Has MIPIM evolved?

MIPIM 2023 has come to an end. What’s new, what’s more of the same and what does it all mean for the future of the built environment?

As always, the MIPIM experience has been epic. I’ve walked 20,000 steps a day, eaten at least 28 mini croissants and collected a stack of material that I’m never going to read (let’s be honest). I’ve talked so much I’ve lost my voice. I am, frankly, exhausted. But happy. I’ve reconnected with so many people that I hadn’t seen in years, learned new things, discovered different perspectives, and – frankly – rediscovered my love for all things built environment. 

A new MIPIM where people are front and centre 

The conference programme was markedly different from previous years – it seems that 2022’s adjustment has become a leap.  

Every discussion, whether in a regional programme or on the main stage, was far more people-focussed than MIPIM has ever been. From ESG governance (more interesting than it sounds) and net zero tech solutions to design trends and culture, the whole debate is about inclusivity, health and wellbeing. Property is not about buildings; it’s about the places we shape and the people who live in them. 

A focus on climate 

Climate change was front and centre, too. The people responsible for shaping and caring for our built environment have accepted that we have to face up to the climate change challenge – not least because we’re responsible for much of the damage. From innovations like Concretene that are reducing the embodied carbon of construction, to designing energy-efficient cooling and heating solutions, we’re changing the way we design. Resilience is top of the agenda. 

A focus on infrastructure 

I’ve listened to people talk about water, power, transport and social infrastructure in new ways. No shopping mall or residential development can exist without good infrastructure: it’s key to successful, connected places, and it needs proper collaboration between the public and private sectors to be well designed, built and maintained.  

Obviously, this kind of discussion is nothing new, but by its nature, it must drive ever onwards if we’re to create places that better serve people. 

A more vibrant clientele 

The public sector was out in brilliant force this week, with politicians and civil servants waving the flag for their cities. Businesses had approached their MIPIM investment with caution, sending fewer people with a more focused agenda. And everywhere I turned there was someone attending for the first time. There were more women and young people than I’ve ever seen at MIPIM, which bodes well for the future. 

And outside the Palais des Festivals… the conversation was as sparkling as the San Pellegrino.  

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This year really felt like a step change in the topics that are being discussed at MIPIM. With more of a focus on people and how the work we do will affect them and the environment, MIPIM can help propel our industry towards a better, healthier future.