GlobaCorp

Can a housing development project be concerned with environmental and social issues and still be profitable? We at Globacorp believe that it is attainable with proper planning. There are numerous sustainable developers around the globe whose work counters some of the widely held misconceptions among traditional developers regarding the financial viability of going green in real estate development:

Many traditional developers fear that following a green agenda will delay project schedules and raise costs. However, the reality is that well-executed green development projects perform extremely well financially. In fact, even though many of the leading-edge developers have strong environmental backgrounds and ideals, the financial rewards of green development are now bringing traditional developers into the fold at an increasing pace. It is possible -indeed it is the norm- to do well financially by doing the right thing environmentally. For example, project costs can be reduced, buyers or renters will spend less to operate green buildings, and developers can differentiate themselves from the crowd, thereby realizing a substantial marketing boost.

Some of the general benefits of green development are decreased capital costs, reduced operating expenses, health and productivity benefits, higher perceived value and quality, staying ahead of regulations, and the satisfaction of doing the right thing.

In order for a housing development to have a sustainable approach, whether a planned development or traditional neighborhood development (TND) or new urbanist project, the developer must consider land use, site planning, and building design in a sustainable manner, and consider land-use issues as paramount in the overall planning process. For this reason, it is difficult to find examples of subdivisions that are sustainable. If the developer of a subdivision or housing development wishes to incorporate sustainability into the project design, they most likely will consider some form of planned community or form of development which considers the land-use aspect in a more environmentally sound manner.

Subdivisions are the development form most closely associated with sprawl, a negative land-use pattern that consumes inordinate amounts of land and resources and is now becoming recognized as a major threat to quality of life in America and other developed countries.