The 46th edition of PWC and the Urban Land Institute's report on emerging trends in real estate depicts an industry that is slowly returning to some form of normality after the sharp jolts and shifts in usage brought on by the Covid pandemic. "Investors' focus is swinging to the more normal cyclical changes that occur over the course of business cycles," the report commented.

The comprehensive report covers virtually all segments of the industry, including many of the new technologies that are reshaping both the nature of what is being built and the business processes like PropTech that professionals can use to improve efficiency. It is based on interviews and survey responses from almost 2,000 industry experts.

"We are trying to think about what is coming next and what folks should have top of mind," said Andrew Alperstein, a partner in PwC's financial markets and real estate group. The report also draws attention to up-and-coming sectors like data centers as well as others that are gaining new prominence as demographics change.