Link to From affordable housing to innovative financing, a panel at the ADB's Milan summit showcased how partnerships across sectors are reshaping cities with equity and sustainability at their core.From affordable housing to innovative financing, a panel at the ADB's Milan summit showcased how partnerships across sectors are reshaping cities with equity and sustainability at their core.
At the 58th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Milan, PlusValue—a London- and Milan-based advisory firm specializing in social impact investment—hosted a high-level panel exploring the transformative power of urban regeneration. Under the banner "Driving a Just Transition Through Urban Development," speakers from EU institutions, development banks, local governments, and private firms converged to discuss how social infrastructure can catalyze equitable urban futures.
Mario Nava, Director-General at the European Commission, stressed that resolving the investment deficit in affordable housing, education, and healthcare hinges on tackling both the supply and demand gaps. Drawing on the success of the InvestEU program—born from the Juncker Plan—Nava highlighted how public guarantees have effectively attracted private capital, yielding a leverage ratio of 15:1. “The divide between social and affordable housing remains ambiguous,” Nava acknowledged, but affirmed growing momentum, introducing his book Social Impact as a contribution to the debate on social infrastructure financing.
Carlo Monticelli, Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank, reminded the audience that during fiscal crises, social investments are often the first to be cut. Yet it is in these moments that development banks step in to preserve access to housing, healthcare, and education—pillars of social inclusion and human capital.
ADB’s Director for Human and Social Development, Shanti Jagannathan, emphasized the indispensable role of the private sector, from funding climate-resilient infrastructure to ensuring skills development aligns with labor market demands. She noted that hybrid funding—combining public and private investments with grants—is key to protecting vulnerable populations during climate transitions.
Andrea Ruckstuhl of Lendlease advocated for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) not only as financial mechanisms but as drivers of innovation. Citing the redevelopment of Milan’s Statale University campus, he pressed for faster and smarter housing models. “We’re still building homes like it’s the 1990s,” he quipped, pushing for more industrialized, efficient approaches.
Filippo Addarii of PlusValue introduced the Social Infrastructure Impact Investment Index (Si4), a pioneering tool designed to quantify the social value created by infrastructure projects. Si4 blends qualitative and financial metrics to highlight returns often overlooked by traditional models. Anchored in a Danish dataset known for its excellence in social housing, the tool is poised for pilot implementation in Asia. “We want to prove social infrastructure is not only moral, it’s financially savvy,” Addarii declared.
Rounding off the session, Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayor of Newham, London, brought the discussion down to street level. “Housing is in crisis,” she warned, underscoring the human toll behind policy and investment decisions. Newham’s ambitious plan to deliver 10,000 affordable homes in 15 years reflects a new, collaborative ethos among developers increasingly attuned to community impact.
The event concluded with a unified message: achieving a just transition in urban development requires more than capital. It demands cross-sector cooperation, innovation, and a values-driven commitment to human dignity. When cities are built for people, prosperity follows.
(Associated Medias) - All rights reserved(Associated Medias) - All rights reserved