UKGBC have published a report setting out the benefits (both financial and social) of incorporating green features in urban real estate.

At a time when ESG is at the forefront of the business agenda, UK real estate has a lot of catching up to do in the improvement of its green credentials. There has been some reluctance, centring around the cost of carrying out these improvements and (in the case of commercial real estate) friction between owners and occupiers who often have contradictory interests. For example, an occupier on a 10 year lease is unlikely to recover the service charge costs of green improvements, whereas an owner's interest is longer term. 

The report found that the main benefits include:

• increase in land and property value (especially considering the increase in green financing and the increased importance placed on ESG in investment decisions);
• energy usage (living walls and roofs can act as additional insulation);
• increased footfall;
• air quality;
• water quality and quantity (flood resilience);
• health and wellbeing;
• carbon storage and sequestration;
• temperature (shading and evaporative cooling);
• noise;
• biodiversity; and
• community (access to leisure and and recreational space).

The report also contains a good glossary of green terms.