Supporting data for “Financialization and the City: Rethinking the Role of Real Estate Investment Trusts in Singapore and Hong Kong’s Urban Transformation”

This PhD thesis investigates the development of real estate investment trusts (REITs) in Singapore and Hong Kong from the perspective of critical urban theory. REITs are understood as a representative form of financialization, a process in which the urban built environment is transformed into financial assets. This research follows a qualitative methodology, including fieldwork in Singapore and Hong Kong. Fieldwork for this research includes semi-structured interviews with various professionals to explore their expertise and perspectives on the development of REITs. The interviews aim to investigate the REIT industry's general landscape and its impact on urban development from the perspectives of different professions. Questions are used to explore the expertise of interviewees, and specific follow-up questions will be asked based on interviewees' contextual answers.