{"id":7062,"date":"2013-08-20T05:00:51","date_gmt":"2013-08-20T12:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=7062"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:30:09","slug":"budget-based-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/budget-based-green\/","title":{"rendered":"Green and Affordable"},"content":{"rendered":"

Green building has gained momentum in the affordable housing sector, providing some of society\u2019s marginalized residents with hip, eco-friendly\u2014and budget friendly\u2014living accommodations.<\/p>\n

\"Sierra<\/a>
Sierra Bonita – green affordable housing in Southern California. Photo via Patrick Tighe Architecture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It has been a long time coming but it is finally here: affordable housing has blossomed from the ugly ducklings of architecture into beautiful swans, complete with coveted interiors, state-of-the-art green features and unique exteriors that boost local pride.<\/p>\n

As experience plucks away the myths that surround green building expenditures, more cities seek developers who are willing to offer sustainable, beautiful solutions for low-income housing. This shift is a reasonable route to take; studies suggest that low-income residents are in the greatest need of cash savvy and health conscious resources.<\/p>\n

The Uphill Crawl<\/b><\/p>\n

Just as quickly as builders gained consciousness of sustainable development in the 60s and 70s, they seemed to forget. By the 1980s, green building lost its momentum. \u00a0The housing industry witnessed a notable increase in green building projects at the turn of the 21st<\/sup> century. Though the economy struggled towards the end of the first decade, the number of green building projects in the pipeline continued to increase. Such proposals and have now reached record heights.<\/p>\n

While the amount of green building certifications increased for traditional housing, businesses and institutions, green affordable housing lagged woefully behind. Various organizations released reports on the benefits of green building within affordable housing\u2014such as The Cost and Benefits of Green Affordable Housing<\/a> and Green Affordable Housing Within Our Reach<\/a>\u2014but cities and builders proved slow to catch on. Within the last seven years, however, this sector has welcomed an influx of environmentally conscious projects.<\/p>\n

Planetizen<\/a> released a summary of Global Green USA\u2019s Progress and Possibilities Report, indicating that affordable green building has become a priority for many states\u2019 Qualified Allocation Plans. States now implement more<\/p>\n

\"Balconies<\/a>
Balconies and amphitheater at Via Verde<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

third-party standards to measure the sustainability of new builds and renovations. In the first report, issued in 2005, only 8 states listed third-party green building certifications. The most recent report listed 15 states with the majority of funded, low-income housing projects in pursuit of green building certification.<\/p>\n

Many municipalities have come to realize that sustainable building offers an array of direct and indirect returns. In addition to potential savings on building and operation costs, cities that support green, low-income housing may experience the following benefits:<\/p>\n