5 best Southeast Asian cities for LGBT property seekers

<img alt="A co-working space. Phichat Phruksarojanakun/Shutterstock" src="/documents/10204/0/shutterstock_1051332527-%281%29-compressor.jpg/a1f82c72-e90b-46b3-9c34-f11b7acb9aaf?t=1546499130165" style="width: 1400px; height: 640px;" />Sand in your toes, a light sea breeze ... It wasn’t too long ago that the cliché of a coworking space in Asia centred on dreadlocked digital nomads island-hopping through a professional gap year. And while small business owner-operators can still plug in from a beach shack in Canggu to confer with their factory in Guangdong whilst managing sales in Atlanta, research by Colliers reveals the share of freelancers and independent workers using flexible workspaces dropped by 15 percent over the three years ending in 2017. It’s not that fewer are living the laptop life; no, the flexible workspace market has exploded in Asia-Pacific over the past five years thanks to the enthusiasm of far bigger players on both the supply and demand sides. Big international operators are moving aggressively into the region, including WeWork, which opened its 200th location globally in Singapore in 2017 and is sending its coworking tentacles across Southeast Asia. Major property owners are getting into the act, partnering with flex-space companies and launching their own brands. Governments, noting the benefits of entrepreneurs to their economies, are adding their backing. And multinationals, employing what is referred to as a hub-and-spoke or core/flex approach, now consider flexible spaces an integral piece of their permanent operations, either locating entirely in such real estate or shipping younger, more mobile departments to such “off-sites”. Taken together, it’s little surprise that JLL Research found flexible space stock across Asia-Pacific charting a compound annual growth rate from 2014 to 2017 of 35.7 percent (compared with 25.7 percent in the United States and 21.6 percent in Europe), and the total stock managed by major operators growing by 150 percent. <div class="pull-quotes-container">Everyone is familiar with the dotcom-boom-era ping pong tables, in-house baristas, and—for the luckiest ducks—free beer. They’ve been joined by a sophisticated suite of options appealing to a more diverse, and increasingly corporate, clientele</div> Thailand alone has seen coworking spaces grow from four in 2012 to 132 in 2017—a figure expected to increase by 25 percent in 2018, according to Phattarachai Taweewong, senior manager at Colliers. By 2030, JLL predicts flexible space to comprise 30 percent of corporate commercial property portfolios across Asia-Pacific. Everyone is familiar with the dotcom-boom-era ping pong tables, in-house baristas, and—for the luckiest ducks—free beer. Such mancave perks haven’t gone the way of AOL IMs in this generation, but they’ve been joined by a sophisticated suite of options appealing to a more diverse, and increasingly corporate, clientele. More than letting networking happen organically, flexible work firms are purposefully creating programming and designing interiors to facilitate interaction. Hubba, Thailand’s homegrown first coworking space, has four distinct outlets in Bangkok each catering to different fields, from tech start-ups to artisans and craftsmen. Hubba offers a spectrum of useful seminars (Powerpoint pointers, customer-journey mapping), as well as personalized assistance with management, staffing, and even design. Spaces, another popular player in Bangkok, prides itself on style and flexibility, letting clients reserve anything from a locker to an enclosed area for a team. Their Chamchuri Square location won Best Co Working Space Development at the Property Guru Thailand Property Awards 2018—just a little piece of the global coworking operator founded in Amsterdam in October 2008. “And then Lehman Brothers collapsed,” the founders write on their website. “We thought this would be the end of it for us. But actually, we fit right in that spirit of age. Because of the crisis, everybody was re-thinking work.” <img alt="Artist’s impression of Spaces Chamchuri Square, winner of Best Co Working Space Development at the 13th PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards" src="/documents/10204/0/SPACES-CHAMCHURI-SQUARE-%281%29-compressor+%281%29.jpg/bd56bf05-7b44-4009-9903-5c9fdcf5eaab?t=1546499897860" /> The Executive Centre (TEC), a pioneering Hong Kong-based flexible space provider founded in 1994 by Paul Salnikow, who had been seeking short-term office space for a Japanese firm expanding to London, credits the GFC as a gamechanger. “Prior to the financial crisis, TEC interacted with multinationals only when they were opening an office in far-flung locations,” says Pebble Lee, global public relations manager. Today, in Hong Kong alone, 67 percent of their clients are multinationals, including Apple, Morgan Stanley, Facebook and Twitter. TEC now has 20,000 members in Grade A offices in CBDs across 30 markets, having added 23 locations in 2017, and is expecting 30 percent annual growth from 2018. Beyond such prestige fittings as height-adjustable standing desks by 9AM, Herman Miller chairs, and Timothy Oulton furnishing, TEC is about all about innovation, their Hong Kong headquarters a “test kitchen—a place to trial new design concepts, products, and technologies,” Lee says. However, potential barriers belie the stunning growth of coworking spaces in the region. “Corporate culture in Asia tends to be more hierarchical, and not always in sync with the casual, flexible atmosphere,” says JLL research. “According to one industry observer, ‘In many markets across Asia Pacific, space is a reflection of status.’ Large organizations place high value on retaining brand identity and culture. Such concerns, along with the need to protect trade secrets and secure IT infrastructure, must be addressed.” It’s why the most sophisticated players act not only as builders, gatekeepers, event-planners and consultants, but also full-time IT departments, and in the case of WeWork, corporate fit-out contractors and developer partners. <img alt="The common areas at a WeWork co-working space in Sanlitun, Beijing" src="/documents/10204/0/20180522_WeWork_Sanlitun_-_Common_Areas-7-compressor.jpg/602f832b-9c5c-47ea-afd9-2ca967c54ca6?t=1546500194327" /> And those developers are coming in hot. A handful of large landlords control the supply (in Singapore’s CBD, the 15 largest landlords control 75 percent of Grade A office buildings; in Hong Kong East, three landlords run 80 percent of office buildings), entering the flex-space market themselves. Swire in Hong Kong—which has created its own brand, Blueprint, and inked deals with WeWork and The Great Room—and Ascendas in Singapore, says JLL, have realized they “can add value to their buildings and maintain or even extend their relationships with tenants by offering a diverse portfolio of core and flex space.” Even hotels have followed suit, looking at their business centers as community lounges, particularly in cities not recognized as regional commercial capitals. In Yangon, Shangri-La Group has opened a branch of FlySpaces. The new Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, has a gorgeous new space called Co-nnect, with pods, private offices, meeting rooms with smart boards for both hotel guests and residents of the capital looking for a prestigious address to conduct business. <a href="http://property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/better-together-making-the-most-of-mixed-use-developmen-4" target="_blank">More: Making the most of mixed-use developments</a> While it’s easy to be cynical about the corporatisation of what was once considered a hippy-dippy industry, you might say global expansion has brought the coworking market full-circle. In a recent survey by TEC, members say they value their community as defined by connecting, networking, and collaboration. The firm will soon roll out a client portal, MyTEC, enabling members worldwide to connect directly, give advice, help grow their businesses, and maybe start new ones. The way they might have found common ground while chilling in hammocks in a wired-up beach shack. It may not be sand-between-the-toes, but it is pie-in-the-sky community-minded. And isn’t that the whole point? This article originally appeared in <a href="https://magzter.com/TH/PropertyGuru-International-(Thailand)-Co.,Ltd/Property-Report/Business/" target="_blank">Issue No. 151</a> of PropertyGuru Property Report Magazine

