In this article published in Urban Solutions (Issue 27), a bi-annual publication by Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), Associate Professor Zhang Weina (Deputy Director of SGFIN), together with SGFIN researchers Fanny Xueqi Or, Feimo Zhang, and Jefferson, examines how cities can move beyond conventional financial metrics to capture the integrated value of green buildings and sustainable and regenerative urban development. Drawing on SGFIN’s Integrated Return on Investment (IROI) framework, the article shows how Financial, Environmental, Social, and Governance outcomes can be systematically measured and monetised across buildings and districts. Through empirical case studies in NUS SDE4 Net-Zero building, UWCSEA Dover Campus and Jurong East District, the article highlights how the IROI framework can inform investment decisions, align stakeholder incentives, enable long-term interventions through continuous improvement, and facilitate transitions at the precinct and district scale. By translating the outcome metrics into a holistic and comparable monetary term, IROI bridges the gap between technical interventions and financial decision-making, allowing developers, investors, users, and policymakers to speak a common language.
