INDUSTRY STANDARDS
Dunkirk Estate
GOING GREEN
IS PROFITABLE
It’s good business to protect natural areas within your housing estate, not only because
they make it a nicer living space that can command a higher property price, but also
because the functions they provide have monetary value for both you as the property
owner and also the municipality within which you live.
Any greenfield development will have areas within the property that are
serving a function. For example, a small stream running through the
property is a natural drainage channel that directs excess water out of
the area and into larger streams. The swampy area around the edges
of the stream filters the water flowing in, holding silt and impurities,
and releasing higher quality water into the stream. The patch of healthy
grassland on the slopes of the hill above the stream soaks up rainfall and
then, after its plants and soil have taken what they need, lets the excess
drain slowly into the swamp.
developers to create havens of indigenous biodiversity within housing
developments.
In Australia, single-family home owners are willing to pay a 3.4%
premium on houses that have visual access to privately owned protected
areas. In the USA, home owners in Colorado are prepared to pay premium
for plots in conservation developments, which communally protect
large tracts of natural areas within the property. These plots also sell
faster than conventional plots. In Carolina, conservation developments
carry a 39% premium. Across the USA, 90% of home owners consider
environmental features to be important.
Translated into built-environment functions, this little system is a
natural storm-water drainage and water filtration system with an option
on water storage. Each of its three elements harbours different plants,
small wildlife and insects that provide other important functions, such
as pollination and producing healthy soils, that are important for others
in your municipality or province.
Willingness to pay is difficult to forecast, but it is increasingly evident
that natural areas and open spaces have a high attraction value for home
owners, and are also desirable to high-profile investors in the business
world.
What’s the big deal?
So it’s not surprising that more and more home owners seek out –
and are willing to pay higher prices for – lifestyle options that provide
higher quality of life, stimulating surrounds, and also contribute to the
protection of nature. This translates into a convincing incentive for
Many of the arguments for protecting and nurturing biodiversity and
natural habitats are well known. For a start, humans depend completely
on natural systems for their wellbeing and development.
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