The world’s urban population is expected to reach 6 billion people by the year 2050. Currently, 3.5 billion people live in urban areas. 1 This number doubling of course means that more infrastructures, more food, more water, and more energy will be needed. The question is: how do we make our cities sustainable? Several cities have taken the lead on eco-friendly . The next city I want to spotlight is one that I was surprised but excited to learn about—Dallas, Texas.2
Green Building Standards
iPortland, Oregon has long been touted as one of the United States’ greenest cities.3 However, Dallas is a force to be reckoned with since its commitment to having all new construction, both residential and commercial, meet their Green Building Standards. The Dallas city government states that they recognize, “the fundamental link between building codes’ intent of safeguarding the public health, safety, and general welfare and preserving a safe and healthy natural environment.”4
The Dallas green building resolution was first adopted unanimously in April 2008. Phase 1 of this resolution went into effect in 2009 and Phase 2 just went into effect a year ago, on October 1, 2013. Now, all new construction projects in Dallas city limits must either meet the Dallas Green Construction Code requirements, be , be Green Built Texas certified, or be certified by an equivalent third-party green building standard. As an incentive, the review of a project will be expedited if the project at least meets the Dallas Green Construction Code, the LEED Silver certification (which is the second level out of four levels), or the ASHRAE 189.1-2011 certification.5 ASHRAE certification is based on the international Green Construction Code™.6
In general, all projects must reduce water usage by 20%. This focus was chosen because effects.10
While there has been resistance to Dallas’ green building regulations, especially in regards to requiring private residence construction to meet these standards, the implementation has been considered successful. One of the reasons for its success is because the law allows the developer to choose from many different certification options, instead of forcing all developers to use the same agency.11 Thus, this success is also predicated on all of the certification options actually furthering environmentally sustainability in a significant manner.
Effects of Green Building Standards
iiAside from the fact that Dallas’ Green Building Standards conserve water and building materials, the standards are expected to have other positive impacts as well. The Dallas city government refers to economic growth in their push for sustainable development: “Incorporating sustainability through energy efficiency, water conservation, and resource reuse and reduction translates into a stronger economy and area growth.”12 Texas currently has the third largest concentration of may represent more than half of commercial construction projects by 2016. It has also been predicted that the residential green building industry may be worth $114 billion by 2016.13
These major expansion predictions for the green building industry are bolstered by the fact that the growth rates for green products and services are higher than those for conventional products. For instance, between 2002 and 2011, the organic food industry grew 238 percent while the overall food industry only grew 33 percent. These findings come from “The Big Green Opportunity” study, which surveyed over 1,300 businesses in 2012. In this survey, 79% of small businesses responded that offering green products and services made their business more competitive. Most interestingly in relation to Dallas, between 2005 and 2011, during the height of the recession, the U.S. green building industry grew 1,700% while the overall U.S. construction industry shrank 17%. By 2011, green building projects represented 38% of the U.S. construction industry. In 2005, it represented only 5%.14
It will be exciting to watch Dallas pave the way as a model for what city government-endorsed green development could look like in cities across the United States.
