Green Building Programs And Urban Sustainability

Introduction

Green building programs have gained popularity in modern development. The green building programs seek to reduce the overall energy consumption, environmental impact and increase the overall comfort and health of the occupants and the people in the surrounding urban environment. Numerous considerations must be held into account through a conscious approach to ensure that green technology is applicable in the construction and the development of the region. If implemented, Green building programs have the potential to improve the overall environment of the urban landscape. Enhancing the health of the urban community would be just one of the many benefits of these programs. The air quality would be greatly improved as well as a major reduction in pollution from storm runoff. Green building programs will also have a direct influence on the natural environment. One way this will happen is that programs such as LEED have requirements that require developers to use more efficient and cleaner technologies including alternative energy sources. Not only do these programs benefit the environment and the people but green building programs also offer cost effective economic benefits. Instead of demolishing and building new buildings, green programs seek to retrofit or adapt older buildings into something that is more efficient and much cheaper to construct. The research question in this research study is the determination of how green building programs benefit urban sustainability. The study seeks to evaluate the main benefits that emanate from the implementation of Green building technology.

Enhancing health and social amenities in urban areas

The green technologies and programs relate to social affairs and equity through numerous various factors. The first factor that relates to the social affairs of human beings is the quality of air that is a given building through green building technologies. It leads to the appropriate health environment owing to the nature of a given building adheres to the guidelines that have been established by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). Other social factors such as appropriate work environment, psychological satisfaction of the patients are also associated with the green programs in the process of construction. Thorough research on the connection of the green programs to the health and social affairs is appropriate in gaining knowledge on the topic.

An alternative source of energy

The focus of green building technology and programs is mainly to provide an alternative source of power to the homes and businesses. The fuel sources are at the verge of completion, and this requires appropriate planning for the energy sources that need to be implemented. The provision of the use of the alternative sources of energy is crucial in the determination processes that need to be applied as the sources of energy. According to research, there is a huge tendency of creating large buildings after which they are left alone. The situation later through this concept is reduced land for construction with poor aeration and other amenities. The degradation of the forgotten buildings results in pollution and waste of the resources since the majority of the materials are dumped. The role of the green building programs in the construction process is the provision of the efficient energy mechanisms that seeks to reduce the waste and recycling of the existing buildings. The overall impact is improving the community and the urban areas for which the building is located.

Cost-effectiveness

The green programs are connected in a huge way to the economy and the overall cost of the construction process. The green energy applies materials that are less complicated and therefore would take a convenient approach during the process of construction. The development of new technologies and skills provides local businesses from the environment, and this has a huge effect on the overall cost. The provision of the jobs implies that these new types of buildings require the implementation of new skills and knowledge and this provides the required empowerment. The utility costs on the wastes such as energy and water are reduced, and this is reflected in the overall cost. The LEED program which provides a rating to the building motivates the companies to enhance the green technology as fast as possible. Environment and natural resources

The sustainability of an urban area is defined by the ability of the areas to continue supporting the life it holds. It applies in the context of the environmental ability of the region to support the people even in the future. Preservation of the natural resources encompasses vital components such as water, air quality and the temperature conditions. The water must be sufficient, and the application of systems that ensure that there is no waste of water is critical in a building. The protection of the water sources and the overall green environment acts in a good way of enhancing efficiency. The reduction of emissions in the buildings and the environment, in general, ensures that the building adheres to the guidelines such that the pollutants that come from a given building are mitigated. The design and the construction procedures facilitate the green building programs due to the enhanced features in the buildings. Understanding the concept of environmental sustainability is critical in understanding the role of the green features in facilitating the ambient conditions for the sustainability of natural resources.

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