Sustainability initiatives in commercial real estate are increasingly focusing on social value, in addition to environmental goals. According to JLL’s Responsible Real Estate: Social Value survey, 40% of corporates plan to complete biodiversity projects by 2025 and 33% indicated they would create green spaces for public use. One example is a global bank company in Dubai that opens its lobby each week for local farmers who display their products through an interior farmers market. This supports local growers and their families while providing access to healthy food with a low carbon footprint.
Real estate stakeholders can also partner together to provide value across communities via placemaking initiatives such as The Washington Housing Initiative which focuses on delivering affordable housing and neighborhoods for working-class Americans in the DC area. However, measuring success can be difficult since more qualitative social benefits often go beyond organization’s four walls; though one quarter of respondents from JLL’s survey already collect real time data and use advanced analytics for future strategies according Marie Puybaraud, Global Head of Research at Future of Work .
