This so-called “triple bottom line” has forced many retail stakeholders to consider the economic outcomes, social implications, and environmental impacts of integrating sustainability into all aspects of development. A retail project needs to be well-designed and attractive to the consumer for it to be economically successful. A well-designed place entices more people to visit. Ultimately, they linger longer and spend more money.

Beyond pure economics, though, the triple bottom line recognizes that retail development also delivers a cultural impact on the surrounding neighborhoods. Shopping is a social activity and all great retail environments should be about people. A project that becomes the social nucleus to the community is less about buying goods and more about creating experiences—in short, a place to live, work, and create memories.

Finally, developing the ethos of environmental protection into retail development is generating projects that are denser, closer to public transportation, and more energy efficient. The real trick has been to engage the consumer without diluting the message. As more retail developers have recognized this, they have focused on the benefits of creating an environmentally friendly retail environment that illustrates what a sustainable lifestyle can be, connecting the consumer to the natural world.

All three of these components are interconnected and equally important. The adaptation of the retail built environment to sustainability has been slow, but is now gaining considerable momentum. Ultimately, a sustainable retail environment will lower operating expenses, decrease risks, provide a focal point to the community, increase consumer loyalty, provide more flexible settings, reduce impacts to the environment, and increase the bottom line.

The ideal retail project is one that meets the needs of owners, retailers, and consumers, where sustainability is not just an add-on but an integral part of the design. Sustainable retail design is good design and good design is good business.

Guest author Dustin Watson is a partner and the director of sustainability at the Baltimore-based design firm DDG. He is also on the International Council of Shopping Center's Retail Green Planning Committee, the Urban Land Institute's Sustainable Development Product Council, and the AIA Baltimore's Committee on the Environment.