AI · ESG · Real Estate

AI, ESG & real estate —
practical, not theoretical.

Practical guides, tools, and books for real estate professionals navigating AI, ESG compliance, and digital assets. Written by a researcher who also builds things.

Routledge author — PropTech Innovations in Real Estate Investment and Finance (2026)
Associate Professor, University of Manchester
Founder, Plinthos — AI-powered ESG compliance platform for UK real estate funds and UK valuers
See my book Explore tools
Latest release
PropTech Innovations in Real Estate Investment and Finance
Routledge · 2026
PublisherRoutledge
FocusSustainable futures
AvailableNow
Buy from Routledge →
About

Yishuang (Sherry) Xu

I work at the intersection of AI, sustainability, and real estate — as a researcher, author, and founder. My academic work focuses on how emerging technologies reshape real estate investment and the built environment. My practical work turns that research into tools that professionals can actually use.

At the University of Manchester, where I am an Associate Professor, I research PropTech, digital assets, and ESG in real estate. As founder of Plinthos, I build an AI-powered ESG compliance platform for UK real estate funds and UK valuers. My writing spans academic journals, practical guides, and self-published books read by analysts and investors worldwide.

My most recent book, PropTech Innovations in Real Estate Investment and Finance: Sustainable Futures (Routledge, 2026), explores how technology is reshaping real estate investment across global markets.

For advisory or collaboration enquiries, get in touch.

University of Manchester Plinthos — AI ESG platform Routledge ESG PropTech AI
Routledge · 2026
PropTech Innovations in Real Estate Investment and Finance
Yishuang Xu
Featured Book
Routledge · Taylor & Francis Group

PropTech Innovations in Real Estate Investment and Finance:
Sustainable Futures

A comprehensive examination of how property technology is transforming real estate investment and finance across global markets — from ESG integration and digital assets to AI-driven analytics and sustainable infrastructure.

PublisherRoutledge
Published2026
Buy from Routledge Find on Amazon UK
KDP titles · Available on Amazon

Practical guides & handbooks

Practical guides on AI, ESG, and digital assets — written for investors, analysts, and professionals navigating the transformation of real estate.

AI & Technology
How to Use AI in Financial Analysis
How to Use AI in Financial Analysis: Building AI Agents That Actually Work
For analysts & finance professionals
The AI Crossroads
The AI Crossroads: Why the Robot Catastrophe Isn't What You Think
AI & the future of work
The Navigator in the AI Economy
The Navigator in the AI Economy: Your Playbook for Thriving
For professionals navigating AI
The Shape of a Mind
The Shape of a Mind: A Race to Understand is a Race to Survive
AI & intelligence
The Sound of Money
The Sound of Money: How Media Voice, Tone, and Delivery Shape Financial Decisions
AI & financial media
ESG & Sustainability
The Journey to Net Zero Real Estate
The Journey to Net Zero Real Estate: A Beginner's Guide to Sustainable Property Development and Investment
For landlords & developers
Sustainability in Real Estate
Sustainability in Real Estate: A Beginner's Guide
For property professionals
ESG in Real Estate: Professional Practitioner Handbook
ESG in Real Estate: Professional Practitioner Handbook (Book 1)
For fund managers & valuers
Digital Assets & Tokenisation
Fundamentals of Real Estate Tokenisation
Fundamentals of Real Estate Tokenisation
RWA Tokenization Series · Book 1
How to Make Money from Real Estate Tokenization
How to Make Money from Real Estate Tokenization: A Practical Guide for Everyday Property Investors
RWA Tokenization Series · Book 2
A Brief History of Stablecoins
A Brief History of Stablecoins: From Digital Banking to Monetary Evolution
Digital finance & monetary history
Gumroad tools

Tools you can use today

Practical workspaces, frameworks, and prompt libraries for real estate professionals. Open it on Monday, use it on a real problem by Monday afternoon.

Compliance tool $60
RICS AI Assessment Workbook
The offline Excel workbook that satisfies the RICS "Responsible Use of AI" mandatory standard. Fill in the Assessment, get a print-ready material-impact record and auditable sign-off trail — your data never leaves your device.
Get on Gumroad
Notion workspace £99
Token Ready
A pre-built Notion workspace for real estate tokenisation due diligence. Structure your analysis, track legal readiness, and evaluate deals — no setup required.
Get on Gumroad
UK business guide £19
AI for Your Small Business
A UK owner's guide to Claude for Small Business — VAT, GDPR, Making Tax Digital, and step-by-step workflows that save 5–10 hours a month on admin. Written for UK founders, not a US audience.
Get on Gumroad
Prompt library £39
AI Prompts for Property
50 ready-to-use AI prompts for property professionals — financial analysis, ESG reporting, client communications, and investment memos. Copy, paste, get results.
Get on Gumroad
Decision tool £49
Deal Tester
Enter your deal inputs — purchase price, yield, financing, exit assumptions — and get a structured go/no-go output with commentary. A decision framework, not a spreadsheet to build.
Get on Gumroad
Monthly £9/mo
PropTech AI Radar
Monthly curated intelligence on AI tools, regulatory shifts, and use cases relevant to real estate professionals. I read everything so you don't have to.
Subscribe on Gumroad
Writing

Practical guides & analysis

In-depth articles on AI, ESG, and digital assets in real estate — written for professionals who want substance, not summaries.

