Green is Good – Sustainable Building in Affordable Housing Development

Across the country green building is a growing trend in the world of affordable housing development.  Early this year, FUND had the pleasure of attending the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards, which honors the efforts of both non-profit and for-profit developers to improve Chicago area neighborhoods.  One of this year’s winners that we were most impressed with was the LEED-certified Roseland Senior Campus, an affordable senior housing complex on the city’s South Side that includes features such as solar hot water and energy-efficient equipment and lighting to reduce energy costs.

Sustainable building in affordable housing increasingly makes sense due the many benefits it can create for tenants, including costs savings through reduced energy and water consumption as well as health benefits through the use of less toxic building materials and ventilation systems that improve indoor air quality.

We recently came across articles highlighting two new affordable housing developments in California that have incorporated sustainable design elements that will help reduce energy costs for tenants.  In Santa Monica, the Tahiti Housing Complex features a bamboo grove that naturally helps to keep the complex cool and reduce the need for air conditioning.  In Sacramento, Mercy Housing’s 7th and H housing development is slated to open this fall and will feature 680 solar panels to help generate power and heat the building’s water.

In the wake of the housing crisis an increasing number of Americans are opting out of homeownership and choosing to rent, which in turn is driving rental prices higher and leaving more Americans – particularly those with lower incomes – with fewer affordable housing choices.  If renting is to become a longer-term trend in the housing market, it will require government officials and developers to create more affordable housing options and give greater consideration to sustainable building practices.

Interested in learning more?  Chicago Community Loan Fund, a client of FUND Consulting, offers a comprehensive overview of both the costs and benefits of sustainable development in affordable housing in their Guide to Building for Sustainability.  While the guide provides many resources specific to the Chicago area, it is a good resource for introducing a broad range of audiences to sustainable building practices.  Additionally, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. provides a large number of resources on sustainable development in affordable housing from its Green Communities program.

What sustainable and affordable housing developments are happening in your area?  What types of green features do you think would have the biggest impact on the sustainability of these projects?