A conversation about how we define affordability, ROI, and community success in climate-volatile times.
Babcock Ranch is often called “the town of the future.” It’s the first fully solar-powered community in the U.S. — and it famously withstood Hurricane Ian without losing power.
But the real story goes deeper.
In the first episode of The Valuation Metric, Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman sits down with Lucienne Pears, VP of Economic and Business Development at Babcock Ranch, to explore what it actually takes to build a climate-resilient community — and why our current valuation systems may be failing to recognize it.
Babcock Ranch was designed around restored wetlands, elevated building standards, solar-plus-storage infrastructure, and storm-hardened construction. It survived major hurricanes without flooding, structural damage, or grid failure.
Yet homeowners there receive no insurance discount for that resilience.
What does that reveal about how insurers, developers, and municipalities measure risk and value?
This conversation challenges the way we define affordability, ROI, and community success in a climate-volatile era.
If you’re a builder, developer, policymaker, investor, or homeowner trying to understand where housing is headed next, this episode connects the dots.
Cati O’Keefe is the editorial director of Green Builder Media. She has 25 years of experience reporting and writing on all aspects of residential housing, building and energy codes, green building, and sustainability.
Babcock Ranch, Insurance Gaps, and the Future of Resilient Communities
A conversation about how we define affordability, ROI, and community success in climate-volatile times.
Babcock Ranch is often called “the town of the future.” It’s the first fully solar-powered community in the U.S. — and it famously withstood Hurricane Ian without losing power.
But the real story goes deeper.
In the first episode of The Valuation Metric, Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman sits down with Lucienne Pears, VP of Economic and Business Development at Babcock Ranch, to explore what it actually takes to build a climate-resilient community — and why our current valuation systems may be failing to recognize it.
Babcock Ranch was designed around restored wetlands, elevated building standards, solar-plus-storage infrastructure, and storm-hardened construction. It survived major hurricanes without flooding, structural damage, or grid failure.
Yet homeowners there receive no insurance discount for that resilience.
What does that reveal about how insurers, developers, and municipalities measure risk and value?
This conversation challenges the way we define affordability, ROI, and community success in a climate-volatile era.
If you’re a builder, developer, policymaker, investor, or homeowner trying to understand where housing is headed next, this episode connects the dots.
Watch the full interview here.
By Cati O'Keefe
Cati O’Keefe is the editorial director of Green Builder Media. She has 25 years of experience reporting and writing on all aspects of residential housing, building and energy codes, green building, and sustainability.Also Read