Key themes for cities in 2022

Against a helpful macroeconomic background, albeit with risks, city economies will continue to recover in 2022. GDP growth will mostly be slower than in 2021, but with some cities accelerating (Amsterdam, Madrid), and/or seeing faster rises in employment and consumer spending.

What you will learn:

• One area where the evidence is pretty reliable is the visitor economy. We expect visitor numbers to rise quite slowly, especially in Asia Pacific.
• The debate about the future of the office will shift during the year from the return to the office, to whether office jobs are at risk from automation and artificial intelligence.
• Exposure to climate change and the challenge of net zero will also be growing themes, but reluctance to act may persist even in the face of disastrous events.