These Cities Are Future-Proofing Their Appeal

A new global ranking from Savills suggests resilience may be replacing location as the defining force in commercial real estate. Cities that balance strong economies with social and environmental sustainability are setting the tone for future growth — and U.S. metros are leading the way.

Savills' latest Resilient Cities Index analyzes 20 cities worldwide on economic fundamentals, the knowledge economy and technology; environmental, social, governance (ESG) factors and real estate performance.

Ten of those cities are in the United States: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Miami and Seattle. According to Savills, all 10 are on "a significant upward trajectory," climbing an average of six spots since 2024. These cities drove the recovery in real estate investment during 2025, with San Francisco and other tech hubs benefiting especially from the artificial intelligence boom.

"The resilience part refers to the ability of cities to meet existing challenges and to adapt as necessary as new ones appear in the future," Savills wrote.

The firm defines resilience as the interplay of economic strength, innovation capacity, ESG commitment and real estate value—the combination that enables cities to withstand disruptions while continuing to evolve.

Also, scale plays a critical role in that dynamic. The world's top four cities — New York, Tokyo, London and Seoul — each qualify as megacities with "virtuous self-reinforcing circles of supply and demand." Their innovation and culture attract talent, investment and occupiers in a continuous loop of growth.

The U.S. Sunbelt's rapid rise tells a different but complementary story. While expansion has slowed, cities such as Phoenix and Austin continue to draw business activity thanks to their climate advantages, lower cost of living and business-friendly regulatory and tax environments. Even outside the top 20, those regions saw solid expansion last year, a sign of the country's broad-based business confidence.

At the corporate level, occupiers are rethinking their approach to space.

"Occupiers are now negotiating flexible leases that allow them to grow or decrease their footprint in response to unforeseen market shifts without incurring penalties," said Amy Fobes, senior vice president of global occupier services at Savills.

"But longer-term leases of 10 or even 15 years are still being inked in areas with high competition for labor and robust talent pipelines."

In investment terms, North America dominates. The region recorded the largest average real estate investment worldwide, roughly $4.4 billion, according to Savills.

Yet continued success will require cities to "future-proof their appeal, it added, emphasizing that growth cannot rely solely on business activity or property values.

To stay competitive, cities must focus on livability, which includes expanding housing, cultivating mixed-use districts that attract both workers and residents and responding to the shifting center of global consumer power toward Asia — a movement with "enormous implications for where and what to build."