Danish pension funds PensionDanmark and Sampension have anchored a European regeneration fund launched by Urban Partners alongside strategic partners Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Viessmann Generations.
The Urban Partners Regeneration Fund has held its first close and has up to €650m in debt-free investment capacity, which includes both fund commitments and co-investment capital.
Urban Partners said the fund, which will engage in public-private partnerships, targets high-growth cities across the Nordics, Germany and the UK, with an initial pipeline identified in Copenhagen, Hamburg, Munich, Stockholm and London.
Jens Stender, co-CEO of Urban Partners, said: “As an urban investor, we have built a track record of expertise through two decades of investing in and around cities.
“The Urban Partners Regeneration Fund is a unique response to a defining moment for Europe. By aligning long-duration global capital with growing demand at the local level, we see a tremendous opportunity to apply our unique capabilities to create real, lasting value at scale.”
Claus Mathisen, co-CEO of Urban Partners, said: “This first close reflects strong conviction in a strategy built for scale and long-term execution. Regeneration projects are complex by nature, but with a purpose-built fund and a strong pipeline in key growth cities we can deploy capital in a disciplined way and work alongside partners and municipalities to unlock value over time.”
Jakob Baruël Poulsen, managing partner at CIP, said: “We are excited to support Urban Partners Regeneration Fund with its pioneering approach for delivering large-scale, mixed-use urban regeneration across Europe’s growth cities.
“By combining Urban Partners’ deep urban regeneration expertise with CIP’s experience in developing large-scale, greenfield infrastructure projects, this partnership is well positioned to create long-term value for cities, communities, and investors.”
Peter Stensgaard Mørch, CEO of PensionDanmark, said: “The structural housing shortage is one of the major societal challenges of our time. Drawing on our many years of experience in urban development in Denmark, we see a compelling opportunity to deliver attractive returns for our members’ pension savings – while at the same time helping to tackle a critical challenge facing European growth cities.”
Max Viessmann, CEO of Viessmann Generations, said: “Cities are the pulse of our civilisation. Mastering the transformation of our urban environments is essential to drive a sustainable and inclusive future – in line with our purpose of co-creating living spheres for generations to come.
“The co-creation approach of the Regeneration Fund is exactly what is needed to successfully revitalise brownfields into blueprints for resilient urban life, delivering tangible benefits for both people and the planet.”
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