Cityscape Talks to Spotlight Qatar’s Real Estate Roadmap to 2030
The annual Cityscape Qatar exhibition will once again feature the ever popular Cityscape Talks, a content platform that focuses on the success of Qatar’s real estate sector. One of the key focuses of this year’s Talks will be real estate’s contribution to the Qatar National Vision Program. Visionary keynotes, insightful data-backed presentations, and impactful panel discussions will be at the centre of the three-day agenda as part of the 11th edition of Cityscape Qatar, taking place on October 24-26 at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
Cityscape Talks 2023 will begin with the opening keynote session – Qatar’s real estate roadmap towards 2030 asking “How far have we come and where are we headed?” Looking at real-estate’s contribution to Qatar’s economy to date and the impact of the FIFA World Cup 2022 legacy on Qatar’s real-estate landscape, the session will feature future outlook and trends. Sustainability and green buildings, digital transformation and affordable living options are at the forefront to align the National Vision Program 2030 with Qatar’s real estate strategy and the impact on foreign investment.
Key Cityscape Talks 2023 topic and session highlights include:
To ensure transparency, formulation, and implementation of new strategies that bring in investment into the country, the role of RERA will be instrumental in Qatar’s real-estate success. Regulation, policy, and framework – RERA’s transformational role within Qatar’s real-estate landscape, studies whether establishing transparency and clarity for an emerging real-estate market is the ‘magic formula’ to a stable and robust real estate landscape alongside regulation, governance, and services to enhance investor confidence, stimulate investment and monitor the obligations of developers to homeowners. This and further sessions will be moderated by Johnny Archer, Partner – Consultancy and Research, Cushman & Wakefield, Qatar with panellists Dani Kabbani, Managing Partner, Eversheds Sutherland and Nasser Hassan Al Ansari, Chairman, JUST Real Estate Company, Sayantan Pande, Director – Real estate and valuations, KPMG Qatar and Richard Rayner, Head of valuation, Cushman & Wakefield.
The real estate sector globally is one of the largest contributors to CO2 emissions. Qatar can tell a different story. Qatar’s commitment to sustainability will look at the rise in eco-friendly homes and buildings that have dotted the city’s landscape, and the developers who have incorporated sustainable construction techniques through the aid of digital technologies but asks “is the real estate community in sync?” With a contribution to the conservation of natural resources as they form a key element of the Qatar 2030 National Vision Program and the creation of policies and standards for construction that help reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable development, the key enablers could be solar efficiency and construction technology advances. Panellists include Dr. Alex Amato, Sustainability Research and Policy Advisor, Earthna (Qatar Foundation), Dr. Eiman Eliskandarani, Director, Global Sustainability and Assessment System, Gulf Organisation for Research and Development, Qatar, Michael Jarouch, Vice President, First Qatar Real Estate Development Company and Hussain Akbar Al-Baker, Executive Director Commercial, UDC.
Asking if real estate is a safe long-term investment in Qatar, Invest in Qatar looks at the Nation’s growth and demand for realty, driven by domestic purchasers and investors alike. Will Qatar continue to prosper throughout the next decade and what’s in store for the future? The session explores the set-up of RERA and its impact on residential and commercial real estate investment in Qatar and the connection between tourism and real estate. Panellists for the session are Adam Stewart, Partner – Head of Qatar, Knight Frank, Sheikh Nasser Abdulaziz Al-Thani, Head of Business Analysis and Development, Qetaifan Projects and senior nominated representative, Investment Promotion Agency, Qatar.
As prop tech is set to disrupt Qatar’s real estate industry, Technology, and its transformative role within Qatar’s real estate ecosystem – is a fireside chat that discusses the way that digital technology has the potential to transform the industry in Qatar. From enhancing the home buying experience to efficient ways of construction, Technology is set to disrupt Qatar’s real estate, but what does that mean for the ecosystem? Speakers include Hakan Ozdemir, CEO, Siemens Qatar, Abdullatif Ali Al-Yafei, Executive Director Public Services, United Development Company and Nizar Hneini, Technology & Digital Partner, Advisory KPMG Qatar.
Kicking off day two of Cityscape Talks, Nihal Mohamad Al Salah, Program Director, Earthna (Qatar Foundation) will look at Investing in urban planning, infrastructure, and mobility on Qatar’s real estate market and asks, “What will Qatar look like in the coming decade?” Understanding the baseline of social, environmental, and economic prosperity using proprietary technology and social data analytics and the wider roll out of identified measures.
Addressing the burning question of “How can banks, financial institutions, developers and investors work together?” Real estate financing and mortgage – with Ali Hamad Al-Marri, Director of Banking Supervision, Qatar Central Bank will explore how theavailability, and access to finance and mortgage can make or break an investment decision. Regulations and guidelines for investors when it comes to financing according to the new amendments as per Qatar Central Bank will be covered.
Concluding day two, the very first Cityscape WIRE (Women in Real Estate) panel is launched as a new feature for 2023. WIRE aims to fuel, inspire, and unite professional women to thrive within the real estate industry GCC wide, creating a regional community to connect, grow and thrive together. Asking How can women contribute to Qatar’s real estate success? confirmed panellists for WIRE include Billie Teshich, Managing Director, Omnivision Qatar and President, National Association for Women in Construction in Qatar, Dr. Athba Thamer Al-Thani, Chief Business Development Officer, QDVC, Sevi Gur, Chief Marketing Officer, Property Finder Qatar, Aya Nafi, Architect and Urban planner, Jacobs Qatar, and Fatma Khalfani, Development Director, Qetaifan Projects.
The third and final day of Cityscape Talks opens with the Role of architecture and design in Qatar’s real estate landscape – Has architecture and design helped Qatar define its national identity? from Moen Azmi, Executive Director, Arab Engineering Bureau.
Achieving Qatar’s sustainable development goals – architecture’s transformative role takes a look from the architects and designers’ perspective with Dr. Akel Ismail Kahera, Professor, Islamic Art, Architecture and Urbanism, College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Keeping in mind cultural heritage and traditional architecture for urban planning and environmental control and preservation, can we tackle emissions and pollution through sustainable architecture and design practices, and using BIM as a tool to drive sustainable design and efficient energy analysis.
Cityscape Talks 2023 concludes with the final fireside chat: The need for enforcement, incentives, and initiatives for sustainable development. As Qatar continues to build on the legacy of an architectural oasis in the Middle East, sustainability will continue to shape most projects going forward. Developers, consultants, and architects have been proactive in pushing the needle when it comes to sustainability across projects. Can we track, audit, enforce and incentivize sustainability within the real estate ecosystem?
“Cityscape Talks for 2023 gives exhibition attendees the opportunity to address the obvious changes Qatar has seen this year and to look forward to sustaining both the demand and future needs for the real estate industry in 2024 and beyond. Burning questions for the real estate industry regarding finance, sustainability, regulatory changes and implications, technology advancements and more will be answered by regional and international market-leading voices to shape industry engagement, of which Cityscape Talks is the crucial platform for this important industry engagement,” said Alexander Edwards, Exhibition Director, Cityscape Qatar.
