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Mitigating Climate Change through Green Buildings and Smart Growth

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  • Marilyn A Brown
  • Frank Southworth

Abstract

Energy-efficient buildings are seen by climate change experts as one of the least-cost approaches to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. This paper summarizes a study carried out for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change that takes a broader look at the potential role of a climate-friendly built environment including not only considerations of how buildings are constructed and used, but also how they interface with the electric grid and where they are located in terms of urban densities and access to employment and services. In addition to summarizing mechanisms of change (barriers and drivers) the paper reviews a set of policies that could bring carbon emissions in the building sector in 2025 almost back to 2004 levels. By the middle of the century the combination of green buildings and smart growth could deliver the deeper reductions that many believe are needed to mitigate climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • Marilyn A Brown & Frank Southworth, 2008. "Mitigating Climate Change through Green Buildings and Smart Growth," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 40(3), pages 653-675, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:40:y:2008:i:3:p:653-675
    DOI: 10.1068/a38419
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Leibowicz, Benjamin D. & Lanham, Christopher M. & Brozynski, Max T. & Vázquez-Canteli, José R. & Castejón, Nicolás Castillo & Nagy, Zoltan, 2018. "Optimal decarbonization pathways for urban residential building energy services," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 1311-1325.
    2. Leonid Gitelman & Mikhail Kozhevnikov, 2017. "Electrification as a Development Driver for “Smart Citiesâ€," Economy of region, Centre for Economic Security, Institute of Economics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, vol. 1(4), pages 1199-1210.
    3. Marcos Vinicius Bueno de Morais & Viviana Vanesa Urbina Guerrero & Edmilson Dias de Freitas & Edson R. Marciotto & Hugo Valdés & Christian Correa & Roberto Agredano & Ismael Vera-Puerto, 2019. "Sensitivity of Radiative and Thermal Properties of Building Material in the Urban Atmosphere," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-15, December.
    4. Yunxia Liu & Xunpeng Shi & Ya Ping Wang & Tao Sun, 2019. "Promoting Green Residential Buildings in China: Bridging the Gap between Design and Operation to Improve Occupants’ Residential Satisfaction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-18, June.

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