Common grounds: the year in co-working spaces

<img alt="The Golden Bridge is lifted by two giant hands in the tourist resort on Ba Na Hill in Danang, Vietnam. Quang nguyen vinh/Shutterstock" src="/documents/10204/0/shutterstock_1152454088-compressor.jpg/4f08053b-085b-4c75-8a7c-2949990f1434?t=1546414490784" style="width: 1400px; height: 640px;" />Secondary markets may not offer the same dynamic business environment as Asia’s major cities. But with Chinese money pouring into the region and sunny seaside resorts developing into worthy digital hubs they offer fertile ground for big returns. In Cambodia, secondary markets have grabbed international headlines in the past year. Sihanoukville, on the southern coast, has been the poster-child for Chinese investment. Also growing in appeal is Poipet, a lesser-known city bordering Thailand. Speak to any tourist or expat who has at some point crossed the border into Poipet, and they’ll rarely have anything good to say about the place. In the absence of any real industry, Poipet has long been synonymous with rip-off merchants, scammers, gamblers, and other unsavoury sorts—a place where visitors cannot wait to leave and where respectable businesses fear to tread. But things appear to be changing. Since economic zones were launched, and a railway line linking Bangkok to Poipet and Phnom Penh completed last July, the city’s property market has taken a surprising turn. “Many investors from the outside are eyeing Poipet as a great investment destination,” says Hor Kunthea, CEO of Sokha Residences Group. Poipet, with its 30 odd casinos and a growing manufacturing industry, is seeing an expanding Chinese and Korean expat community, mirroring the early rumblings of Sihanoukville’s growth spurt. Sixteen real estate projects were completed in 2017, putting more than 1,500 units onto the market. Adding to this, Poipet governor San Sean Ho has announced the government will build a golf course, an artificial river, a giant garden, and floating market. <div class="pull-quotes-container">In Sihanoukville, the market continues to ride its own investment boom. The sleepy town has undergone immense transformation from a faded backwater to a town jacked up on Chinese cash</div> In more established Sihanoukville, the market continues to ride its own investment boom. The sleepy town has undergone immense transformation from a faded backwater to a town jacked up on Chinese cash. Sotharoth Som, managing director of KHCN Investment and Development Co., Ltd, the developer of the 43-storey Seagate Suite project in Sihanoukville, reports rental prices across the board have gone up five to 10 times, with those closer to the city centre being most expensive. Som says foreign investors, mainly from China, are driving the boom, as they “seek the opportunity to obtain higher rental yields than what is offered in their home countries, along with capital appreciation and low barriers to entry.” <img alt="Sihanoukville’s Best Residential Development, according to the PropertyGuru Cambodia Property Awards 2018, is The Seagate Suite" src="/documents/10204/0/The-Seagate-Suite-by-KHCN-Investment-and-Development-Co-Ltd-won-Best-Residential-Development-%28Sihanoukville%29-at-the-Cambodia-Property-Awards-2018-for-web-151-compressor.jpg/140feb7c-54d2-4699-b8b8-c9545624ce84?t=1546416006849" /> “The Sihanoukville market has emerged as an alternative condominium hub to the Phnom Penh market,” adds Som, pointing out, however, that compared to Phnom Penh, it is still in its infancy. Elsewhere in Asia, secondary cities are similarly enjoying Chinese-powered boosts as ties with the country strengthen. In the Philippines, warmer relations with China have seen developers benefit from rising demand from Chinese employees and investors, while partnerships between Filipino and foreign developers are expected to increase. <img alt="Artist’s impression of The Courtyard at the Residences at The Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort by Appleone Mactan Inc. (AMI), which took home the prize for Best Luxury Condo Development (Cebu) at the Philippines Property Awards 2018" src="/documents/10204/0/The-Residences-at-the-Sheraton-Cebu-Mactan-Resort-by-AppleOne-Mactan-Inc.-%28AMI%29-won-Best-Luxury-Condo-Development-%28Cebu%29-at-the-Philippines-Property-Awards-2018-%282%29-compressor.jpg/369bf1c1-12b0-4670-96f9-b52428e516d8?t=1546415703153" /> “Leasing of condominiums in the secondary market remains strong, resulting in lower vacancy and arresting the decline in rents,” states a recent market update by Colliers International, a real estate services company. “Developers should look at housing opportunities in Cebu, Pampanga, and Laguna as offshore gaming firms have started to operate in these locations,” the company advises. Quite like Poipet, Davao City on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao is emerging an unlikely investment haven. The president’s former mayoral city once had a reputation for gun crime; today, property prices are rising. Units on Davao’s Dahican Beach, for example, now sell for PHP10,000 (USD185) to PHP12,000 per square metre compared with PHP1,000 and PHP1,500 per square metre in 2015.  “They know that locators from outside are scrambling for any available space here in the city, not only because the President is from here, but because movement of businesses into Davao City has been going on for several years now,” Adrian Tamayo, a Mindanao expert, told the Business Mirror. Meanwhile in Da Nang, Vietnam, holiday homes and tourism-related properties are in high demand. The city’s latest attraction, a 150-metre golden bridge cradled by two enormous stone hands jutting out of the rocky highlands, has become a social media sensation.  <a href="http://www.property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/rising-dragon-boom-times-continue-in-vietnam-real-esta-3" target="_blank">More: Boom times continue in Vietnam real estate</a> “The main supply [in Da Nang] is in the hospitality and tourism segment,” according to Peter Frieske, founder and managing director of Central Vietnam Realty. Tourism, he says, is rising sharply and analysts predict it will continue to do so.  Currently one of the top destinations for Chinese and South Korean visitors in Vietnam,  Da Nang received more than five million visitors in the first seven months of 2018—up 30 percent over the same period in 2017, according to the Da Nang tourism department. Of this figure, more than 1.8 million were foreign arrivals, which are up by 54 percent. “The majority of developers are building resorts, with property for sale or condotel villas that are in some way offered with management programmes focusing on returns on investment rather than lifestyle residential properties. When it comes to quality residential projects, the supply is very low,” points out Frieske, adding this is due to the lack of industry in such places. In Phuket where the market has languished in recent years—year-on-year sales dropped 36 percent in 2017—analysts are optimistic 2018 might yield better results. <img alt="The Botanica Luxury Villas won the highly competitive Best Villa Development (Phuket) category at the 2018 Propertyguru Thailand Property Awards" src="/documents/10204/0/Best-Villa-Development-%28Phuket%29-winner-for-2018-is-Botanica-Luxury-Villas-by-Botanica-Luxury-Phuket-Co.%2C-Ltd-for-web-151-compressor.jpg/0d1c6751-6bf3-4c63-8430-4b92cde23c40?t=1546415949403" /> Knight Frank’s Lalita Siriboon, associate director of research, says Phuket’s condominium market is expected to improve in line with Thailand’s economy and as the expat population on the island grows. “Demand across the market will continue to be driven upwards by international homebuyers, investors, and expatriates, especially those from Mainland China, Russia, and Australia. Besides, we expected to see a larger portion of buyers from South Korea,” she says, adding there are also government efforts to raise the profile of Phuket as a digital hub and “Smart City,” which is forecast to boost real estate in Phuket by 2020 when the project is to be completed. Unlike capital cities where business and industry will always give people a reason to live there, the jury is still out on Asia’s secondary markets. As it is, investors need to carefully decide whether these “capital contenders” really are a place to call home, or just precariously thriving off clever marketing. This article originally appeared in <a href="https://magzter.com/TH/PropertyGuru-International-(Thailand)-Co.,Ltd/Property-Report/Business/" target="_blank">Issue No. 151</a> of PropertyGuru Property Report Magazine

