal to four times that of Singapore and almost twice that of Shenzhen.
Generali Real Estate is one of the most important asset managers in the world in the real estate sector, with a consolidated presence in Europe, and expanding in non-European markets through the Generali Real Estate International structure. The real estate manager offered an overview of private and public investments with a particular European perspective and illustrated the de-carbonization objectives of its investment portfolio.
The Singapore group CapitaLand presented the experience derived from its significant local presence and a portfolio of approximately 30 data centres, built between Asia and Europe, guaranteeing placement for cloud services to large companies and high-tech giants.
