AIA Report Notes Dramatic Increase in Green Building Programs

Despite a global economic crisis, or maybe because of it, more and more municipalities are getting religious about building green – and developing policies to promote energy-efficient building.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reports that more than one in five U.S. cities with populations greater than 50,000 have such policies -- accounting for more than 53 million Americans. The number of U.S. cities with green building programs has increased 50% in two years from 92 cities in 2007 to138 cities today. Furthermore, 24 of the 25 most populated metropolitan regions are built around cities with a green building policy.

In the AIA’s new report, Green Building Policy in a Changing Economic Environment, is an inventory of policies and best practices intended to help policymakers advance a more sustainable legislative agenda for growth and development. Green buildings generally include energy-efficient designs and other sustainable features. The report also contains detailed case studies of the green building programs in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Nashville, and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“It is encouraging that cities are recognizing the economic benefits of energy-efficient buildings, and equally encouraging that the number of programs across the country are increasing despite such difficult economic conditions,” said AIA Executive Vice President and CEO, Christine McEntee. “Our ultimate goal is to achieve carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030 and that all design projects will be sustainable as a matter of course.”

The report particularly noted that the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is providing "an unprecedented opportunity for the advancement of green building and sustainability efforts in our nation's cities."

The rise in green building programs is also reflected in the continued construction of Energy Star-qualified homes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 11, 2009 that the program had surpassed one million Energy Star-qualified homes since 1995. This year alone, families living in Energy Star-qualified homes will save more than $270 million on their utility bills, while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from about 370,000 vehicles.

Highlights from the AIA report:

• 138 cities have green building programs, compared with 92 cities in 2007 – an increase of 50 percent
• 24 of the 25 most populated metropolitan regions in the United States are built around cities with a green building policy
• The Western region has the most green building programs with 56 cities in just six states
• The Mountain region is second in the percentage of cities with green building programs, with 24 percent of residents living in those cities
• The Eastern region has seen a 75 percent rise in green building programs since 2007
• The central region has 21 cities with green building programs

The report also recommended a number of measures for municipalities that want to improve their green building policies, including:

• Hire a director of sustainability
• Train and accredit municipal employees
• Pursue green economic development
• Implement additional sustainability initiatives
• Remove legal barriers
• Make program regional
• Take community-wide approach to green building and planning
• Utilize training and experience of architects
• Be inclusive
• Keep it simple

Commenting on the report, Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, said: “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is helping to move sustainability efforts forward, with programs such as the Energy Efficient and Conservation Block Grant that are providing an unprecedented opportunity for the advancement of green building efforts nationwide. The inclusion of strong green building provisions in energy and climate legislation before Congress shows that our message about the importance of sustainable design is getting through.”