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Housing Booms in Gateway Cities: The Role of Surplus Demand
21 May 2025, 12:00 pm–1:00 pm
Explore how global capital and surplus demand are driving housing booms in gateway cities like London, Sydney and Singapore.
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
Professor Johanna Waters – UCL Department of Geography
Location
-
LG17 Lecture RoomBentham House4-8 Endsleigh GardensLondonWC1H 0EGUnited Kingdom
Join us for a seminar with Professor David Ley (University of British Columbia) as he presents findings from his recent research on housing booms in five global gateway cities—urban centres deeply connected to international flows of capital and labour.
The talk will explore how surplus demand, particularly through property investment, has driven dramatic rises in house prices.
Professor Ley will discuss the globalisation of real estate as a commodity in the international asset economy, highlighting the role of investors, developers, and platforms, with a focus on investment from Greater China.
Using case studies from London, Sydney, and Singapore, he will examine the extent of surplus demand and how local governments have—or haven’t—responded.
A light lunch will follow the event in the First Floor Bedford Way Common Room.
This event is co-sponsored by the Global Urbanism Research Group.
About the Speakers
Dr Sam Randalls
Associate Professor at UCL Department of Geography
More about Dr Sam RandallsDr David Ley
Professor Emeritus at University of British Columbia
David Ley is Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of British Columbia and a leading scholar on urban change, migration, and housing markets.
His research has explored immigration to Canadian cities, gentrification, and the impact of wealthy transnational migrants, most notably in Millionaire Migrants: Trans-Pacific Life Lines (2010). He currently leads comparative research on housing market bubbles and neighbourhood inequality in global cities.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the UK’s Academy of Social Sciences, he was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022
More about Dr David LeyDr Alex Hyde
Associate Professor at UCL Gender and Sexuality Studies
More about Dr Alex Hyde