_Prime global cities: Events to monitor in 2018 and beyond

Covering 13 cities from Vancouver to Sydney and from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, we highlight the key responses below.

Below we pinpoint the key events, including new transport links, sporting events or potential changes to tax or housing policy that may influence the housing markets of our 13 cities in 2018 and beyond.

For Hong Kong, 2018 will mark the completion of the Express Rail Link, connecting Hong Kong to Beijing via Guangzhou and Shenzhen. This direct high-speed train line linking four major cities with a total urban population of nearly 55 million will see the journey time between Guangzhou and Hong Kong reduced to only 48 minutes.

In the Middle East, Dubai is gearing up for Expo 2020 with major infrastructure investment in Business Bay and Dubai International Financial Centre.

London will see the £14.8 billion Crossrail project or Elizabeth Line commence in late 2018. Europe’s largest construction project will deliver 10 new stations and increase London’s rail capacity by 10% reducing journey times across the city.

For France, 2018 will bring with it a change to wealth tax. As part of President Macron’s new fiscal reforms, wealth tax will only be calculated on property assets and a flat rate of capital gains tax will be introduced.

In New York, the 2018 midterm elections may provide some greater certainty on the future direction of US housing policy, whilst the reconstruction of La Guardia Airport is due to be completed by 2021.

Major investment in Sydney’s metro network will deliver 31 new metro stations improving transport links across the southwest and northwest parts of the city. The capacity of train services across Sydney will increase from around 120 an hour to up to 200 services an hour beyond 2024.

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Read more in our series of 2018 Prime Residential City Forecasts

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