Sustainable
Well designed housing should promote energy and resource efficiency, not only because of the benefits it can have for residents, such as better health and lower utility bills, but also because of larger environmental concerns and the growing need to reduce consumption of natural resources. Currently, buildings are one of the largest consumers of natural resources, accounting for 39% of all energy use, 40% of raw material use, and 38% of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. As a result, the need for buildings to be built and maintained in a more efficient manner is more critical than ever.
“The Costs and Benefits of Green Affordable Housing,” a report produced in 2005 by New Ecology and the Green CDC’s Initiative, presents an analysis of 16 green affordable-housing case studies. At that time, their projects showed an incremental cost for sustainable building and green building products ranging from 18% below to 9% above total development costs for a similar conventional development. The average across all projects was a somewhat low 2.42%, with this increase primarily consisting of construction costs as opposed to design costs. This wide range of incremental costs is an indicator of the wide range of possible choices among building strategies when deciding to build green.
Buildings constructed sustainably can enhance the neighborhood by helping to maintain housing values, since energy efficient buildings will become more desirable as the cost of utilities and natural resources will assuredly to rise.
Resources
Building For Sustainability: Resources for Sustainable Building in Chicagoland:: An interactive guide designed by the Chicago Community Loan Fund that provides dedicated resources and information specific to the Chicago metropolitan area on the importance of sustainability in affordable housing developments. This website serves as a starting point for community developers interested in initiating, incorporating, or expanding sustainable design elements into their construction and rehab projects.
US Green Building Council: Chicago Chapter: "The USGBC-Chicago Chapter leads the regional transformation of the built environment to become ecologically sustainable, profitable and healthy. They achieve this through education, advocacy and collaboration."
Urban Habitat Chicago (UHC): This organization was, “formed in 2004 to demonstrate the viability of sustainable concepts and practices in urban environments through research, education, and hands-on projects They work at the intersections of urban agriculture, the built environment, materials recovery and reuse, and emerging local industries - focusing on creating seamless transitions in the cycles of resources at all scales."
http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/
Chicago Center for Green Technology: "Chicago Green Tech's building and campus are open for visitors to explore and to learn how green buildings are good for people and good for the environment. Visitors leave knowing how to incorporate environmentally friendly, cost saving features into their home or business. The building itself obtained the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Platinum rating in 2003, one of the few buildings at the time to have obtained such high recognition.”
http://greenaffordable.org/chicagoland/chicago-center-green-technology
Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA): “Provides education and resources to transform the residential design, development, construction and remodeling industries to profitably deliver energy efficient and environmentally responsible buildings and communities.”
