Building Green for Quality of Life Improvements

Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council, writes for Smart Cities Dive to make the case for improvements in building construction for the benefit of quality of life in the United States.

Ramanujam uses the example of Atlanta to begin the story:

Utility costs are a very real concern in Atlanta, where residents spend on average 48% of their income on housing, utilities and transportation. And for the more than 336,000 households whose incomes are at or below the poverty line, that percentage can be even higher.

Building better, according to Ramanujam, can be a powerful way to improve quality of life. "Better homes, better schools, better hospitals, better offices." In fact, writes Ramanujam, the true measure of success of buildings won't necessarily be measured in terms of environmental outcomes, but in the health and well-being of residents.