2018: the year in secondary property markets

<img alt="One of the top winners at the 2018 Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) is LBS Bina Group, whose LBS Skylake Residence won Best Mass Market Development (Condo) among other honours" src="/documents/10204/0/LBS-Skylake-Residence%2C-won-Best-Mass-Market-Development-%28Condo%29-for-web-compressor.jpg/ce043b3a-f941-4e8e-8c3f-88cb5bba93bb?t=1546244522761" style="width: 1000px; height: 667px;" />Spanning roughly a third of the earth’s landmass, the Asia-Pacific region is home to more than 60 percent of the world’s population—and its rapidly growing cities are beginning to feel the pinch.   The urgent need to create quality affordable housing on limited land has become a defining issue across the region, where soaring property prices and stagnating incomes have left many struggling for a place to call home.   But 2018 brought several breakthroughs on this critical front. Recent elections ushered in new administrations in Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Malaysia, all promising to cure their respective housing crises as a top priority.   Innovative design and urban planning firms have cropped up across Asia, breathing new life into mass housing developments and putting sustainability front and centre.   Singapore’s public housing scheme, created in the 1960s, still shines as the region’s gold standard. Today, more than 90 percent of the city-state’s 5.6 million residents are homeowners. While the Singapore model isn’t easily exportable, many of its neighbours are finding their own unique solutions.   Malaysia suffers no shortage of innovative developers; with more land and lower costs than neighbouring Singapore, the Southeast Asian nation seems to be enjoying a steady emergence from its years-long property malaise.   <a href="http://www.property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/better-together-making-the-most-of-mixed-use-developmen-4" target="_blank">More: Making the most of mixed-use developments</a> Political headwinds may have helped. In May, Malaysian voters decisively ousted the administration of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was deeply embroiled in the 1MDB embezzlement scandal. The new government of Mohammad Mahathir, who returned to power at the age of 93 on a promise of cleaning up corruption and shoring up investor confidence, swiftly began a wholesale undoing of Najib’s policies.  Home-grown firms were more than ready for change, and have seized the opportunity. LBS Bina Group, based in Kuala Lumpur, is among the most prolific when it comes to creating large scale, community-oriented housing, launching successful projects in the Klang Valley, Johor, and Kuala Selangor.   LBS Bina swept this year’s Property Guru Asia Property Awards, recognized as Malaysia’s Best Developer and making off with a cache of other honours for innovation in mass-market condominiums, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability.   Having already gained a strong foothold, the firm now seeks to lead the way by lowering construction costs through an industrialized building system of pre-cast concrete that reduces the need for labour. Ong Wei Ling, a spokesperson for LBS Bina, says the method results in “cleaner, neater, and safer construction sites” completed in a fraction of the time, “helping developers deliver value to investors or buyers awaiting their dream home.”  Other firms such as UEM Sunrise Berhad, one of Malaysia’s largest developers, and OCR Berhad Group have been among the most strident designers of affordable housing, the latter serving as project manager for the massive Yayasan Pahang development in Mukim Penor. Once completed, it is expected to create roughly 25,000 units. <img alt="Citiesto by Kien A Corporation won Best Affordable Condo Development (Ho Chi Minh City) at this year’s Propertyguru Vietnam Property Awards" src="/documents/10204/0/Citiesto-by-KIEN-A-Corporation-for-web-151-compressor.jpg/e31235f8-535d-4ba9-bff8-7a3d7b04126e?t=1546244571355" /> Smaller than the U.S. state of Rhode Island, with nearly seven times the population, Hong Kong is home to about 7.4 million people crammed into 2,754 square kilometres packed with high-rises divvied up into miniscule units. Year after year, this semi-autonomous region of China is named one of the most expensive cities in the world, a vital gateway between East and West that costs an average of USD28,000 per square meter.  “The Hong Kong problem is quite unique and is complicated by the fact that Hong Kong just doesn’t have enough land,” says David Ji, director and head of research and consultancy for greater China at Knight Frank. “They have to squeeze as much out of it as they can.” This conundrum has put Hong Kong’s policymakers in the uncomfortable position of having to either create new landmasses or convert older properties for new use.   <img alt="Topped by an exclusive rooftop garden, Star Polaris 23 by Borey Peng Huoth Group won Best Affordable Condo Development in Phnom Penh this year" src="/documents/10204/0/Star-Polaris-23-by-Borey-Peng-Huoth-Group-for-web-compressor.jpg/6ecefbf3-e21a-4c56-b225-1a0cc998322b?t=1546244589690" /> Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who assumed the territory’s highest office in 2017, has said solving the city’s housing crisis is among her top priorities. While plans to build affordable housing on roughly 1,700 hectares of artificial islands—a project called Lantau Tomorrow Vision—have come under criticism, she may have few viable alternatives to land reclamation. Property experts say Lam has made strides with long-term housing goals, but is bound to face opposition because she has yet to come up with short-term solutions to help the many Hong Kongers who need homes now.   “A comprehensive proposal has been tabled, which has never happened before, and as a long-term proposal this is a positive step,” says Ji. “But all these measures are planned far in the future, we’re looking at five to 10 years down the line, and buyers still find it difficult to get on the property ladder.” While prices have risen for 20 consecutive months, Ji says he expects some relief by year’s end.   <div class="pull-quotes-container">People are rethinking affordable housing—not as a burden that nobody wants to build, but trying to put affordable housing into private developers’ plans</div> Several governments in the Asia-Pacific have also moved to limit foreign ownership—due in part to concerns about Chinese expansionism—but experts say these policies are misguided. New Zealand’s recent ban on foreign residential sales prompted the International Monetary Fund to warn that the policy was discriminatory.   When Malaysian premier Mahathir suggested curbing foreign ownership of units in the USD100 billion Forest City project, the idea sent a chill through the investment community. “Permitting foreign investors to buy new housing obviously increases demand for housing,” says Brendan Coates, a fellow at Melbourne-based think tank the Grattan Institute, “but supply also increases if foreign investors enable developers to build more housing than otherwise.”   China’s own reform of land and financial policies are working to keep investors well within its borders. Outbound capital limits have led many Chinese to invest closer to home, while land use regulations have been altered to require a percentage of mixed-income housing on large scale property developments to meet growing demand.   “I think in the greater China region, people are rethinking affordable housing—not as a burden that nobody wants to build, but trying to put affordable housing into private developers’ plans,” says Ji, of Knight Frank. “The trend is changing from ‘whoever pays the highest price gets the land,’ to a more targeted, controlled use of property.”  This issue originally appeared in <a href="https://magzter.com/TH/PropertyGuru-International-(Thailand)-Co.,Ltd/Property-Report/Business/" target="_blank">Issue No. 151</a> of PropertyGuru Property Report Magazine

