West Coast Tops in Green Building

Here's a question you might be pondering: why does one market tend to have more LEED-certified (green, that is) buildings than another?

Actually, I was thinking about that this week as I'm in Portland, Oregon checking out design and sustainability projects, and you can't get through a rain-soaked day without being impressed with this self-proclaimed green capital's green commitment. Consider, for example, the Oregon Sustainability Center, a $100-million project to design and build the world's most sustainable large-scale building in the world.

So it came as some surprise to learn that goody-goody green San Francisco had snagged the number one spot on the Green Building Opportunity Index - a study that ranks top U.S. office markets on the basis of real estate fundamentals and green development considerations - while Portland pulled in at a measly 12th.