The rise in various forms of Impact Investing parallels a rapidly growing focus on managing urban growth to build stronger, more resilient communities and on fighting urban decay. Both are global issues, where the tools needed to create comprehensive, well-managed change are similar whether one is in a developing or a developed country, whether one is aiming to be a Smart City, or a connected one.
It is important to understand that opportunities exist to make a range of sound investments in growing communities who chose to be smart, sustainable and scalable, and manage their environmental footprint while reducing carbon emissions. Equally, opportunities abound for investors who wish to participate in creating a more resilient future for communities seeking to revitalize decayed and blighted neighborhoods, or in planning for a more resilient future for communities at the mercy of environmental extremes. Such investments make sense from a socio-cultural perspective, and from the environmental side. Depending how a master plan of change is developed, individual projects which form part of the whole, can be designed for a range of types of investors, including those keen to measure impact beyond pure financial return.
