Wisdom in fragments

If somebody told me the US stock market returned 12% per annum over the last 50 years, I would simply ask them what the returns were over the last 150 years, 250 years, 10 years and so on. I could make up any return I want just by picking the appropriate time period.

None of this is new. The Romans traded forward contracts in commodities 2000 years ago; a Dutch fugitive, Isaac le Maire, conducted the first ever bear attack on a stock in 1610, leading also to the first ever regulatory ban on short-selling that same year.

The notion of 'alternative' as an asset class sits badly with me because for me, saying hedge-funds – as an example – are an asset class is akin to comparing mutual-funds to being an asset class. The sheer diversity within these groups makes it difficult to define them as a class in their own right, given the complete lack of commonalities across the board.

The Pritzker Prize recognizes not just technical excellence, but architects who have made a significant contribution to humanity through the built environment.

Architecture has the power to democratize space - to create environments where all people, regardless of their background, can participate in civic life.

Renowned British Architect & Designer of Iconic Modern Buildings

Cities are the future of humanity. How we design them will determine whether we create sustainable, equitable communities or contribute to further environmental and social decay.

Renowned British Architect & Designer of Iconic Modern Buildings

The role of the architect is not just to create beautiful buildings, but to improve the quality of human life through the built environment.

Renowned British Architect & Designer of Iconic Modern Buildings

Architecture is a direct reflection of society - its aspirations, its achievements, its failures. It's a mirror that shows us who we are and who we want to be.

Renowned British Architect & Designer of Iconic Modern Buildings

We believe that by being open, honest and transparent with communities- they are more likely to protect, respect and patronise our projects. Our primary responsibility is to make money for our investors. That however, is not mutually exclusive to making positive change.

I typically think impact investing, on the whole, can generate better risk-adjusted yields than the alternatives.

You may have gone to the best business school in the world and learned that the three most important things in real estate are location, location, location- but it's just not true! It's relationship, relationship, relationship.

I have not been an urban investor in re-gentrification, which tries to change the character of a community and, candidly, is very speculative. Instead I look at revitalisation, which constitutes investing in existing densely populated and ethnically diverse communities and delivering the goods and services that are sought after but not provided.

If one wants to treat societal problems, then philanthropy and government spending are fine. If one wants to cure societal problems, one has got to come up with sustainable solutions- and that means attracting for-profit capital.

I grew up in Canada and have a lot of friends in Argentina. In the early part of the 20th Century, Argentina was wealthier and had a higher per-capita income than Canada. The country had severe governance issues which impacted economic and social development.

Nobel Prize-winning economist; Stanford provost and NYU president

In the advanced countries, it is a very challenging time for people in the middle-income and middle-education range. They are being subjected to greater competition from labour saving technology.

Nobel Prize-winning economist; Stanford provost and NYU president

There are two basic underlying reasons. Firstly dysfunctional politics and secondly economic mistakes.

Nobel Prize-winning economist; Stanford provost and NYU president