Emerging Trends in Real Estate® 2026 Recap

A Sold-Out Morning of Insight, Connection, and Momentum for St. Louis

On January 29, more than 225 real estate and land use leaders gathered at the newly expanded Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center for a sold-out ULI St. Louis Emerging Trends in Real Estate® 2026 program — a strong start to the year and a powerful reminder of the strength of our local industry community.

Now in its 47th edition, Emerging Trends in Real Estate® remains one of the most trusted and widely read outlooks in the industry, offering timely insights on the economic, demographic, and technological forces shaping development, investment, and the built environment. This year’s conversation paired national trends with local perspective, helping attendees better understand how these shifts will impact the St. Louis region.

Throughout the morning, one theme resonated clearly:
the future of St. Louis depends on how we show up as advocates, leaders, and champions for our city.

From creating places that foster human connection and belonging, to rethinking how we tell our region’s story and attract new energy and investment, speakers challenged attendees to think beyond the data and consider the role each of us plays in shaping vibrant, resilient communities.

We are deeply grateful to our outstanding speakers for sharing their expertise and perspective:

• Lou DeFalco, Partner, PwC
• Barbara Bouza, Executive Director of Market Strategies & Growth – Live, Work, Play, CannonDesign
• Jason Braidwood, President, Keeley Properties
• Natasha Das, Vice President, CRG
• Ed Skapinok, Chief Commercial Officer, Explore St. Louis
• Chris Hansen, Executive Director, Kranzberg Arts Foundation
• Moderator Susie Bonwich, Business Development Manager, PGAV Planners

Thank you as well to our generous sponsors and to every member and guest who joined us for a morning of thoughtful discussion, networking, and collaboration. Your engagement is what makes programs like Emerging Trends possible.

View Photos from the Event

Explore highlights from the morning and relive the conversations:
See the Emerging Trends 2026 Photo Gallery here!

Get Involved

ULI St. Louis convenes leaders year-round to exchange ideas, build relationships, and shape the future of the built environment across our region. If you’re interested in becoming part of this community, we invite you to become a member or get involved in an upcoming program.

Together, we can continue building a stronger, more vibrant St. Louis.

Emerging Trends in Real Estate® is an annual series of trends and forecast publications that reflect the views of leading real estate executives in three global regions—the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.

Undertaken jointly by PwC and the Urban Land Institute, the 2026 Emerging Trends in Real Estate® provides an outlook on real estate investment and development trends, real estate finance and capital markets, property sectors, metropolitan areas, and other real estate issues. Each report:

• Tells you what to expect and where the best opportunities are.
• Elaborates on trends in the capital markets, including sources and flows of equity and debt capital.
• Indicates which property sectors offer the best opportunities and which ones to avoid.
• Explains how the economy and concerns about credit issues are affecting real estate.
• Discusses which metropolitan areas offer the most and least potential.
• Describes the impact of social and political trends on real estate.
• Explains how locational preferences are changing.

Download the most recent report.