The London Series
Our 2026 edition explores how the city needs to compete on four fronts — time, place, product, and capital — to stay ahead in today's volatile economic and political climate.
20 January 2026
This year's London Series brings to life our new analytical framework, The London Equation.
This equation — London’s competitiveness (C) = f (time + place + product + capital) — expresses how these four variables interact with one another, which is where the real insight lies.
We delve into each variable through dedicated papers, showing how timing, location, design and finance interact to shape the city’s evolution — and what that means for occupiers, developers and investors seeking advantage in an era of constraint.
On this page
- Decoding The London Equation
- The London Series in motion
- 2026 insights
- 2025 insights
- Pre-2025 insights
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Decoding The London Equation
The interaction of four variables reveals how London must compete: faster delivery, richer experiences, sharper production, and more innovative finance.
Time has become London’s most finite resource.
Cycles that once unfolded sequentially are now colliding, creating an overlap of occupier, developer and investor timelines. The result is a market that must act simultaneously across all fronts.
Place has become London’s most expressive variable.
The city’s traditional hierarchy has been replaced by a geography defined by performance. The winners are the areas that feel alive every day — where accessibility, amenity, and identity combine.
London is building at the edge of its capacity.
Retrofit has become the main engine of supply through creativity: building less, building better, building greener. This evolution redefines what “prime” means — it's no longer just location or specification; it's deliverability, efficiency and resilience.
Capital is the multiplier turning correction into momentum.
London’s investment market is in search of an equilibrium between cost of debt, risk appetite, and income growth. Core-plus and value-add assets remain the principal focus for accessing this, but the capital is increasingly institutional and international.
The London Series in motion
We examine each of these forces in depth, drawing on Knight Frank’s proprietary data, market intelligence and adviser insight. Watch our approach video to find out more about what's to come.
2026 insights
Don't miss out - we'll be releasing new insights weekly for the next five weeks.
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2025 insights
Featured Insights
London Series
The Road to Megacity Status
London’s growth demands bold solutions in housing, energy, and infrastructure
27 March 2025
Offices
Approach: Momentum, polarisation, volatility
These three dynamics will converge to shape the London office market in 2025
27 February 2025
Offices
Leading in the age of volatility
From Resilience to Reinvention: London's Case for Global Leadership
27 February 2025
Occupiers
Unlocking London, Shifting Behaviours & Emerging Opportunities
Evolving occupier strategies amid market shifts hold the key to London's office potential
27 February 2025
Offices
The Core Opportunity
Historic low investment in 2024 signals a unique market reset
27 February 2025
Pre-2025 insights
Offices
Insight 2.1: Prime rents and forecasts
The qualities which characterise best-in-class buildings have evolved just as the requirements of office occupiers have shifted with a greater emphasis placed on sustainability and employee wellbeing.
19 September 2024
Offices
Insight 3: How will London recover this time?
The third insight paper in our London Series, outlining the recovery path of London's office investment market.
06 June 2024
London Series
Insight 1: London’s Global Differentiators
With global tensions rising and economic uncertainty yet to abate, London has reprised its role as a leading safe haven. Yet there is also a more progressive case for London, driven by rising employment and expansion in new growth sectors.
06 June 2024
Offices
Insight 4: Events, expansion, elevation
The fourth insight paper in our London Series, investigating the current occupier mindset and its implications for the London office market.
06 June 2024
Offices
Insight 6: Retrofit or Repurpose?
Retrofit or Repurpose? Rising to the challenge of obsolescence in the London office market
05 June 2024
Offices
Insight 5: London's Future Demand Profile
As demand-side momentum continues to build in the London office market, we assess the role of structural demand, active requirements and three specific sources of demand in sustaining the positive trajectory
05 June 2024
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