Converting green into good: Pathways from green building practices to social well-being

Green building is crucial to social well-being amid rising urbanization and environmental degradation. To explore the complex relationships between green building practices such as energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste management, environmental quality, sustainable materials, transformative management capacity (TMC), and social well-being (SWb), a conceptual model is designed based on environmental psychology theory. To achieve research goals, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is employed on a dataset of 585 observations from residential buildings. Results reveal that TMC exerts a substantial direct effect on SWb, affirming its critical role in enhancing well-being outcomes. Mediation analysis further reveals that TMC partially mediates the relationships between green practices, such as water efficiency, waste management, and environmental quality, and SWb. The current investigation directly contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being, and SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, by examining the relationship between sustainable building practices and human well-being. Finally, this study offers policy guidelines and practical implications for decision-makers and managers that sustainable features alone are insufficient unless supported by managerial systems that can lead, adapt, and coordinate sustainability practices.