Prominent Melbourne businessman Joe Gersh says there is still "serious and substantial" demand for well-designed inner-city apartments in the right locations after teaming up with listed Thailand developer Supalai on a $90 million project in Brunswick.

Mr Gersh, an ABC board member and a recent appointee to the board of ASX-listed fund manager Cromwell Property Group, said it was a "valid observation" that the trend of buyers preferring inner-city apartments over greenfield housing had slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic and that a "new appreciation of outer-urban living with backyard space" had emerged.