Low Carbon City: Proptech to the rescue!

How? During EuraTech's recent Proptech 'open house' event, Clara Fayard (Investir&+), Emmanuel François (Smart Building Alliance for Smart Cities), Hubert Béroche (Think Tank Urban IA), and Jean-Thibaut Gay (ACCENTA), got together to answer just that:

Technology and sobriety, two faces of the same battle

With major investments in sustainable and energy renovation solutions, circular economy on an urban scale and digital technologies are clearly on the rise. But while technologies can do so much, Clara Fayard reminds us that "many of the issues are also related to habits" and a shift in mentality is equally required. Hubert Béroche agrees with this observation and adds that "new technologies can be used either to optimise what already exists, create alternative paradigms, or create more urban circularity... which promotes territorial resilience".

Breaking down silos and embracing open innovation

Although the construction and the mobility sectors are full of disruptive ideas, this will remain but a promise without what Emmanuel François describes as a "third urban revolution". This means both a corporate cultural shift of organisations that don't fully adopt technological innovations, as well as an economic and legal transformations that empower stakeholders in the sustainability property sector.

It is exactly in this intersection with other stakeholders in the ecosystem, and not alone, that startups can thrive. Jean-Thibaut Gay, a EuraTech entrepreneur, adds: "The notion of openness and interoperability is important. If innovation is technological, it is also very much about the collaborative positioning with stakeholders".