Affordable housing sets the agenda in Asia-Pacific

<img alt="The lake at Celadon City, winner of multiple PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards this year, including Best Mixed Use Landscape Architectural Design" src="/documents/10204/0/Sustainability-year-end-special-151-for-web-compressor.jpg/f63c772c-a71a-4a89-bcde-b2cab331756b?t=1545891457562" style="width: 1000px; height: 667px;" /> Ten years ago, sprawling conurbations like Saigon or Manila—notorious for their infrastructure and environmental challenges—weren’t obvious destinations for seeking out bastions of sustainability. Today, these cities are seeing the rise of world-class projects displaying green credentials, enticing middle-class apartment-seekers who are forming an increasingly sizeable tranche of society in Vietnam and the Philippines. By 2020, Vietnam’s average annual per capita income is predicted to almost double, from USD1,735 in 2016 to USD3,400. With its large population of citizens under 35 transitioning from a primarily rural economy to an urban one, Vietnam’s property market is proving a lucrative environment for developers, tenants, and both local and foreign buyers, with investors from China, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia pumping huge sums into the building sector. In Ho Chi Minh City, two companies are paving the way for sustainable real estate. Gamuda Land, the property development arm of Malaysia’s leading engineering and construction group, started building its 82-hectare Celadon City in 2010, making it the first nature-inspired enclave within this traffic-choked megalopolis.  Prioritising sustainable living from the outset, Gamuda introduced such innovations as a rain harvesting system that utilises energy-efficient water tanks to collect rainfall around the property and transfer water to irrigation areas. The integrated township in Tan Phu district, home to 7,300 apartments across four precincts that can accommodate 25,000 people, won the Best Mixed Use Landscape Architectural Design gong at the PropertyGuru Vietnam awards this year. <a href="http://property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/can-green-buildings-turn-the-tide-in-climate-acti-10" target="_blank">More: Can green buildings turn the tide in climate action?</a> “Celadon City has more than 16 hectares dedicated to lush parklands [that afford] residents the privilege of enjoying nature,” says communications executive Tran Nam Phuong, adding that the Cultural Village, Central Park, the Celadon Sports & Resort Club, and other gathering places within the property offer a sense of community. It’s a concept that’s proven influential, as demand for green living spaces are increasing.  A similar success story is Gamuda City, another landmark project in Southern Hanoi, which confronted the Yen So lake area’s chronic water pollution, garbage disposal, and sewage issues head on. Far beyond building a condo, the development effected the complete rehabilitation of a polluted suburban wasteland, leading to significant public health benefits. Making major inroads into HCMC’s sustainable building boom is CapitaLand Vietnam, whose luxurious, 102-room D1MENSION development in Cau Kho is the first boutique housing development in Saigon—one among CapitaLand’s 13 green estates in the city. Themed projects including De La Sol, D2eight, and d’Edge Thao Dien offer new condominium alternatives to young professionals. “CapitaLand remains committed to building a greener future for Vietnam,” says CEO Chen Lian Pang. “Lowering our environmental footprint creates value for our stakeholders. We incorporate environmental sustainability in all stages of a project, [from] design and construction to operations.” A key wealth creator in the country, the Singapore-headquartered company—which scooped 13 PropertyGuru Vietnam awards this year, including Best Developer, Best Condo, and Special Recognition for Sustainable Development—has built almost 5,000 apartments across six other cities, from Halong to Nha Trang. <img alt="Winner of Best Green Development at this year’s Propertyguru Asia Property Awards (Sri Lanka), Clearpoint Residencies Rajagiriya come with self-sustaining gardens instead of ordinary balconies" src="/documents/10204/0/Clearpoint-Residencies%2C-Rajagiriya%2C-Sri-Lanka-by-Maga-Engineering-%28Pvt%29-Ltd-%26-Milroy-Perera-Associates-%28Pvt%29-Ltd.-won-Best-Green-Development-%282%29-compressor.jpg/98d681e9-5b00-41ed-9632-44756bcba7ae?t=1545891791227" /> In Metro Manila—another densely populated Southeast Asian city with a burgeoning  middle- and affluent class—Taguig-based ArthaLand is a home-grown leader in marrying sustainable credentials with cutting-edge architecture. The property arm of the Century Pacific group has carved a niche in the Philippine market by exclusively focusing on properties that adhere to global and national standards in green buildings. Being the only development in the Philippines to have received the coveted gold certification in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, its flagship dual-towered Arya Residences in Bonifacio Global City is a milestone in the country for its design and eco-friendly features. Arya Residences’ construction naturally channels the breeze, its balconies and ledges lending natural shade into the units, adding meaningful outdoor space even as daylight reaches 75 percent into the indoors. Interiors are decorated using paints and resins with low volatile organic compound emissions, while built-in fixtures and appliances deploy advanced technology to reduce environmental impact and usage cost. Winning this year’s “Special Recognition in Sustainable Development” at the PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards, ArthaLand emphasises human advantages. Arya Residences encourages its residents to live a more environmentally conscious, cost-efficient, and healthy lifestyle. Their advertising tagline,  “Green is the new luxury”, is echoed by Raymond Rufino, chairman of the Philippine Green Building Council. “[Sustainability should be more than just achieving efficiency and cost-effectiveness for your property,” says Rufino. “The new frontier for green buildings is improving the health and wellbeing of the people who live, work and play [within your property]. This is a more powerful argument to support going green.” Angie de Villa-Lacson, ArthaLand president and CEO, stresses sustainable architecture has a ripple effect not just for residents, but the property sector at large. “Standardising green measures is a major step in encouraging developers to take sustainability seriously,” she says. “Greening should go beyond landscape and waste management. To fully reap the benefit of sustainability, developers should be able to measure the inputs and outputs of our buildings’ eco-friendly features.” <div class="pull-quotes-container">There has never been a better time for investors to go green. And with developers around Asia adopting sustainable practices,the real estate scene in the region has rarely looked more mindful</div> Further west, Sri Lanka is proving another sustainability powerhouse, largely due to Maga Engineering, the country’s largest construction company whose work covers healthcare, hospitality, transport, and water supply. As the builders of the world’s tallest vertical garden and the first LEED Platinum-rated clothing factory, Maga comes forearmed with impressive green credentials. Its Clearpoint Residencies in the Colombo suburb of Rajagiraya is its most forward-looking residential project to date. Clearpoint’s 171 apartments come with a self-sustaining garden instead of a balcony; its planted terraces and tree plantations absorb sound, boost oxygen levels, provide shade, and reduce heat. Other eco-boasts include cross-ventilated apartments, solar panels, and an automated drip-irrigation system that keeps terraces watered.  “Each apartment functions as its own microhabitat, creating a synergy between occupants and their environment,” says sustainability director Mega Kularatne, pointing out that while Clearpoint demonstrably occupies the high-end housing category, innovations inside and outside the building—including waste water recycling which reduces main water usage by 45 percent—actually serve to reduce homeowners’ maintenance costs. With the future of the planet a pressing concern, there has never been a better time for investors to go green. And with developers around Asia adopting more sustainable practices, the real estate scene in the region has rarely looked more mindful. This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.magzter.com/TH/PropertyGuru-International-(Thailand)-Co.,Ltd/Property-Report/Business/" target="_blank">Issue No. 151</a> of PropertyGuru Property Report Magazine

Innovative firms blaze trail for sustainable real estate in Asia

<img alt="M+S Pte Ltd took home a multitude of awards at the South east Asia Property Awards (Singapore) 2016, including Best Mixed-Use Development for the sprawling Marina One Project" src="/documents/10204/0/MIXED-USE-YEAR-END-SPECIAL-FOR-WEB-compressor.jpg/db78649c-3ab0-45c5-ba02-a715c4bc87a7?t=1545888548740" style="width: 1010px; height: 667px;" />From Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City, Southeast Asian developers are seeing the benefits of mingling business with pleasure. Self-contained communities that offer residences, retail, offices, and green spaces are emerging as the new development paradigm across a region where old ideas of city zoning are being eroded by vertical mixed-use mega-projects.   Singapore’s newly opened Marina One residential and office development has added a tropical, green heart to the CBD in the form of a 65,000-square-foot garden designed in collaboration between Ingenhoven Architects and landscape specialists ICN Design.   Jakarta’s District 8, a development of 11 towers across 4.8 hectares of the Sudirman Central Business District, has also reached completion. Developed by the Agung Sedayu Group, it brings residences and a public park right into the heart of South Jakarta’s financial zone.  In Bangkok, TCC Assets (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Frasers Property Holdings Thailand are jointly developing One Bangkok, a USD3.5 billion development that covers an area one third the size of the adjacent Lumphini Park and encompasses living and work space for 60,000 people, including residential buildings, office towers, retail zones, and publicly accessible parks and green spaces.   “Vertical communities often deal with the high density mandated for many Asian city centres,” says Ping Jiang, the design principal at EID architecture. His firm designed the 320-metre-tall OCT XI'AN International Centre (OXIC) in Xi’an, China, where parks, piazza-style common areas, and even terrace streets are positioned over multiple storeys of two skyscrapers.    <a href="http://property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/amid-urban-sprawl-and-overpopulation-indonesia-turns-to-model-mixed-use-complex-5" target="_blank">More: Amid urban sprawl, Indonesia turns to model mixed-use complexes</a> In contrast to sprawling development, Jiang points out, “vertical communities create synergy between different uses and foster dynamic neighbourhoods. By integrating business, leisure, retail, and residential spaces, the design of a vertical community is strategically organised to create a vibrant, permeable urban destination to live, work, and visit.”   Analysts at JLL real-estate services predict vertical living solutions will dominate the Asian market. “As cities become more developed, and densities become higher, it makes sense to build more mixed-use developments,” says Regina Lim, head of capital markets research, Southeast Asia.   “Mixed-use developments bring together complementary uses,” she continues. “Retail shops benefit from the natural catchment of offices or hotels or apartments while the residents and workers enjoy the convenience. As maintenance management schemes become more sophisticated, they allow effective property management of these integrated projects. Apartments with these amenities sell well.”  But not all trends in Asian mixed-use are vertical. Throughout the Philippines, developers continue to favour township-style projects, for which huge land footprints provide fertile ground to design integrated communities from the ground up.   Megaworld Corporation has long been at the forefront of building from scratch new towns whose components stretch from serviced condominiums and rows of townhouses to malls, leisure facilities, and shopping districts.   <img alt="A view of Le Quest, winner of Best Mixed Use Development at the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Singapore) 2018" src="/documents/10204/0/Le-Quest-compressor+2.jpg/8c40fe6e-596e-48e9-b638-7300655f2415?t=1545889041719" /> This year alone, Megaworld has announced new residential and commercial developments for its townships in Manila, Pampanga, Pasig City, and Bacolod City, while also rolling out a “smart township” initiative to future-proof its existing townships.   Starting with Davao Park District, the “iTownship” programme will see the 11-hectare development fitted with fibre optic infrastructure, bike lanes and rental systems, LED-powered lighting and signage, solar-powered street lamps, and vertical open spaces and gardens.  While townships have traditionally been confined to once rural areas, UAA Kinming Group’s New Manila Bay – City of Pearl is being developed on a huge tract of reclaimed land along Manila’s shoreline. Projected to open in 2024, City of Pearl broke ground in August 2017 and, when completed, will take up 407 hectares of reclaimed land and connect directly to Roxas Boulevard, a major thoroughfare.   For comparison, Thailand’s under-construction One Bangkok mixed-use project—itself a huge project for a capital city centre—covers just 18 hectares. “There are many townships in Asia, but those townships are in the middle of nowhere,” says Nicholas Ho, deputy managing director of Ho & Partners Architects, the Hong Kong-based lead designer of the project. “This township is extremely prime in terms of its location—it’s right smack in the middle of town, with 360-degree views.”  Ho reveals that retail, in the form of a three-kilometre riverfront shopping strip, is not “just a mall” but engages with the central park and the riverside, “so that it becomes a thematic integrated entertainment complex.”  Similarly in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu Thiem New Urban Area will cover a vast 657-hectare site across the Saigon River from the central District 1. Touted as the capital’s new financial zone, it will not only encompass office towers for some 217,000 employees, but also enough residential units for a population of 145,000.    It’s not only in urban areas, however, where ambitious mixed-use projects are breaking the mould. On the tree-lined shores of Phuket’s Kamala Beach, the USD67.5 million luxury MontAzure development comprises hotel-managed condos, a lifestyle mall, a 200-room InterContinental Hotel, and Cafe del Mar, which is already part of the development's unique beachfront attractions.   <div class="pull-quotes-container">We are spoiled by the compactness of urbanisation, a precursor of mixed-use design. Urbanisation has happened on a global scale and it’s all because we crave connectivity</div> “Developers are realising that if they build a core concept, it adds value to the project, rather than simply selling parcels of land,” says Martin Palleros, founder and director of Tierra Design and the architect behind The Residences at MontAzure. “It’s all about what you can offer the community, and not just in terms of the property components,” he adds.   Nicholas Ho believes that driving Asia’s demand for such integrated developments is an urge to feel connected. “In Asian society, people crave for connectivity a lot more than the rest of the world,” he explains. “We are spoiled by the compactness of urbanisation, a precursor of mixed-use design. Urbanisation has happened on a global scale and it’s all because we crave connectivity.”  Successful mixed-use schemes have the capacity to create diverse, vibrant neighbourhoods in which people can live, work, and socialize. They bring round-the-clock life to central business districts. They provide private land parcels with pedestrian-friendly solutions and interlink disparate downtown neighbourhoods.   Ho predicts this integrated, community-driven approach to development will gradually become the new normal. “The future of mixed-use is going to shift the existing paradigm,” he says. “We will gradually move from the two extremes of urbanisation, urban and suburban, towards one. The walls of living and work spaces are coming down.”  This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.magzter.com/TH/PropertyGuru-International-(Thailand)-Co.,Ltd/Property-Report/Business/" target="_blank">Issue No. 151</a> of PropertyGuru Property Report Magazine

