Global shifts in urban housing markets: the impact of remote work from a geoeconomic perspective

Purpose Quantify how remote work and digital infrastructure reshape urban housing prices across 30 countries (2006–2023), and probe mechanisms via public transport demand and demographics. Design/methodology/approach The authors assemble a harmonised country-panel (2006–2023) and estimate fixed-effects and random-effects models, a staggered-adoption difference-in-differences and two-stage least squares using broadband penetration as an instrument for remote-work intensity. Robustness checks include alternative controls, lags and sample trims. Findings Remote-work intensity is positively associated with urban house price indices; instrumental-variables estimates suggest a substantive effect beyond observables. Remote work coincides with lower public-transport ridership. Urban population growth enters with a negative coefficient. Together, results indicate emerging affordability pressures and shifting urban demand patterns. Research limitations/implications Measurement of remote work and instrument validity remain constraints; cross-country heterogeneity advises caution in generalising magnitudes. Future microdata and quasi-experimental shocks would sharpen identification. Practical implications Valuers, lenders and planners should incorporate remote-work indicators into appraisal comparables, density and land-use plans and transit revenue forecasts; broadband policy interacts materially with urban price dynamics. Social implications Potential affordability pressures and accessibility risks for lower-income renters underscore the need for targeted housing supports and transport–housing coordination. Originality/value Offers cross-country panel evidence linking remote work, broadband rollout and core housing-market outcomes in one framework, bridging housing analytics with digital-infrastructure policy and professional practice.