On September 22, Gravity Architecture proudly sponsored the peer-led discussion of the month, hosted by the Women of the Urban Development Institute (WUDI). As a non-profit industry association, UDI acts as a hub for land development and planning across British Columbia, running year-round educational programming, panels, and courses. Within the organization, the WUDI Committee focuses on supporting, celebrating, and advancing women across the development sector through initiatives like their seven-month Peer-to-Peer Mentorship program. September’s panel, Raising Capital in Today’s Market, brought together industry perspectives to examine lender caution, selective equity deployment, and project momentum within BC’s current economy.
The discussion highlighted key takeaways regarding shifting population growth, non-profit capital strategy, and low liquidity across real estate capital markets:
Developers: Multi-family projects face headwinds tied to immigration policy shifts, while retail holds up against inflation and Alberta light industrial sees strong demand. Capital is still tight, though there’s optimism for the BC market to rebound and near-term interest in US opportunities.
Social Housing: Funding uncertainty continues to be a central hurdle for low-income housing. In response, providers are diversifying beyond government funding with bond sales and self-generated capital.
Equity Partners: Low liquidity across the board makes this one of the toughest markets in years. Housing’s 5-7 year hold period struggles to compete with the faster returns of retail developments and data centers.
Hearing how different market players navigate the same capital constraints underscores how much standard playbook approaches need to change. To move projects forward today, teams need to adapt by diversifying funding, exploring strategic property mixes, and ensuring efficiency through design and execution.