Better together: making the most of mixed-use developments

5 best Southeast Asian cities for LGBT property seekers

Tolerance and acceptance toward gay rights grows in Southeast Asia. lazyllama/Shutterstock The power of pink money cannot be denied. With tolerance, diversity and acceptance winning important battles in the culture wars, targeting property marketing efforts toward people who identify as LGBTQIA+ is paramount.

Being sensitive to property buyers across the full spectrum of sexual orientation is even more exigent in Asia where 90 million LGBT consumers⁠ reside in China alone, making it the world’s third-largest pink economy after Europe and the US. LGBT Chinese commanded an annual purchasing power of USD938 billion last year, their household savings hovering at USD1.5 trillion. Despite such massive disposable incomes and wealth, LGBT property hunters are still ignored by marketers in popular investment destinations.

Southeast Asia is becoming more tolerant, if not welcoming, on this front. Increasingly inclusive attitudes, combined with a cavalcade of residential properties at low initial purchase prices, position several cities in the region as sanctuaries for LGBT property seekers: offering them an escape from less accepting locales.

We count down to some of the gay-friendliest property markets in Asia, as determined by leading Chinese property portal Juwai.com. These cities better slay:

5. Ho Chi Minh City

HCMC, Vietnam. saiko3p/Shutterstock

In 2015, the Law on Marriage and Family was implemented, effectively decriminalising same-sex weddings in Vietnam. Although it technically does not offer legal protections to the unions, the measure foreshadows a mellowing in Vietnamese attitudes toward the LGBT community, many of whom have found sanctuary in Ho Chi Minh City. Chinese LGBT buyers, for one, believe investment prospects in Ho Chi Minh City are good; yields reach up to six percent through eight percent, according to Juwai.com. Foreigners can acquire up to 30 percent of new condominium projects in Vietnam’s largest city.

Like pre-boom Shanghai, HCMC is undergoing a wave of infrastructure projects set to give land values a windfall. Yet premium home prices in HCMC are still about half the value of similar properties in the number one city on this list, Juwai.com reported. Competitively priced premium units begin at less than USD150,000.

4. Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh-based NGOs have pioneered LGBT-friendly initiatives. khlungcenter/Shutterstock

In 2004, King Norodom Sihanouk made public statements in support of laws extending marriage rights to same-sex couples. Cambodia, especially its capital, has since become one of the more progressive safe spaces for LGBT Asians. A nongovernmental organisation, Rainbow Community Kampuchea (RoCK), introduced the Declaration of Family Relationship (DoFR) initiative, allowing for civil contracts between people of the same sex to share family responsibilities, even own joint assets.

“When I read about that, I thought, 'Wow, this is so compelling,'” recounted Janet Minard, founder and president of Canadian firm Toronto Home Realty which is developing an 843,000-square-foot (78,317 square metres) site in Phnom Penh. "It's a young nation [that] basically is slowly adopting what the western society has had to fight so hard for.

“Here's a country doing things that are right rather than dealing with mistakes that perhaps the first-world nations have made to get to the point of acceptance and tolerance.”

Phnom Penh today is a far cry from the war-torn city that the Cambodian-born Minard left when she was all but 21 days old. The Khmer metropolis currently has 8,942 luxury apartments, expected to number around 22,828 units by the end of 2018, Juwai.com reported, citing industry sources.⁠

3. Manila

View of the skyline of Makati, Metro Manila. Jon Bilous/Shutterstock

While Catholic conservatism reigns in the Philippines, many denizens in the capital have overcome religious beliefs enough to accommodate the fast-changing milieu. Marriage equality is still not legal in the Philippines, but Manila made history in 1994 for hosting Asia’s first gay pride parade. More recently, firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte has made some of the strongest pronouncements by an incumbent leader in favour of same-sex marriage.

Prime homes in Manila have seen prices rising in each of the past three years, with rents growing by five percent to 10 percent per annum, Juwai.com reported. Starting prices are still low, at least by LGBT Chinese standards. A one-bedroom apartment listed on Juwai.com in Quezon City has an entry price of about USD62,000. Chinese buying inquiries about Manila properties on the site were up 122 percent quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of 2018.

2. Phuket

Phuket Sunday Walking Street Market. BREEZY STOCK/Shutterstock

For LGBT buyers seeking sand and surf more than skyscrapers, Phuket is one of the better locations in the world to purchase great holiday homes. Members of the LGBT community seeking to fulfill both lifestyle and investment goals are well-served in the city and island of the same name.

Dozens of LGBT-oriented venues dot Phuket, especially in the Patong resort area. Every April, tourists flock to the island for a weeklong Pride festival. LGBT buyers most commonly purchase new properties, with developers dangling rental guarantees; many home owners go on to rent out the units when they are out of Phuket. A fewer others come to live full time, enjoying boltholes far removed from the noise of the intolerant crowd.

1. Bangkok

Rainbow over Sao Ching Cha (Giant Swing) and Wat Suthat in Bangkok, Thailand. Natapat2521/Shutterstock

While Thailand currently does not recognise same-sex marriages, it is the de facto gay capital of Asia. Same-sex intercourse is not punishable by law in the kingdom, unlike certain Asian countries; Buddhist monks even officiate same-sex weddings. Many nightspots and hospitality businesses are unabashedly geared toward gay visitors.

It is little wonder then that many LGBT Chinese would love to call Bangkok home. According to Juwai.com, 45 percent of buyer inquiries from LGBT Chinese for Bangkok properties are for the purchasers’ own use.

