Green real estate development is one of measures being implemented to reduce negative impacts of the building industry on the environment, society, and economy. However, there is lack of a systematic review of this large number of studies that is critical for the future endeavor. This paper reviews the existing body of knowledge related to green development. At first, the common research themes on green real estate development were identified, including concept, measure, business, and result. Then, the connotation and denotation of green real estate development was introduced in four dimensions. Third, the stakeholders of green real estate development and its benefits and costs were expatiated. Then, how to realize the green real estate development and its current weakness were analyzed in various aspects. It is found that the existing studies mainly focus on the environmental aspect of green building, other dimensions of sustainability of green building, especially the social sustainability is largely overlooked. Future research opportunities were identified such as the innovation of evaluation systems, integration of planning and design frameworks, management mechanisms and financing modes, and future proofing. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.