莱坊·软出行革命

The major transport strike of 2019 and the health crisis have given a real boost to the use of bicycles and electric scooters, revolutionising mobility in the Greater Paris Region in record time. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and with public transport use still not back to its pre-crisis levels, the development of soft mobility* has been impressive.

Fear of the virus, the search for well-being, comfort and savings, and the reduction of carbon emissions from daily travel: there are so many reasons for this craze, which is particularly high among the younger generations, that it will continue. Soft mobility is also benefiting from favourable public measures, including financial aid to individuals, an increase in the number of kilometres of paths and an increasingly restrictive regulatory framework for the circulation and parking of combustion engine vehicles.

Changes in the workplace also play a key role. With the health crisis, employee well-being has become a major concern for companies who are eager to enhance their

employer brand as well as bring employees back to the office, at a time when remote working is now firmly established in organisations. Companies are more demanding about the quality of their workspaces and are also more attentive to the way their employees get to their place of work.

This makes well-located, easily accessible buildings more attractive. In the Greater Paris Region office market, this accessibility premium has been reflected in a stronger recovery in letting activity in the most central and established office sectors over the past year.

Within this context, and in light of the prospect of a continued increase in bicycle and electric scooter travel, it is becoming increasingly important for office building owners to take into account the new expectations of companies and their employees in the field of alternative mobility. The vast majority are aware of this, and some are already making efforts to respond to this new challenge.

In the first study on the subject of soft mobility and office real estate, Knight Frank takes stock of the active mobility revolution, details the various constraints and issues related to its development, and shows how landlords are responding to the expectations of companies and their employees.