For gay people escaping parochial attitudes in their home countries, Bangkok property is relatively within reach. At USD4,500 per square metre, the typical new luxury condominium in Bangkok sells for one-sixth the price of similar homes in Hong Kong, according to Juwai.com estimates. More affordable luxury condominiums start from USD130,000 — low for a major Asian metropolis. Keen on investing? Land values have climbed 1,000 percent over the past 30 years, while centrally located condominiums have doubled in the last five years.

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<a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-571063505553206002shutterstock_224352775.jpg/b9c49e25-f36c-4d87-a67f-88131693fcec?t=1490787775682"><img alt="Dotonbori, a popular nightlife and entertainment area in Osaka, Japan. Korkusung/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62069" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-571063505553206002shutterstock_224352775.jpg/b9c49e25-f36c-4d87-a67f-88131693fcec?t=1490787775682" style="width: 740px; height: 490px;" /></a> Asian cities lorded over the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living report, out last week. Names from the continent dominated both lists of the costliest and most affordable places to live in the world, per the report’s Cost of Living Index. Five of the world’s top six expensive cities are all in Asia, while cities in the Indian subcontinent make up half of the 10 least costly cities on earth. Some traditionally expensive alpha cities have become more affordable of late. Due to the post-Brexit depreciation of the sterling, London is now only the 24th most expensive city in the world, while Manchester registered the biggest fall, from number 26 previously to a distant 51, making it cheaper than Beijing and tying it with Bangkok. London is now a far greater lifestyle bargain than New York City, at ninth place, for the first time in 15 years, and Paris, at eighth place. To arrive at the results, EIU tracked 400 individual prices across 160 products and services, including clothing, food, transport, home rents, utilities, private schools, and recreation, in 133 cities around the world. <h2>Asia’s priciest cities</h2> <h3>5. Seoul</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-4815943005766849697shutterstock_476385406.jpg/52cde9dd-e47b-40a7-8d14-3f7ddb2d710e?t=1490787776193"><img alt="Streets of Gangnam in Seoul, Republic of Korea. FiledIMAGE/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62070" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-4815943005766849697shutterstock_476385406.jpg/52cde9dd-e47b-40a7-8d14-3f7ddb2d710e?t=1490787776193" style="width: 740px; height: 494px;" /></a> The South Korean megalopolis clobbered Geneva, Paris, New York, and Copenhagen, in that order, as the world’s sixth most expensive market. Merely topping up a grocery basket in the city is 50 percent more expensive than in New York, EIU reported. <h3>4. Osaka</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-6500379671071259341shutterstock_444355078.jpg/de56f3df-017c-45b6-88f4-442a6010ac88?t=1490787776741"><img alt="Light displays of Dontonbori in Namba, Osaka, Japan. SIHASAKPRACHUM/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62072" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-6500379671071259341shutterstock_444355078.jpg/de56f3df-017c-45b6-88f4-442a6010ac88?t=1490787776741" style="width: 740px; height: 494px;" /></a>Rising costs in the city, as well as the next item on this list, can be attributed to the recovering strength of the Japanese yen. Osaka ranks fifth most expensive city in the world. <h3>3. Tokyo</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-2219327904706159495shutterstock_562458496.jpg/3e6d63e1-5c56-4c72-b358-661fa2468aea?t=1490787777161"><img alt="People crossing Ginza Road, one of the main luxury shopping areas in Tokyo. Jirat Teparaksa/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62073" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-2219327904706159495shutterstock_562458496.jpg/3e6d63e1-5c56-4c72-b358-661fa2468aea?t=1490787777161" style="width: 740px; height: 494px;" /></a> With an index mark of 110, Japan’s largest metropolis is the fourth most expensive city to live in the world. Along with Seoul and Osaka, Tokyo is the priciest destination for purchasing staple goods. <h3>2. Hong Kong</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-7138046570061272090shutterstock_553318567.jpg/bdf39847-cac9-4a50-8c94-9bd082876c47?t=1490787777557"><img alt="Star ferries in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. thebigland/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62074" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-7138046570061272090shutterstock_553318567.jpg/bdf39847-cac9-4a50-8c94-9bd082876c47?t=1490787777557" style="width: 740px; height: 417px;" /></a>More expensive than Zurich, the Chinese SAR comes in as the second most expensive city worldwide. Hong Kong fuel costs USD1.73 per litre, the priciest in the world and three times the price in New York, the report’s benchmark city. <h3>1. Singapore</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/8727147710563152971shutterstock_542283271.jpg/d82bded8-a2b0-4f72-a64d-5256b3afa592?t=1490787777919"><img alt="View of the Singapore skyline from the Marina Bay Sands’ famous infinity pool. luis abrantes/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62075" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/8727147710563152971shutterstock_542283271.jpg/d82bded8-a2b0-4f72-a64d-5256b3afa592?t=1490787777919" style="width: 740px; height: 494px;" /></a> The most expensive city on the world for four consecutive years, Singapore has 5 percent pricier living costs than nearest rival Hong Kong. It is the most expensive destination in the world to own a car, number two worldwide for clothing. <a href="http://www.property-report.com/asias-6-biggest-construction-projects-of-2017/" target="_blank">More: Asia’s 6 biggest construction projects of 2017</a> <h2>Asia’s least expensive cities </h2> <h3>6. New Delhi</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/4935873278155542989shutterstock_386774566.jpg/a23ff5cf-a2fe-4ced-b926-3275142f9e98?t=1490787778275"><img alt="New Delhi’s Indian Gate is the national monument of India. Nuk2013/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62086" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/4935873278155542989shutterstock_386774566.jpg/a23ff5cf-a2fe-4ced-b926-3275142f9e98?t=1490787778275" style="width: 740px; height: 494px;" /></a> The Indian capital is the 10th cheapest city in the world. Only Kiev, Ukraine and Bucharest are more affordable. “India is tipped for rapid expansion as Chinese growth declines, but much of this is driven by its demographic profile, and in per-head terms wage and spending growth will come from a low base,” EIU stated in its report. <h3>5. Mumbai</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-8931554879208530830shutterstock_373779733.jpg/8d3a6586-9dbf-4acb-b72d-37e95d6d10fb?t=1490787778691"><img alt="Gothic building in downtown Mumbai. LMspencer/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62085" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-8931554879208530830shutterstock_373779733.jpg/8d3a6586-9dbf-4acb-b72d-37e95d6d10fb?t=1490787778691" style="width: 740px; height: 494px;" /></a> The seventh least expensive city in the world happens to be the largest in India. However, it is a designation of disputed benefit, as “cheaper cities tend to be less liveable,” EIU warned. <h3>4. Chennai</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/4681855853104996536shutterstock_570740308.jpg/2a953b7f-24c9-4617-9328-931b93d415ea?t=1490787779071"><img alt="Foggy landscape of the city of Chennai with famous autorickshaw. Nopkamon Tanayakorn/Shutterstock" class="size-full wp-image-62084" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/4681855853104996536shutterstock_570740308.jpg/2a953b7f-24c9-4617-9328-931b93d415ea?t=1490787779071" style="width: 740px; height: 492px;" /></a> In fact, "there is a considerable element of risk in some of the world’s cheapest cities." Be that as it may, the world’s sixth cheapest city is the Tamil Nadu state capital. <h3>3. Karachi</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-3473978186030536962shutterstock_476963419.jpg/09781dd7-4166-41c6-b5b8-be00409208e6?t=1490787779529"><img alt="Blue hour over Karachi, Pakistan. Israr/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62082" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-3473978186030536962shutterstock_476963419.jpg/09781dd7-4166-41c6-b5b8-be00409208e6?t=1490787779529" style="width: 740px; height: 494px;" /></a> Pakistan’s largest city is the fourth cheapest city to live in the world, cheaper than Algiers, Algeria. It is the 130th most expensive city in the world, down from number 127 last year. <h3>2. Bangalore</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/6460144629576828576shutterstock_568856893.jpg/0006443e-cf5d-4e0a-a9c4-84f5d271acdf?t=1490787779967"><img alt="International Tech Park, Bangalore. gary yim/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62080" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/6460144629576828576shutterstock_568856893.jpg/0006443e-cf5d-4e0a-a9c4-84f5d271acdf?t=1490787779967" style="width: 740px; height: 494px;" /></a> Only the recession-riddled Nigerian city of Lagos is more affordable than Bangalore, the third least expensive city in the world. "Although the Indian subcontinent remains structurally cheap, instability is becoming an increasingly prominent factor in lowering the relative cost of living of a location," EIU reported. <h3>1. Almaty</h3> <a href="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-8868461882002849709shutterstock_536461732.jpg/47e6d0e0-51f6-4956-9e08-cf0b253b08f3?t=1490787780460"><img alt="Almaty is the most populous city in Kazakhstan. Aureliy/Shutterstock" class="wp-image-62077 size-full" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-8868461882002849709shutterstock_536461732.jpg/47e6d0e0-51f6-4956-9e08-cf0b253b08f3?t=1490787780460" style="width: 740px; height: 469px;" /></a> Central Asia has the world’s pocket-friendliest destination: Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. In Almaty, a kilo loaf of bread costs only USD0.90 while a bottle of table wine costs USD5.15. <a href="http://www.property-report.com/asias-most-expensive-apartment-just-sold-in-hong-kong-again/" target="_blank">Read next: Asia’s most expensive apartment just sold in Hong Kong — again</a>

