Housing Indicators for Sustainable Cities in Middle-Income Countries through the Residential Urban Environment Recognized Using Single-Family Housing Rating Systems

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of the housing indicators used by the singlefamilyhousing rating systems (SHRSs), in which the residential urban environment (RUE)influences buildings’ certification scores, emphasizing the relationships of six systems developedby middle‐income countries (MICs)—BEST, CASA, GBI, BERDE, Green Homes, and LOTUS—andthe two most‐recognized rating systems, BREEAM and LEED. The aim is to provide new housingindicators that are capable of bringing the concept of sustainability into the cities of MICs. Theresults reveal that the percentage of influence that single‐family housing (SFH) can achieve in themetric established by each system is relatively low. However, considering all of the identifiedindicators, this influence could increase to 53.16% of the total score in multi‐criteria evaluations.Furthermore, a significant lack of indicators for mandatory criteria evaluations was found, withCASA being the only system that considers their inclusion. This paper identifies 37 indicators formulti‐criteria assessments and two for mandatory‐criteria assessments, providing new perspectiveson several topics. Furthermore, the methodology established to obtain the indicators could be usefulfor other researchers in the identification of new sustainable indicators.

Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Urban Sustainability in Social Housing Using the Casa Azul Label and SBTool Urban in Brazil

“…However, it can be observed that the application of certain tools must be in line with the normative and legal context of the place in question. Managers and consultants need to understand the social, economic, and environmental characteristics to follow the most appropriate procedures [20]. References [12,13] points out that methodologies, such as LEED, BREEAM, and SBTool, were initially developed according to the realities of their countries of origin and, then, were adapted to the circumstances of each country in which they were applied.…”

“…The studies carried out in Mexico by [13,20] indicate that housing developed by the funding program for housing solutions obtained low qualifications according to building sustainability rating systems, with deficiencies concerning materials, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and management. The authors have also pointed out that Mexican sustainable social housing does not comply with other global certifications among all indicators, as much as we could detect in Brazil, mainly those that depend on urban indicators.…”

“…Scientific research has been conducted to understand the potential of the Casa Azul label, as well as its limitations. Many research works, such as [16][17][18][19][20], have considered its applicability in specific situations and in a wider scope, which enables professionals to verify the limitations and potential of the certification. Reference [15] carried out a comparative study between the Casa Azul Label and LEED, BREEAM, and AQUA-HQE [9], grouping similar requirements for certifications into categories.…”

Comparison of Slovakia Regions Based on Scoring Method

“…There is number of different housing market indicators that help identify the magnitude and nature of housing affordability problems and their geographic distribution. -Márquez et al (2019) presented a comparative analysis of the housing indicators used by the single-family housing rating systems, in which the residential urban environment influences buildings' certification scores, emphasizing the relationships of six systems developed by middle-income countries (MICs) and the two most-recognized rating systems. The aim was to provide new housing indicators that are capable of bringing the concept of sustainability into the cities of MICs.…”

Quantification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wood-Plastic Recycled Composite (WPRC) and Verification of the Effect of Reducing Emissions through Multiple Recycling

“…Method), and GB tool (Green Building Tool) are well-known systems for evaluating the environmental performance of buildings. Comparative studies of these evaluation systems are underway [2,3]. In this, for example, an evaluation factor included in LEED is the use of building materials that quantify GHG emissions based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) method.…”