Building the business case for green affordable housing

Abstract

The emerging business-driven case for green affordable housing reveals six drivers of profitability: 1) access to international green finance flows for better financing terms; 2) minimized incremental cost through early planning; 3) faster sales through market differentiation; 4) savings on utility bills for owners and renters; 5) lowered default rates and superior collateral value for green mortgages; and 6) fiscal and non-fiscal incentives from local or national governments. Additionally, fiscal and non-fiscal incentives from local or national governments can further catalyse the market. Case studies from several emerging markets show that the right combination of government incentives (including non-fiscal policies), education and technical assistance to developers (including a no-cost option), and green finance (including green bonds and green mortgages) can transform housing markets. In order to reflect the total life-time cost of ownership, the concept of affordability in housing should include the impact of resource-efficiency and resilience on the costs and risks of ownership.