Many cities and towns have found that providing incentives for green building can accelerate the transition to sustainable development. These can include

• Tax incentives, especially tax abatements for buildings meeting LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) "silver" or higher accreditation.

• Increased Floor-to-Area Ratios (FAR) which allow developers to construct larger buildings than typically permitted by current zoning.

• Accelerated permit and building review processing for green building projects.

Resources:

The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties Research Foundation recently completed an excellent report entitled "Green Building Incentives That Work: A Look at How Local Governments Are Incentivizing Green Development." Download the pdf.

The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy has a listing of various state and local programs for incentivizing green building. The largest, most comprehensive list is for the State of California.