Free download — The AI Output Review. A one-page checklist for interrogating any AI output (AVM, forecast, AI-drafted report) before you rely on it — aligned to the RICS AI standard.
Download the framework (PDF)
AI in Real Estate · New
The RICS AI standard is now in force: what it requires and how to comply
The responsible-use-of-AI standard became mandatory on 9 March 2026. What it asks of surveyors and firms — plus a free one-page review framework to download.
Read article →
AI in Real Estate · Featured
How is AI actually being used in real estate right now — and what doesn't work yet?
An honest practitioner's map of AI use cases by maturity level — what's production-ready, what's promising, and what's still hype.
Read article →
ESG & Sustainability · Featured
MEES compliance for UK landlords: what you actually need to do before 2030
A plain-English guide to EPC requirements, timelines, the 2030 deadline, and the October 2029 window most landlords are missing.
Read article →
Tokenisation · Featured
What does it mean to tokenise real estate — how does it actually work?
From blockchain basics to SPV ownership structures — a plain-English guide to how real estate tokenisation works in practice.
Read article →
↓ View all articles (14)
AI in Real Estate
The RICS AI standard is now in force: what it requires and how to comply
The responsible-use-of-AI standard became mandatory on 9 March 2026 for all RICS members and firms. What it requires — and how to comply, with a free framework.
Read article →
AI in Real Estate
How is AI actually being used in real estate right now — and what doesn't work yet?
An honest practitioner's map of AI use cases by maturity level — what's production-ready, what's promising, and what's still hype.
Read article →
AI Agents
What can AI agents actually do in real estate — and what can't they do yet?
A researcher-practitioner's assessment of agent capabilities across data aggregation, ESG scoring, lease abstraction, and more.
Read article →
Tokenisation
What does it mean to tokenise real estate — how does it actually work?
From blockchain basics to fractional ownership structures — a clear explanation of how real estate tokenisation works in practice.
Read article →
ESG & Sustainability
MEES compliance for UK landlords: what you actually need to do before 2030
A plain-English guide to EPC requirements, timelines, and what landlords actually need to do before the deadlines arrive.
Read article →
ESG & Sustainability
UK SRS for Real Estate: How AI Can (and Can't) Help You Comply
What property companies must disclose under UK SRS, where AI genuinely helps, and where human judgement remains essential.
Read article →
ESG & Sustainability
GRESB 2026: What Changed and How AI Can Help You Score Higher
GRESB is aligning with UK SRS. Here's what changed, where most firms lose points, and how AI can improve your submission.
Read article →
ESG & Sustainability
Scope 3 for Landlords: A Practical Guide to Measuring What You Can't See
Data hierarchy, estimation methods, and how to make your Scope 3 methodology defensible for UK SRS.
Read article →
ESG & Sustainability
The UK SRS Assurance Gap: Is Your Sustainability Data Audit-Ready?
Third-party assurance is coming. Where property firms typically fail, and what to do before the auditors arrive.
Read article →
ESG & Sustainability
From EPC to Net Zero: Using AI to Build a Property Transition Plan
How to use AI to build a transition plan grounded in actual portfolio data — not just aspirations.
Read article →
ESG & Sustainability
5 Data Gaps That Will Sink Your First UK SRS Disclosure
The five data gaps causing the most pain for UK property firms — and what to do about each one before the deadline.
Read article →
AI & Financial Media
Does Jim Cramer's Voice Move Markets?
The way financial broadcasters deliver news may influence trading behaviour independently of the content. Introducing the Acoustic-Textual Divergence Score.
Read article →
AI & Financial Media
What Your Lender Is Really Hearing
ESG media tone shapes property lending decisions. How coverage is entering its high-arousal phase — and what that means for valuations and capital allocation.
Read article →
AI & Financial Media
Can AI Hear What We Can't?
Inside the methodology of acoustic sentiment analysis — how AI can decompose broadcast delivery into a financial signal that text alone cannot capture.
Read article →
Newsletter

AI and ESG — a fortnightly briefing

Thinking at the intersection of artificial intelligence and sustainable real estate. For practitioners who want analysis, not announcements.

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Written from inside real estate — not from the outside looking in.

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Academic rigour with practical application. No fluff, no filler.

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Academic work

Research & publications

Peer-reviewed research in PropTech, ESG, digital assets, and AI in real estate. University of Manchester.

2026
PropTech Innovations in Real Estate Investment and Finance: Sustainable Futures
Routledge · Book
2025
Board Gender Diversity and Environmental Practice in Global REITs: Examining the Impact on Policies and Outcomes
Journal of Sustainable Finance and Investment
2025
Automated Machine Learning for Real Estate Valuation
University of Manchester Research · AI valuation system
2023
Capitalising the Network Externalities of New Land Supply in the Metaverse
Working Paper · University of Manchester
2022
Retail Tenant Mix Effect on Shopping Mall's Performance
Journal of Property Investment and Finance
2020
Imagining a Post-Covid-19 World of Real Estate
Town Planning Review · with Carson, Nanda, Thanos, Valtonen
2020
Forced Homeward: The Covid-19 Implications for Housing
Town Planning Review · with Nanda, Thanos, Valtonen, Zandieh
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