Global cities with eco-credentials
Where are some of the most planet-friendly places to live? Lucy Davis finds cities in Europe, Scandinavia and Australia all score high in the green stakes
When it comes to buying a house, it’s not just size and location that we consider any more. As the world becomes more environmentally aware, we also want to invest in homes that will cause minimum harm to the earth. The growing concern over the sorry state of the planet means the market for green properties - be that an eco-friendly home or real estate in the greenest corner of town - is increasing. So where exactly can one find such a property?
According to a recent Reader’s Digest survey, Munich is the greenest city in the world, being home to buildings such as the solar-powered BMW Welt and office complex An Den Brücken, which will generate electricity via photovoltaic panels upon completion next year. Aside from having an abundance of parks, including Englischer Garten, which is larger than New York’s Central Park, it also has an efficient public transport system, the Munich U-Bahn, helping residents reduce their daily emissions. In addition, Munich was one of the first world-cities to take recycling seriously, and its green dot system ensures companies pay up if they don’t streamline their packaging.
Munich’s Ackermannbogen housing estate is a prime example of Germanic green-ness, as its solar panels provide the complex with 50 percent of the hot water and central heating needed throughout the year. More generally, the district of Gern is often referred to as the green heart of Munich, and serviced apartments such as Dantestrasse and Karl Theodor are popular. To invest in that green German dream however, is not cheap, as prices start at HK$12,400 per square foot for properties in the centre of Munich.
Stockholm is considered one of the most desirable cities in the world to live in due to its convenient compactness, the friendliness of the Swedes, and its many green spaces. The absence of any heavy industries guarantees that Stockholm is one of Europe’s cleanest urban areas, and plans to abandon the use of fossil fuels entirely by 2050 will make the city even greener. The eco district of Hammarby Sjöstad – currently still under construction – has similar aims to Munich’s Ackermannbogen, with a focus on solar energy and sustainability. Bear in mind, though, that any property you purchase must be for your own use, as there is no buy-to-let market, and rent controls make it unprofitable to rent. If you’re still keen, then an 860-square-foot apartment in the city centre will set you back around HK$2.8 million.
One of the least densely populated cities in Europe, Oslo, is another environmentally city worth investing in – and it’s a much cheaper option than Stockholm, with properties costing HK$7,000 on average price per square foot. One initiative that the Norwegians have taken seriously is air pollution, and the government has promised to install 400 electric car charging/parking places over the next four years. Check out houses in Frogner, which is located near the marina, parks and several public beaches, or Østensjø, which is close to the hiking locale of Østmarka, and Lake Østensjøvannet, a protected wildlife reserve. Prices start at HK$3.4 million for a 538-square-foot apartment in the centre of the city.
Paris, the city of romance, boasts 3,000 hectares of green space and 455 parks and gardens. It will also be home to the world’s greenest office block, the Energy Plus Building. Presently under construction in the Genevelliers district, it is designed to consume no electricity other than that which it creates itself. On the residential front, you should check out houses in the arrondisements of Reuilly, which borders the Bois de Vincennes Park, the largest green area in Paris. Another green spot is Passy, close to the Bois de Boulogne. Prices start at HK$5.9 million for a 645-square-foot apartment in the centre of Paris.
Often referred to as Australia’s garden city, Melbourne is a low-density urban area, renowned for its tree-lined avenues and abundance of parks both in and surrounding the city; it also boasts over 100km of bike paths. The structures are green too, one prime example being the 60L Green building, a commercial structure that encourages tenants to share the responsibilities of waste reduction and sustainability. Another famous eco structure is CH2, the first building in Australia to achieve a six star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, thanks to its recycled timber louvres and wind-powered turbines.
Green areas in the city include the beautiful riverside districts of Richmond – subject to gentrification by the local government since the 1990s – and the peaceful port area of Williamstown. More specifically, Melbourne boasts the Westwyck, a small eco-development of townhouses that are material, water and energy efficient. In Melbourne, you are looking at paying around HK$2.5 million for a smart one-bedroom, one bathroom apartment.
Of course, there are plenty of other green properties in the world, and eco-friendly developments worth keeping an eye on in Asia include Treetops Punggol in Singapore (to be completed in 2011), which features a centralised chute for recyclable material on every floor, and Rabi Rashmi Abasan in Kolkata, India’s first completely solar-powered housing complex. Why not do your bit towards tackling global warming and invest in an eco property?
Click here to find out about China's eco-friendly building boom |
