Floor area concession incentives as planning instruments to promote green building: A critical review of international practices

Gross Floor Area (GFA) concession scheme, as a planning incentive, is developed from the notion of “make developers pay” in UK in 1990. It rewards developers additional GFA in exchange for public amenities so that government could save that amount of money. This paper carries out a review of GFA concession scheme in Hong Kong and Singapore to synergize the key features and success factors of its implementation. Reasons for its effectiveness were discussed from the perspective of political, economical, and business issues. Based on case studies, the key features of “Floor Area Concession Schemes” are discussed, including 1) very effective in places with high land value; 2) influencing built environment positively and negatively; 3) ensuring the buildings get certified by green building (GB) rating system. This paper identifies key success factors, comprising 1) common goal but different interests shared by developers and governments; 2) a bonus cap; 3) regular review and revision of the scheme; 4) links between planning objectives and GB technology and design practice, which will be discussed. These help formulate a general approach or model of “Floor Area Concession Schemes” for promoting green building.OTBArchitecture and The Built Environmen