PUBLIC PERCEPTION TOWARDS GREEN DEVELOPMENTS

Abstract

While providing the basic need of sheltering, our homes created detrimental impacts on the environment at the same time. The environment is affected by the various stages of the building cycle - from construction; use, refurbishment to demolition. With increase in global environmental concerns and the buzz on sustainable developments, green developments present the solution of providing our basic needs while causing minimal harm to the environment. Despite the prevalence of green developments in other countries, the concept and development is still at its infancy stage in Singapore. The study aims to determine the current perception of the public on green developments and attempts to find out if they will pay a premium for it. By conducting face-to-face surveys, the public's views are gathered and recommendations on how to promote green developments are presented. The study showed that the public is generally concern about the environment and are conscious of the various negative impacts buildings exert on the environment. Purchasing a green development allows the public to take an active role in addressing these concerns. However, there is a considerable gap between the public's desires to protect the environment and their willingness to pay a premium for green developments. It was found that education, concern for the environment and enhanced awareness of green developments could aid in increasing the public's possibility of purchasing a green development and willingness to pay a premium.