The Built Environment

Blog Assignment – Built Environment Brandy O'Quinn

When I think of Sustainable Development, I think of the “built environment”. And when I think of the built environment, mostly, I do not think of Sustainable Development. “Built Environment” is defined as development that is human-made (versus natural) resources and infrastructure designed to support human activity, such as buildings, roads, parks, and other amenities. (Countyhealthrankings.org) Sustainable Development is defined as "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (World Bank Group)

Buildings use huge amounts of fossil fuels, (Betsy del Monte, The Beck Group) in fact, they contribute close to 40% of our carbon dioxide emissions in this country alone. Recognizing this, other countries have implemented “green” regulations for all new construction and requiring more “adaptive reuse”. It is estimated that increased efficiency in buildings would save the US economy $130 billion per year while reducing emissions by 1.1 gigatons a year. Including in these startling statistics are the programs dedicated to spur the retrofit of old, inefficient homes and buildings will create jobs and save consumers money.(USGBC)

Building Codes are created to provide minimum standards to safeguard life or limb, health, property and public welfare by regulating and controlling the design, construction, quality of materials, use and occupancy, etc. (Megan Topham’s Blog Assign. Notes) These codes drive whether we are building green or sustainable or whether we continue to emit more carbon and, which needs to be included, filling our landfills with the scraping of existing buildings. In the past decade, many countries have enacted building codes that encourage or mandate green development. Green development is a land use planning concept that includes consideration of community-wide or regional environmental implications of development, as well as site-specific green building concepts. This includes city planning, environmental planning, architecture, and community building. (Wikipedia)

In this country, US Green Building Council was created and launched Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). It wasn’t meant to be the “bible” for all “green development” but the competitive need by some building owners to have a plaque for the LEED certification has increased thus increasing more sustainable sites with water efficiency, energy conservation, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and encourages innovation. This is only part of the story.

Changing the way we build offers a huge opportunity to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through tax incentives, grants, reduced fees, low interest loans, rebates, density bonuses but most of all, changing the building codes at the local level that mandates green development and encourages mixed use sustainable development. It would encourage brownfield redevelopment, adaptive reuse, smart growth (form based codes), urban revitalization and reinventing suburban business districts that are sustainable; not just renewed for now.