Taking the high road is a challenge, but the real test of character is how you respond when things are at their worst. We live in challenging times. Unemployment remains high, and the American lead in technology and science is slipping as foreign countries gain ground. But some U.S. cities, though slowed by the Great Recession, still thrive by lifting good old American innovation to new levels. New ideas generate new businesses. Where innovation works, it really works. When governments, universities and business communities work together, the economic vitality is impressive. As challenging as these times are, the answers to the problems cities face are largely here, even without a lot of up-front capital.

Green building is the bright spot in an otherwise tough economy, and in some sectors, that rate of growth has been remarkable. The U.S. green building market is accelerating at a dramatic rate, read the McGraw-Hill Construction’s Green Outlook 2011: Green Trends Driving Growth report. The value of green building construction starts was up 50 percent from 2008 to 2010 — from $42 billion to $55 billion-$71 billion — and represents 25 percent of all new construction activity in 2010. According to projections, the green building market size is expected to reach $135 billion by 2015. Today, one-third of all new non-residential construction is green, a $54 billion market opportunity.

United Air Lines is set to move its operational headquarters, starting this year, from the Illinois suburb of Elk Grove to downtown Chicago. Quicken Loans, also city-bound, recently began leasing space in Detroit and plans to build its headquarters there. And last year, Walgreens announced its acquisition of New York drugstore chain Duane Reade, signalling a deliberate decision to improve its capabilities in urban settings. These companies are getting a jump on a major cultural and demographic shift away from suburban sprawl. The change is imminent, and businesses that don’t understand and plan for it may suffer in the long run.

When it comes to brains, Toronto is not far behind. Google’s new Canadian headquarters has become the latest symbol of what is being called Toronto’s “urban renaissance.” Despite early failure to lead in green building technology, Canada’s forward-thinking cities and its architects and engineers are beginning to deliver advanced buildings both in Canada and around the world.

It’s no coincidence that economic vitality and liveability go hand in hand. In the past few years, growing numbers of companies have cut back their sprawling offices and consolidated in Toronto’s busy core, opting for head offices within easy reach of downtown condos. Toronto’s condo boom has added 70,000 units in or near the downtown. More than 17,000 others are slated for completion this year. And the new downtown offices will have lots of natural light, bike racks and transit nearby.

But the big news is: Construction of new green commercial buildings is being outpaced by the green retrofitting of commercial buildings. According to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) report, as of December, square footage of LEED-certified existing buildings surpassed LEED-certified new construction by 15 million square feet on a cumulative basis. A major renovation for the recently LEED-certified Empire State Building in New York has its owners forecasting they will slash energy consumption by more than 38 percent, saving $4.4 million in energy costs annually.

The trend could mean that more building owners believe that bringing their buildings up to Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification may not only be cost efficient, but the environmentally conscious thing to do. It could also mean that new construction has continued to plummet in the last four years, yielding few new green building projects on the drawing boards — proof positive that green jobs are integral to jumpstarting our economy.

There are already 2.7 million jobs across the clean economy. And buildings are actually the world's biggest energy users, even ahead of transportation and industry, consuming one-third of the electricity in the United States. The clean energy sector is growing at a rate of 8.3 percent. Most of the products used in green building energy efficiency retrofits are more than 90 percent made in America. Specialty construction companies perform well. The firms involved in retrofits are often small businesses with less than 20 employees.

 In these dark times, green building — and specialty construction — is the light at the end of the tunnel.