Metropolis interviewed Lance Hosey, author of The Shape of Green, in the wake of his being named chief sustainability officer at RTKL, a global architecture, planning, and design firm. At the end of the Q&A, Hosey was asked, "What’s the next big goal in green building? What do architects and designer have to be aiming for?" His response:

 

"In 2002, your magazine conducted a survey to ask how long it would take before “green design” and “good design” became the same thing. Two thirds responded that they thought it would take 4-5 years, and the largest group (over a third) said it would take half that time. That was a decade ago, and it has yet to happen, as my own survey suggested in 2010. The profession must finally bridge the gap. Conventional understandings about “good design” emphasize aesthetics, but with little definition. Good design, it has been said, is like the Supreme Court’s definition of pornography—you’ll know it when you see it. “Green design,” on the other hand, offers more discipline and concrete metrics to describe what it is, but typically its practice ignores emotional experience. We need new standards and strategies to create uplifting places that have a measurable impact on society, culture, and the environment. Can we quantify community and wellbeing? How do we measure pleasure? I hope my new book, The Shape of Green, will spark more discussion about these essential questions."