While leasing incentives have been the short-term solution for landlords to get businesses back into office towers, smart and green buildings might provide the encouragement needed for companies to sign up to new office space post-pandemic.

Speaking at Cushman and Wakefield’s Future of Cities seminar in Melbourne last week, the agency's head of business development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Andrew Phipps, delivered a keynote presentation on the lasting effects of the pandemic on CBDs and the way cities are likely to change through to 2040.

Phipps, who previously headed up research for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at CBRE, is also a futurist—specialising in the current and future needs of the global commercial property industry.