FUTURE OF THE BUILT WORLD

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

The work of the built environment deals with places not yet developed, plans not yet built, designs not yet imagined, construction techniques not yet tried. Yet the built environment sector—architecture, engineering, construction, real estate, and operations—is known for lagging productivity and traditional processes. A sector dedicated to the future of American communities struggles to imagine its own future.

The supply chain that delivers the built world has long been optimized for cost, but asset owners increasingly care about sustainability, wellness, and inclusion too. The AECO sector shapes all of them. The costs of underperformance aren't borne by professionals alone; they're borne by society. Construction represents 6% of global GDP and the built environment is responsible for 37% of global emissions, yet AECO is one of the least digitized sectors of the economy and one of the lowest investors in R&D. To do better for society, we need to find ways to do better for ourselves.

As Taubman College prepares to launch the Master of Urban Technology degree in Fall 2027, we're signaling a new focus: excellence in architecture, urban planning, urban design, and real estate isn't enough. We also need new ways of working in the gray areas between those silos—where responsibilities are shared and no single discipline owns the outcome. May 12th is an opportunity for leaders across business, government, and philanthropy to think together about what emerging practice in the built environment looks like, and to find opportunities in the spaces between professional silos.

So please be selfish. We want to hear what questions academic research could meaningfully tackle: what methods of experimentation could let academia and society solve problems together? What talent needs you are seeing right now? Which ways of working and new business models will make radically better outcomes also radically possible?