Greenwashed?: Developers, Environmental Consciousness, and the Case of Playa Vista

21 Pages Posted: 7 Jul 2008

See all articles by Matthew J. Parlow

Matthew J. Parlow

Chapman University, The Dale E. Fowler School of Law

Date Written: July 2008

Abstract

While many businesses are becoming greener, development corporations may have the greatest incentive to integrate environmental values into their everyday business practices. With the effects of urbanization, suburbanization, and sprawl, cities are increasingly requiring environmental mitigation measures for approval of new development. In response, some development corporations may become greenwashed to obtain discretionary land use approvals to build their proposed developments. Others may build greener developments to meet the market demand from environmentally conscious buyers. An increasing number of developers, however, adopt environmentally responsible business practices for, at least in significant part, altruistic reasons. A prime example of this phenomenon is Playa Vista, the more than 1000-acre development in Los Angeles that is currently the largest urban infill project in the country. Playa Vista serves as a useful case study for exploring how developers' inclusion of various stakeholders - particularly environmentalists - may signal a paradigm shift in how development occurs.

Keywords: development, development corporations, environment, mitigation, land use, greenwash

JEL Classification: K11, K32

Suggested Citation

Parlow, Matthew J., Greenwashed?: Developers, Environmental Consciousness, and the Case of Playa Vista (July 2008). Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, Vol. 35, p. 513, 2008, Marquette Law School Legal Studies Paper No. 08-05, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1156578

Matthew J. Parlow (Contact Author)

Chapman University, The Dale E. Fowler School of Law ( email )

One University Drive
Orange, CA 92866-1099
United States
714.628.2649 (Phone)

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
266
Abstract Views
1,341
Rank
184,749
PlumX Metrics