Communities of practice and transnational standards: changing building practices in Warsaw's commercial property sector

Abstract

In 1989, Warsaw's office market became part of the global property market with a growing transparency. This process of integration is attributable to an increasing level of professionalism of its agents. Our main interest here is in the introduction of international design and building norms. We argue that, in the interplay between global and local property professionals, new institutional arrangements emerge that lead to the establishment of international norms and standards. Moreover, because they reduce information asymmetries on a global scale, these international property consultants, whom we can regard as 'market-making intermediaries', are key actors in the creation of these new institutional arrangements. Property consultants, as part of global communities of practice (CoPs), are at the core of establishing a joint understanding of requirements in real estate practice. Regular communication with one another about the challenges, norms, specifications and demands in the professional management of office property helps to develop shared practices.

How Subordinate Financialization Shapes Urban Development: The Rise and Fall of Warsaw's Służewiec Business District

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Standards and SSOs in the contested widening and deepening of financial markets: The arrival of Green Municipal Bonds in Mexico City

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Cities on the global real estate marketplace: urban development policy and the circulation of financial standards in two French localities

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