By Christine McEntee

Despite an extended global economic slump and the paralyzing credit freeze that has put the brakes on many important construction projects over the last 14 months, a recent report from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) shows that one sector of building continues to thrive – green building.

Despite an extended global economic slump and the paralyzing credit freeze that has put the brakes on many important construction projects over the last 14 months, a recent report from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) shows that one sector of building continues to thrive – green building.

The recent study entitled Green Building Policy in a Changing Economic Environment revealed that 138 cities across the U.S. have green building programs in place – a 50 percent increase from 2007. According to the report, more than one in five U.S. cities with populations greater than 50,000 currently have a policy to promote green buildings – meaning 53 million Americans now live in cities with green building programs.

For those of us who have long-advocated for the improved quality-of-life, cost benefits and environmental advantages of green building, these findings are encouraging. Cities both large and small are moving beyond the economic benefits of energy-efficient buildings to actually implement programs to build a broader green infrastructure. This speaks to the widespread traction sustainability and green efforts have finally achieved.

The report details additional, positive findings, including:

- 24 of the 25 most populated metropolitan regions in the U.S. are built around cities with a green building policy.

- The Western region of the nation has the highest number of green building programs, spread across 56 cities in just six states – California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii and Alaska.

- The Mountain region has the second highest percentage of cities with green building programs, with 24 percent of residents living in those cities.

- The Eastern region has experienced a 75 percent increase in green building programs since 2007, while the Central region currently has 21 cities with green building programs.

For those interested in lobbying for, or enacting policy in, their own towns, the AIA offers a number of recommendations on how to begin. If your community has the funds, hiring a director of sustainability – usually within the mayor’s office – is one of the most direct paths. This official will be able to coordinate the multiple departments that are generally involved in developing a well-rounded green program. Additionally, training and accrediting municipal employees can help kickstart a program. These officials should get to know the rating systems that your community plans to use. Together, these groups ensure points of contact between the city, architects, planners, contractors and developers – creating a more congenial green community that can keep plan delays at a minimum.

If this type of hiring or training is not possible, cities can at least work to remove the legal or political barriers that might slow down a project or its ability to attain green status. Enacting laws to promote green buildings and sustainable development is encouraged – but removing old laws is also necessary. Many restrictive and outdated zoning laws and building codes prevent mixed-use development, greywater systems, and high or moderate density construction. Efforts should be examined holistically, to set the best policy for an individual city.

City officials might also want to consider partnering with other municipalities to start regional programs. This allows varying groups to share best practices and lessons learned which can help speed up the process of future building. It also provides a dose of healthy competition as cities try to be the de facto leader in their region.

Finally, when it doubt, keep it simple. Small steps, such as a tree planting program or the creation of a sustainable community garden, promoted locally, can generate a ripple effect that might lead to larger-scale projects.

Moving forward, the continued inclusion of strong green building provisions in energy and climate legislation before Congress – such as the provisions from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Energy Efficient and Conservation Block Grant – should help continue this positive growth trajectory. Imagine what the report, issued again 2011, could look like if we continue at, or exceed, this pace?

Christine McEntee is the Executive Vice President / CEO of the American Institute of Architects.