A new paper from the Next-Generation Cities Institute uses real-world examples to lay out the obstacles, opportunities and realities of sustainable real estate development.
The construction industry’s green pivot faces a number of challenges, even as more city governments and home buyers are increasingly pushing for more sustainable new homes and buildings. Among the obstacles standing in the way of greener construction are the industry’s natural cautious approach to innovation as well as its dominant profit models, which favour previously profitable habits and techniques.
In a new paper published in the journal Sustainability, three Concordia researchers from the Next-Generation Cities Institute (NGCI) outline those obstacles and offer practical incentives local governments can offer to encourage private green real estate development.
The study also looks at the key stakeholders and building life-cycle process to identify ways to reduce the industry’s overall carbon footprint. Change is urgently needed, they write: according to the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction and the United Nations Environment Program, construction and the built environment account for 38 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more at Concordia University
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