For institutional real estate investors in Asia, the word “sustainable” seems each year to cover a wider waterfront, and also to become more vital to successful and long-term money management.

Not only are property investors seeking more sustainable operations to save on energy bills, to create better and more-leasable working environments, and to gain acceptance from local authorities, but they are also looking for sustainable cities or environmentally-improving cities in which to pour long-term cash. Indeed, buzz phrases such as “transit-oriented development” have long entered the property-investment lexicon as positives.

And no wonder. It is difficult to imagine a metropolis of the future succeeding — attracting a dense population that boosts property values — without amenities, often cultural and infrastructural, yet increasingly environmental.

Urban denizens want parks, museums, nightlife, walkable shopping streets, and freedom from soul-drainin