China’s emerging inland cities such as Chengdu, Wuhan, Xi’an, and Changsha are gaining attention for real estate investment and development opportunities, a trend that suggests a pullback from some of China’s mature coastal markets that are perceived as overbuilt, according to a new report released May 18 from the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Mainland China Real Estate Markets 2012: ULI Analysis of City Investment Prospects is the second annual report on China cities, and gauges investment and development prospects for 28 of China’s largest markets over the next 12 months. It includes seven with populations exceeding 8.5 million; 20 with populations ranging from 1.6 million to 6.4 million and one – Sanya – with less than 750,000. The top ranked city for investment possibilities was Chengdu, followed by Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Shenzhen. Chengdu also scored the highest ranking for development potential, reflecting its appeal to corporations seeking to relocate operations from more expensive coastal sites, notes the report…

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