BEIJING, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Recently, at the 2026 Headquarters Economy Conference & (6th) Forum on Building Economy and High-Quality Urban Development, hosted by the World Trade Point Federation (WTPF), a series of new trends in industry-city integration were captured. As one of the thematic forums of the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), the forum was held under the theme “Upheaval and Reshaping,” exploring new pathways for government-enterprise collaboration, deep industry-city integration, and value creation through operations.

Real Estate Value Is Shifting from Property Attributes to Industrial Ecosystems

The China Urban High-Quality Development Research Report released at the forum shows that, in the future, competition in urban building economy will be a comprehensive contest of area operation capabilities, industrial ecosystem capabilities, scenario creation capabilities, and multi-dimensional value creation capabilities.

Beijing’s Xicheng District, grounded in the reality of stock renewal in the capital’s core area, is driving the transformation of old buildings into vertical industrial parks through a four-pronged approach of policy, space, industry, and services. Haidian District, aiming to become a world-leading science and technology park, is improving the supply of pilot-scale testing facilities and removing bottlenecks in the commercialisation of scientific and technological achievements. Chaoyang District, home to 182 regional headquarters of multinational corporations, is building an open and diverse industrial ecosystem…

Mu Peng, Vice Mayor of Beijing, said at the forum that the added value of Beijing’s services sector now accounts for 86% of the city’s regional GDP, and the building economy has become an important spatial carrier for the modern services sector. Through business format integration, urban renewal, and business environment optimisation, Beijing continues to strengthen its headquarters and building economy.

Bruno Masier, President of the World Trade Point Federation (WTPF), said that real estate value is shifting from property attributes to industrial ecosystems, and the industry urgently needs operators to complete the transition from space managers to co-building partners in industry.

Multiple Cooperation Projects Launched to Serve High-Quality Development of the Building Economy

To support industry transformation, the Building Economy and Headquarters Economy Branch of the China Association for the Promotion of Industrial Development (CAPID) is taking the lead in jointly building “Future Business District Innovation and Development Practice Zones” with business district management committees, coordinating stock renewal in mature areas and quality improvement in emerging areas. It is also jointly building “Building Economy Innovation and Development Practice Zones” with core urban district governments, exploring pathways for high-quality development of the building economy in central urban areas in the era of existing building stock. The Branch is also creating industrial communities with streets as core units and building a mid-level operation empowerment system.

The joint launch of Beijing Xicheng District’s “Building Economy Innovation and Development Practice Zone” and the first batch of “Building Economy Industry Reception Halls,” the joint launch of Nanjing Hexi CBD’s “Future Business District Innovation and Development Practice Zone,” and the awarding of the first demonstration projects for the “Business Building Excellence in Operations Rating”…

At the forum, the Building Economy and Headquarters Economy Branch of CAPID, together with multiple parties including Beijing Xicheng and Nanjing Hexi CBD, delivered a coordinated package of measures for high-quality development of the building economy from the multi-dimensional perspectives of urban districts, business districts, streets, and projects. A number of government-enterprise cooperation projects were signed on site.

A representative of the Building Economy and Headquarters Economy Branch of CAPID introduced that building future business districts can create a development community of mutual benefit for governments, operators, tenant enterprises, workplace talent, and local communities. The development of Building Economy Innovation and Development Practice Zones is supported by systematic government coordination, focusing on top-level design, industrial layout, and institutional policies to solidify the foundation for the transformation and development of regional building economies.

Urban Development Is Moving from “Building Spaces” to “Creating Scenarios”

Whether it is industrial scenarios such as Guangzhou Science City and Wuhan Optics Valley Software Park, commercial scenarios such as Sanya Duty-Free City and Shanghai Global Harbour, or urban renewal scenarios such as Fuzhou Yantai Mountain and Taoxichuan in Jingdezhen… The emergence of a series of new scenarios demonstrates that the scenario city – which reconstructs space through scenarios, activates value through operations, and defines competitiveness through ecosystems – is becoming the future direction of high-quality urban development.

At the forum, the Building Economy and Headquarters Economy Branch of CAPID released the 2026 Scenario City White Paper, proposing that urban development is moving from “building spaces” to “creating scenarios.” The white paper outlines five mainstream scenario types – industry, commercial consumption, cultural tourism and vacation, urban renewal, and super districts – and proposes a practicable “six-step scenario creation” methodology. It also proposes a three-tier implementation mechanism comprising scenario city co-creation hubs, city-level scenario co-creation centres, and project-level scenario city co-creation workshops, driving the transformation of underperforming existing assets into high-quality urban scenarios through IP resources, professional operators, and local governments.


Contact person: Ms. Zhu, Tel: 86-10-63074558

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2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS)