Building Green: The Geography of LEED-Certified Buildings and Professionals

Cidell, Julie L.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/50764 Copy

Description

Title

Building Green: The Geography of LEED-Certified Buildings and Professionals

Author(s)

Cidell, Julie L.

Issue Date

2009

Keyword(s)

• urban sustainability
• buildings
• energy
• spatial distribution
• standards

Geographic Coverage

United States

Abstract

One of the most important attempts to reduce the environmental impacts of the built environment is through the construction of green buildings. This paper examines the geography of the emerging green building industry through a study of the spatial distribution of two different elements of that industry. The first element is the location and diffusion of green buildings themselves as certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) through their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. There is a clear shift from an original concentration in major coastal cities to a more even distribution across the country, with broad representation across commercial, public, and non-profit owners. The second area of study is the spatial distribution of LEED-accredited professionals, who are accredited by the USGBC to oversee the certification process. The distribution of these professionals matches existing concentrations of population, suggesting two different geographies of building green.

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50764

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

National Science Foundation; Campus Research Board

Owning Collections