"Amazon" and "technology" were perhaps the most mentioned words by Tom Walker, Schroders co-head of global real estate securities, in a recent conversation with Funds People, during his visit to Lisbon, at the Schroders Lisbon Annual Conference Client Conference 2017. But this would not be an interview about cities and real estate? Well, the two words mentioned above are more related to these themes than what may seem ...

"When we think of real estate in general, we have come to the conclusion that there are big changes happening in a lot of markets. These changes are driven by two specific forces: the organization of cities and technologies, "he began by referring. On the first, he gave Lisbon as an example, 'the site' to be, due to its recent popularity, 'which is similar to situations that have already happened with cities in other countries, as a result of a global and systematic tendency of a population concentration in urban centers". The top exponent of the second force is illustrated, according to the professional, by the way Amazon has changed the retail real estate market. "Whenever we buy something online we are not visiting a physical store. The need for Zara, Adidas or Nike to have a store in a certain city is decreasing because people buy online. This is affecting all kinds of cities, and Amazon is, in a way, "destroying" their value, "he says.

Read more (in portuguese): Amazon, technology and the organization of cities: how are real estate changing?