Both the most expensive, cheapest cities in the world are in Asia

<a href="http://www.property-report.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Attika-Amersfoort-Vathorst-fase2-17.jpg"><img alt="The emoji is a 'thing of now.' Image credit: Attika Architekten" class="size-large wp-image-62689" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/-3168035045080866350Attika-Amersfoort-Vathorst-fase2-17-1024x682.jpg/2dc25b0b-92e5-47fb-9226-e6f8657ab639?t=1499855310178" style="width: 740px; height: 493px;" /></a> In sprucing up the façade of a building, architect Changiz Tehrani chose to appropriate something more relevant and universally recognised than gargoyles: emojis. Twenty-two smiles were cast in concrete and embellished on a building in the city of Amersfoort in the Netherlands. “In classical architecture they used heads of the king or whatever, and they put that on the façade,” Tehrani, Tehrani, a member of the architectural firm Attika Architekten, explained to <a href="http://www.theverge.com/tldr/2017/4/24/15405402/emoji-emoticon-architecture-facade-netherlands" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Verge</a>. “So we were thinking, what can we use as an ornament so when you look at this building in 10 or 20 years you can say ‘hey this is from that year!’” <a href="http://www.property-report.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Attika-Amersfoort-Vathorst-fase2-15.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-62688" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/1449808010788682365Attika-Amersfoort-Vathorst-fase2-15-1024x673.jpg/897612e9-2594-4d15-bab3-b98efcd88c92?t=1499855310321" style="width: 740px; height: 486px;" /></a> <a href="http://www.property-report.com/this-vietnamese-family-lives-with-trees-inside-their-home/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">More: This Vietnamese family lives with trees inside their luxury home</a> The structure, a mixed-use building with retail outlets on the ground floor and residences above, directly faces a square with a nearby school. “There’s all these young people there, and emoji is a thing of now,” said Tehrani. “The students sit in the square and have lunch and they take pictures. They like it. And with our architecture we always like to put in small details that makes the project a little bit more than a boring building.” The emojis used for the project were downloaded from WhatsApp and converted into 3D versions, creating the moulds. The building was completed in 2015. The ephemeral allure of the decorations is intentional. “If you look at history, people always think ‘Oh this is timeless,’ or ‘This will stay forever,’ and they’re always wrong,” Tehrani said. “It’s like with Facebook. Facebook used to be cool and now it’s just for older people. So maybe we won’t use emoji in 10 years — that’s fine. It’s still from our time.” More pictures below: <a href="http://www.property-report.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Attika-Amersfoort-Vathorst-fase2-11.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-62687" height="493" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/5584070246702501274Attika-Amersfoort-Vathorst-fase2-11-1024x682.jpg/43df4a74-f996-429f-9a20-8f685214a132?t=1499855310439" width="740" /></a> <a href="http://www.property-report.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Attika-Amersfoort-Vathorst-fase2-16.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-62690" height="493" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/2403944005342607348Attika-Amersfoort-Vathorst-fase2-16-1024x682.jpg/3bc0a2b2-66f4-44f4-b088-306d57285f8d?t=1499855310565" width="740" /></a> <a href="http://www.property-report.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Attika-Amersfoort-Vathorst-fase2-19.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-62686" height="494" src="http://207.182.133.82/documents/10184/10911/4381414716654839376Attika-Amersfoort-Vathorst-fase2-19-1024x683.jpg/b8020461-222d-49e7-ab80-8d5846e44699?t=1499855310693" width="740" /></a> <a href="http://www.property-report.com/13-times-architects-let-their-imaginations-run-riot/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read next: 13 times architects let their imaginations run riot</a>

This architectural firm thinks emojis are the new gargoyles

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<img alt="The Whey Aye project. Image credit: Concept i" src="/documents/10204/0/the-whey-aye-lead-compressor.jpg/1f3d12bf-55d7-4813-9601-131f31ea9c2e?t=1553058664882" style="width: 1185px; height: 667px;" />The London Eye is set to have a new rival — thanks to a cadre of design talents in Thailand. Bangkok-based architecture studio Concept i, led by Geoff Morrison, the founder, and architect incharge of exterior design Francesc Domingo, will be master-planning and designing The Whey Aye, a giant observation wheel in Newcastle upon Tyne, in partnership with British developer World Wheel Company.   At 140 metres (460 feet) tall, The Whey Aye will be the tallest observation wheel in Europe, 16 feet (5 metres) higher than the famed Thames River landmark. The GBP100-million (USD132 million) development in Newcastle Quayside will cover 32,000 square metres, including a new retail, dining and entertainment destination called Giants on the Quayside. The observation wheel will tower above a family entertainment centre, offering such activity areas as trampolines, climbing walls, and a skywalk. A multi-purpose play and sports complex, with covered five-a-side pitches, tennis courts, and a state-of-the-art virtual golf club, will complement the entertainment centre. <a href="http://www.property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/7-of-asia-s-best-resort-residen-18" target="_blank">More: 7 of Asia's best resort residences</a> “Giants on the Quayside will truly set Newcastle apart as a first-class destination for leisure and entertainment, and help create one of Europe’s leading waterfront experiences,” said Phil Lynagh, chief executive officer of World Wheel Company’s Newcastle operation, in a statement.   The Whey Aye development is expected to generate some 550 jobs, with completion set for 18 to 24 months from start of construction. Established in 1996, Concept i has expanded over the years to open an office in Shanghai and work on more than 150 projects in at least 19 countries. More images of the project, courtesy of Concept i: <img alt="" src="/documents/10204/0/whey-aye-2.0-compressor.jpg/849f4d8a-b00f-42ea-8378-bf71836fbf65?t=1553058800953" /> <img alt="" src="/documents/10204/0/whey-aye-3-compressor.jpg/9c3b3f59-ea46-4f9d-add2-94c82c2c4370?t=1553058821754" /> <img alt="" src="/documents/10204/0/whey-aye-2-compressor.jpg/1c891b84-8432-4752-80ae-62fe224bbf34?t=1553058868715" /> <img alt="" src="/documents/10204/0/Whey-Aye-Wheel-Terminus-interior-compressor.jpg/e425b92c-5acf-49b8-9adf-c1d6ed121d05?t=1553058894241" />

