It seems that Atlanta real estate is on the cutting edge! A new report from SiemensbizWatch shows that Atlanta is leading the way when it comes to the highest percentage of LEED certified buildings. The city has the most LEED certified buildings of any city included in the 27 city study. Atlanta also ranked in the study as the 21st greenest city, while San Francisco ranked as the top greenest city.
The study was conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and commissioned by Siemens. It assesses and compares 27 major U.S. and Canadian cities on environmental performance and policies across nine categories — CO2 emissions, energy, land use, buildings, transport, water, waste, air quality and environmental governance.
“Atlanta performed well in the buildings category by having the highest percentage of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified buildings in the index, thanks to its strict energy efficiency regulation for new buildings and the accelerated pace of certification,” Siemens noted. “Though ranked in the lower half of the Index in the water category, the city actively enacts strong policies to reduce water usage, and has a much lower water consumption rate per capita than all other high-temperature and many mid-temperature cities in the index.”
The rankings:
- San Francisco
- Vancouver
- New York
- Seattle
- Denver
- Boston
- Los Angeles
- Washington DC
- Toronto
- Minneapolis
- Chicago
- Ottawa
- Philadelphia
- Calgary
- Sacramento
- Houston
- Dallas
- Orlando
- Montreal
- Charlotte
- Atlanta
- Miami
- Pittsburgh
- Phoenix
- Cleveland
- St. Louis
- Detroit
“The Green Cities Index demonstrates that America’s cities are the driving force behind the nation’s sustainability efforts,” said Eric Spiegel, president and CEO, Siemens Corp. “Despite the fact that we do not have a federal climate policy in the United States—and no federal carbon standard—21 of the 27 cities in the index have already set their own carbon reduction targets. Cities are creating comprehensive sustainability plans, utilizing current technology and proving everyday that we don’t have to wait to create a more sustainable future.”
Atlanta Real Estate Forum congratulates our city for performing so well! What is your favorite Atlanta green building?