american institute of architects
Green Building Policy in a
Changing Economic Environment
• More than 53 million Americans live in cities with green
building programs; and
Buildings are currently the largest single source of emis- • 24 of the 25 most populated metropolitan regions in the
sions to our environment. Forty percent of all carbon emis- U.S. are built around cities with a green building policy.
sions come from the buildings that you live, work and play Close to 21 percent of surveyed communities have green
in, and believe it or not, these buildings are affecting global building programs, rising from 14 percent of cities in 2007.
warming more than automobiles. Everyone takes it as a However, the true number continues to be greater, because
given that if we fix cars, make them smaller and more fuel our data has been limited to cities with populations greater
efficient, than we will in effect fix our environment, but the than 50,000, thereby leaving out many smaller communi-
truth is that in order to truly create a sustainable future we ties’ impressive sustainability efforts.
must fix buildings by designing and building them green. In addition to identifying new programs that have been
Architects can play a transformative role in this process, developed in the past two years, the report sought to ask
and at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) we are cities whether they have altered their original green build-
approaching sustainability and green buildings with a so- ing policy guidelines in light of the economic downturn.
lutions-based approach incorporating the business case for These cities responded with a resounding “no” from coast
green buildings, which has become immeasurably stronger to coast. Furthermore, our report finds that cities are inte-
over the last decade as green material prices have decreased grating green building policies into wider economic devel-
and knowledge of green design has increased. Numerous opment goals.
studies have shown that green buildings can be built for While we know that the design and construction indus-
little or no additional cost, with general premiums ranging try is experiencing tremendous pain during this economic
from zero to two percent. The payback period in savings recession, it is heartening to see community leaders and
is more than offset in the additional cost, with energy and policy implementers pushing ahead with sustainable design
water savings accruing for years after the building is com- efforts. The downturn has had a devastating effect on con-
pleted. Our country must become energy independent for struction in general, but sustainable building design contin-
the environment as well as our security, and green building ues to maintain and improve its market share.
has a large part to play in this effort. Green Building Policy in a Changing Economic Envi-
We believe that buildings need to be carbon neutral by ronment seeks to follow up on the important recommenda-
2030, meaning that all newly built buildings in the next tions offered in A Study of Green Building Programs in Our
21 years gradually use less and less electricity and that the Nation’s Communities. These recommendations have now
electricity that they do use they produce through solar, wind been augmented with a further four recommendations gar-
and geothermal sources. This goal is possible and numer- nered from the latest research.
ous organizations, government associations, localities and Green building policies continue to flourish and prolifer-
architectural firms have signed on to this challenge. ate, even during this prolonged economic downturn, and the
The AIA has sought to develop resources and tools future looks bright for sustainable design. The ultimate goal
through our Local Leaders in Sustainability study for cities is for the concept of “building green” to no longer exist, and
across the country that are developing or expanding green instead have green design integrated into all buildings. This
building programs. Green Building Policy in a Changing day is soon approaching, and the AIA is advocating for poli-
Economic Environment, due to be released his summer, cies to make this green future a reality.
is the fourth report in this series. By updating and adding For more information on the full report visit
to our original report on green cities, we hope to provide
www.aia.org/advocacy/local.
policymakers and implementers with the tools to navigate
a changed economic landscape and keep a strong emphasis
on making their communities more sustainable.
Taking advantage of research compiled by the AIA over
the past three years, this edition of Local Leaders in Sus-
rade
tainability has found:
• 138 cities with green building programs, or more than
Design T one in five cities surveyed. This is 50 percent increase in
Brooks Rainwater
green building programs since 2007;
Director, Local Relations for AIA
40
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