Bangkok architects designing Europe’s tallest observation wheel

<img alt="Harvepino/Shutterstock" src="/documents/10204/0/shutterstock_1276587859-compressor+%281%29.jpg/129854b8-38ad-47e9-919e-9eb77a4ce1c6?t=1549422715584" style="width: 1000px; height: 667px;" />Malaysia is more than just Kuala Lumpur, Johor or Penang. With <a href="http://property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/call-for-nominations-to-2019-propertyguru-asia-property-awards-malaysia-launch-3" target="_blank">more visibility being given the impressive residential developments</a> outside the big cities, the markets of Kota Kinabalu and Ipoh, as well as the state of Melaka, are catching the attention of investors as the overall real estate sector continues to readjust and pick up the pace. Find out why these three emerging property markets are sure to make an impact on consumers and investors alike: <h4>1. Kota Kinabalu</h4> <img alt="Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Yusnizam Yusof/Shutterstock" src="/documents/10204/0/shutterstock_778782127-compressor.jpg/f1d5cbdc-c49f-4c01-a876-2a169bef5179?t=1549423132126" /> Along with the bustling areas of Greater Kuala Lumpur and Penang, Kota Kinabalu will see three- to four-fold gains over the next decade, according to Daniele Gambero, CEO of REI Group of Companies. A longtime member of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) judging panel, Gambero adds, “Capital gains, looked at as a long-term game, say five to seven years, is still showing a good potential to increase.” The capital of Malaysia’s Sabah state is currently enjoying continued growth in the tourism and hospitality sector. As of September 2018, Sabah recorded 2.87 million in visitor arrivals, up 5.1 percent year-on-year, with a total of 203 international direct flights into Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) weekly. Sabah is expected to rack up MYR8 billion (USD1.9 billion) in total tourism receipts for 2018, according to figures from the state tourism ministry. Following a review of projects gazetted by the previous administration, the Pakatan Harapan government has reportedly committed to the long-awaited Pan Borneo Highway project, widely seen as a catalyst for connectivity to and from Kota Kinabalu. A rent-to-own (RTO) programme could also be in the offing for the affordable housing segment, giving low-income tenants the option to buy before the lease expiry at a predetermined price. <a href="http://property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/5-reasons-why-investors-still-bet-on-malaysian-proper-3" target="_blank">More: 5 reasons why investors still bet on Malaysian property</a> <h4>2. Ipoh</h4> <img alt="Ipoh, Perak. Awan Media/Shutterstock" src="/documents/10204/0/shutterstock_1055928206-compressor.jpg/f34cb3fb-c8b9-4455-a0fa-9965fa81f621?t=1549423206000" /> The “town that tin built” in the state of Perak continues to be a preferred destination for international-standard retirement villages. With a backdrop of limestone karst mountains, Ipoh is well positioned to be a catchment area for senior housing. This bodes well for developers in Ipoh, since one in 10 Malaysians will age 60 years or older in the next three years, growing to one in five by 2040. Energised by the provisions of Budget 2019, the government has set aside MYR71.7 million for the construction of low and medium-cost and affordable housing in Perak. State agencies have been tasked to allocate 50,000 residential units for the B40, the lowest-earning income group in Malaysia, in five years. The state government also signed this month an agreement with private developers to build affordable homes in the state, with an eye toward building some 2,000 homes in three years for the B40. In tandem with the Planning Department (PLANMalaysia), the city council is mulling a plan to turn Ipoh into a sustainable and liveable metropolis by 2035. The plan, to be formulated next year, will replace the Ipoh Local Plan 2020. <a href="http://property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/mahathir-mohamad-s-crucial-role-in-achieving-affordable-housing-for-malaysia-7" target="_blank">More: Mahathir Mohamad’s crucial role in affordable housing for Malaysians</a> <h4>3. Melaka</h4> <img alt="River cruise in Melaka. shun2u/Shutterstock" src="/documents/10204/0/shutterstock_1167941077-compressor.jpg/dfd4b875-a3f7-4585-bd37-44786739aa95?t=1549423277000" /> Melaka is proving to be one to watch, according to Tang Chee Meng, chief operating officer at Henry Butcher Real Estate Sdn Bhd, who spoke with Property Report in 2018. “The more active residential markets continue to be Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang and Johor whilst Melaka is beginning to attract foreign interest with the entry of Chinese investments in the state’s infrastructure and development scene,” he said. One of the most transformative projects for the state, the 246.4-hectare Melaka Gateway, will entail the formation of three artificial islands in the Straits of Malacca. The project, with a reported price tag of MYR43 billion, is slated for completion by 2025. Melaka will also be home to the MYR12.5 billion Kuala Linggi International Port, around which a 600-acre tract “tourism city” has been envisioned. A 500,000-square-foot water park will be completed later this year, with around 850,000 to 1 million in visitors expected annually after the first year of operations. As it is, Melaka is already a tourist draw with a wealth of heritage sites like the Stadhuys, A’Famosa Fort, Christ Church, Jonker Street and Portuguese Square. Do you know of remarkable residential developments in Kota Kinabalu, Ipoh, and Melaka? Be sure developers and properties from these places are well represented at the 2019 PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) by nominating them by 22 February here: <a href="http://www.asiapropertyawards.com/nomination/malaysia/">http://www.asiapropertyawards.com/nomination/malaysia/</a>

Get to know 3 of Malaysia’s residential hotspots to watch

<img alt="Ngong Ping 360 cable car on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. dbppstock88/Shutterstock" src="/documents/10204/0/shutterstock_444201307-compressor.jpg/1975cf29-643a-4b18-846d-ac75d0c0119b?t=1552302562553" style="width: 1000px; height: 667px;" />Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shanghai and Dubai are set for prime residential price declines this year as purchasers and investors respond to a more uncertain global economy, tighter market regulations, and rising debt burden, predicted Knight Frank analysts. Luxury residential prices in Hong Kong will see a slide of 10 percent this year as concerns mount on higher borrowing costs and a new vacancy tax, according to Knight Frank's prime residential forecast, part of their latest annual Wealth Report.   Luxe Shanghai home prices will likely decline three percent. In Dubai, a slide of two percent in luxury prices is expected, while Mumbai will see falls of five percent.   Singapore and New York will see prices remain static. <a href="http://property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/where-ultra-rich-asians-will-invest-in-property-in-20-3" target="_blank">More: Where ultra-rich Asians will invest in property in 2019</a> “Tax and regulation will continue to drive market performance in 2019. Those markets that have led innovation in these areas, especially Hong Kong and Singapore, will see lower growth as buyers adjust to new taxes and restrictions,” said Liam Bailey, global head of research for Knight Frank. Madrid, Paris and Berlin top the consultancy’s 2019 forecasts. Each market is pegged for prime home price rises of 6 percent, thanks to healthy tenant demand, relative good value and an attractive lifestyle offer. “These markets have become increasingly popular investment hubs for European and global investors, with a growing presence from Chinese residential buyers,” said Bailey. Elsewhere in Asia-Pacific, Sydney is slated for prime home price growth of two percent. Melbourne and Auckland are also set for a rise of one percent each.

Luxe Asian housing markets set for price falls in 2019

<img alt="elwynn/Shutterstock" src="/documents/10204/0/shutterstock_211339132-compressor.jpg/7c2e0e97-33ed-40d2-b8a6-cf4336cb495f?t=1526876929000" style="width: 1000px; height: 667px;" />Around 23 percent of ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWI) around the world plan on investing in property in their home countries this year, while 27 percent mull investing abroad, data from Knight Frank’s Attitudes Survey revealed.   Some 33 percent of UHNWIs in Asia alone plan to invest in property in their countries of residence for the period 2019-20, according to the survey, part of the consultancy’s newest Wealth Report. Around 27 percent of ultra-wealthy individuals in the continent also plan to invest outside their countries of residence.  Respondents to the Attitudes Survey covered 600 private bankers and wealth advisers who between them manage over USD3 trillion of wealth for UHNWI clients.   The sanguine prospects for property investment this year squares with data showing that a majority of UHNWIs expect their wealth to increase in 2019. However, only two-thirds of wealth advisers in Asia expect their clients’ wealth to increase this year, versus four-fifths of wealth advisers in the US.  <a href="http://property-report.com/detail/-/blogs/the-mediterranean-is-still-the-dream-second-home-for-wealthy-asia-7" target="_blank">More: The Mediterranean is still the dream second-home destination for wealthy Asians</a> Both Asian and American respondents showed some apprehensions over political headwinds and other challenges to wealth accumulation though. Some 65 percent of Asian respondents and 59 percent of those in the US told Knight Frank that local conditions would make it more difficult to create and retain wealth in the future.  A staggering 74 percent of UHNWIs in the Middle East own second homes outside their countries of residence, followed by Latin America with 65 percent and Europe with 49 percent. An unbeatable 46 percent of Middle Eastern UHNWIs also plan on investing in property outside their country of residence in 2019-20.   Education has been a significant driver for purchases of first and second homes globally, in addition to security and luxury indicators like the number of five-star hotels and the quantity and quality of leading restaurants.

Where ultra-rich Asians will invest in property in 2019

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