The Financialization of Business Property and What It Means for Cities and Regions

Abstract

Halbert L., Henneberry J. and Mouzakis F. The financialization of business property and what it means for cities and regions, Regional Studies. The papers in the special issue examine the strategies and practices of investors and their relations with other actors involved in the production of business property. Although the globalization of these activities has occurred largely in the last 10–20 years, it has prompted marked changes in the geography of commercial property investment. International capital has flowed to a limited number of favoured locations, but because of the spatial fixity of real property, local actors and institutions remain an important influence on investment decisions. This poses challenges for urban development and regeneration policies that depend on private investment capital.