More and more people are looking for proximity to urban living. Exclusive houses and flats in cities are increasingly in demand. Luxury Defined, the online magazine of Christies International Real Estate, spotlights a collection of townhouses in cities far and wide.

A 170-kilometre-long mega-city is to be built in Saudi Arabia. Looking at the plans – whose implementation is already underway – the question inevitably arises as to whether this is a frightening dystopia or a grandiose vision of the future. A 45-minute documentary explains the considerations underlying the project from the perspective of the people behind.

Inflation in Switzerland is finally easing. At 1.61 % on an annual basis, the inflation rate is below the SNB’s inflation target of 2 %. Summer brings consistency to the mortgage market; in July, mortgage rates and government bond yields were stable, as they had been in the previous month. For a long time, inflation figures rose more than expected, but now the trend seems to be turning around.