On 11 and 12 June 2025, GBD Innovation Club participated in three key events during the Beijing CBD Forum Week: the official opening ceremony, the UNDP Asian Mayors Forum, and the Global Business Districts Innovation Forum, co-organised by the Club and EY. Each session offered opportunities for the Club to connect with government leaders, urban experts, and business district professionals from around the world.

Day 1: High-Level Exchanges

The morning of 11 June began with the Opening Ceremony of the 2025 Beijing CBD Forum Annual Conference and Multinational Corporations Conference. Hosted at the China World Hotel, the ceremony gathered ambassadors, UN agency representatives, government officials and international voices to highlight the growing importance of central business districts in global economic development.

Among the speakers was Michael Edwards, CEO of Chicago Loop Alliance and Vice Chairman of GBD Innovation Club, who spoke alongside representatives from the UN, the City of London, Singapore, and Beijing on the opening day of the conference. Together, they set the tone for two days of meaningful exchange on the future of urban economies and highlight the importance of sustained international collaboration to drive the sustainable development of districts and cities for the benefit of all.

The ceremony also featured the launch of new projects, including the “Global Zero Carbon Business Districts Initiative”, a key focus for the GBD Innovation Club, along with other tool kits advancing international collaboration and high-quality development.

The day continued with the UNDP Asian Mayors Forum, under the theme “Collaborative Innovation: Shaping Low-Carbon and Sustainable Cities of the Future.” The GBD Innovation Club was represented by Michael Edwards and Tim Kocur, Executive Director of Waterfront BIA in Toronto. Their participation brought forward the voice of global business districts in a space typically focused on municipalities, highlighting how local economic hubs can act as engines of sustainable change.

Throughout the day, sessions focused on governance reform, green innovation, and how cities can move from planning to implementation when it comes to low-carbon goals. Speakers from cities across Asia, the UNDP, and leading academic and development institutions tackled urgent topics such as how to integrate climate planning into city governance and how technology is reshaping urban management.

Mayors and representatives from cities such as Dhaka, Phnom Penh, Suva, Kuala Lumpur, Malé, and Ulaanbaatar shared case studies and practical strategies for managing urban growth while staying within planetary limits. The presence of other UN agencies and international organizations such as UNESCAP, ADB, and UNCTAD further emphasized the global nature of the conversation.

In the afternoon, interactive panel discussions allowed for deeper dives into real-world solutions. The first session, moderated by Rachana Shrestha from the Asian Development Bank, focused on systemic approaches to urban decarbonization. Speakers included Chiri Babu Maharjan (Mayor of Lalitpur, Nepal), Kamaladevi Palaniappan (Director, Department of Urban Transportation, Kuala Lumpur City Hall), Riccardo Mesiano (UNESCAP), Tony Osude (RICS), Dr. Norman Sze (Deloitte China), and Michael Edwards (Chicago Loop Alliance).

A lively fireside chat moderated by Ma Jun (Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs) featured Palitha Nanayakkara (Mayor of Colombo, Sri Lanka) and Tevita Boseiwaqa (Chairman of Suva City Council, Fiji), who shared their cities’ experiences with low-carbon transitions.

Later sessions tackled how cities can balance resilience, economic growth, and sustainability. Moderated by Chang Jae-bok (CityNet), this panel brought together Zhu Xufeng (Tsinghua University), Andrew Hodgson (ARUP), Ran Bahadur Rai (Mayor of Suryodaya Municipality, Nepal), Dor Samphors (Phnom Penh Capital Administration), and Tim Kocur (Waterfront BIA, Toronto). The day ended with a closing discussion led by Diana Torres (UNDP) with Mohammad Ejaz (Dhaka North, Bangladesh) and Adam Azim (Mayor of Malé, Maldives).

These exchange reinforced a strong message: sustainable cities are built not only by national leadership but by district-level innovation, international cooperation, and long-term partnerships.

Day 2: Global Business Districts at the Forefront

On 12 June, the GBD Innovation Club, together with EY, hosted the Global Business Districts Innovation Forum. This event was designed specifically for business district leaders, investors, and urban transformation experts. With around 90 participants, it created a focused space for exchange and collaboration.

Presentations explored the shifting role of business districts in today’s cities, moving from office zones to mixed-use, innovation-led and social meaning environments. Topics included investment strategies, the impact of ESG on district performance, and the role of business districts in achieving zero-carbon goals.

The forum opened to a broader audience with welcome speeches delivered by Liu Meiying (Deputy Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality), Chen Dai (Deputy District Mayor of Chaoyang District, Director of Beijing CBD Administration Committee and Chairwoman of the GBD Innovation Club), and Lisette Van Doorn (CEO of ULI Europe).

Thematic presentations followed, including:

• Marc Lhermitte (EY France), on how to track and evaluate the performance of global business districts in a shifting economic landscape.
• Alan Beebe (CEO of ULI Asia Pacific), on emerging real estate trends in the Asia-Pacific region.

Two following roundtables allowed members to go deeper: the first, moderated by Marc Lhermitte, focused on the new roles of business districts in creating vibrant, innovation-friendly spaces. It featured input from representatives of Beijing CBD, Chicago Loop Alliance, and Pathum Wan (Bangkok), as well as Guangzhou Tianhe CBD.

The second roundtable explored how to keep business districts competitive in a fast-changing global environment, with participants from Shenzhen Futian CBD, Toronto Waterfront BIA, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, and Dr. Dongquan He, chief scientist of Beijing Smartrans Center and visiting scholar at Stanford University.

Global Business Districts Innovation Forum allowed attendees to go deeper: the first focused on the new roles of business districts in creating vibrant, innovation-friendly spaces; the second explored how to keep business districts competitive in a fast-changing global environment.

Looking Ahead

These two days in Beijing highlighted the importance of bringing cities and business districts into the same conversation. GBD Innovation Club continues to build bridges between actors committed to innovation, cooperation, sustainability, and to connect leading urban hubs worldwide to share knowledge, co-develop initiatives, and shape the future of dynamic metropolitan areas.