New Urbanism, Smart Growth and Green Buildings: The Impact of LEED Neighborhood Certification on Condo Prices

Posted: 24 Oct 2013

See all articles by Julia Freybote

Julia Freybote

Portland State University

Hua Sun

Iowa State University

Xi Yang

Portland State University - School of Urban Studies and Planning

Date Written: October 22, 2013

Abstract

The US Green Building Council (USGBC) offers LEED certification for existing or new neighborhood developments that are in line with the new urbanism and smart growth concepts. We investigate whether LEED neighborhood certification 1) adds a premium to condo sales prices and 2) moderates the relationship of LEED building certification and sales prices. Using the Pearl District in Portland, Oregon as a laboratory and employing a second order spatio-temporal autoregressive model, we find no evidence that LEED neighborhood certification directly or indirectly affects sales prices. Our results suggest that, contrary to LEED building certification, LEED neighborhood certification fails to add value for condo buyers. We explain our findings with neighborhood delineation issues and the free rider problem as it relates to public goods. Interestingly, while condo buyers do not capitalize LEED neighborhood certification into sales prices, they appear to penalize the absence of it for condos in non-LEED certified buildings or neighborhoods in line with the dual factor theory. Our study has implications for developers and urban planners.

Keywords: New urbanism, LEED certification of neighborhoods, green buildings, high-density residential housing prices, spatio-temporal autoregressive models

JEL Classification: C11, R15, R31

Suggested Citation

Freybote, Julia and Sun, Hua and Yang, Xi, New Urbanism, Smart Growth and Green Buildings: The Impact of LEED Neighborhood Certification on Condo Prices (October 22, 2013). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2344050

Julia Freybote (Contact Author)

Portland State University ( email )

PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207
United States

Hua Sun

Iowa State University ( email )

Ames, IA 50011-2063
United States
1-5152947514 (Phone)

Xi Yang

Portland State University - School of Urban Studies and Planning ( email )

United States

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