But
the principles embodied in LEED-ND can be applied to situations other
than those in which a development is seeking certification. While the
formal LEED-ND process is a technical one, the Citizen's Guide is
user-friendly and accessible, to help anyone learn about environmental
standards for green land development and become an advocate for
implementing these standards in their own communities. NRDC hopes this
handbook for citizens will help promote greater widespread adoption of
sustainable practices to create more inclusive, healthy, and
environmentally sound places for everyone.
Following two short
introductory sections ("How to Use This Guide" and "What is a
Sustainable Neighborhood?"), the Guide identifies key concepts for
neighborhood sustainability, referencing the LEED-ND credits and
prerequisites that inform each. These follow the three major sections
of the formal rating system:
- Smart Location and Linkage: Where to Build
- Neighborhood Pattern and Design: What to Build
- Green Infrastructure and Buildings: How to Manage Environmental Impacts
The
next section, "How Can LEED-ND Help Improve Your Community?" provides
some creative suggestions to help users get started using LEED-ND's
diverse standards in their own communities. The system's principles
can be used, for example, to evaluate and improve development proposals,
to guide improvements to neighborhoods, to inform community planning
and zoning, or to inform other policy-making.
The Guide also
includes a "Sustainable Neighborhood Development Checklist." The
checklist is a sort of "crib sheet" for every LEED-ND credit and
prerequisite, presenting them in an easy-to-use format for evaluating
development proposals, assessing existing neighborhoods, and informing
community planning and policy. The checklist is organized by topic, so
one can use it in its entirety or just to evaluate certain topics. It
also includes an optional scoring exercise so users can estimate what an
approximate LEED-ND score might be for a particular project or
proposal. It is also a great source for nationally tested standards or
numerical thresholds to incorporate into design guidelines or planning
policy.
The Citizen's Guide concludes with a reference appendix
outlining the LEED-ND Rating System, and another appendix summarizing
the basics of formal LEED and LEED-ND certification procedures.
NRDC wishes to thank the following: Aaron Welch, the Guide's principal author, and his colleagues at Raimi + Associates;
the US Green Building Council and the Congress for the New Urbanism,
our partners in LEED-ND's development, for creating the system with us
and providing helpful advice and assistance in producing the Guide; Dover, Kohl & Partners,
especially for help with images; and our advisory council, whose names
are listed in the Guide. I also wish to thank my NRDC colleagues
Carlita Salazar, who supervised design and production; Anthony Clark,
NRDC's publications director; Will Tam, who supervised web production;
Rachel Sohmer, who provided content and help with images; and Marissa
Ramirez, who provided editorial and production assistance throughout the
process.
For more information about the Guide, about LEED-ND, and a slideshow of sustainable practices, go here. To proceed directly to download of A Citizen's Guide to LEED for Neighborhood Development, go here.
This post also appears on NRDC's Switchboard.
Image: Courtesy of Calthorpe Associates via Kaid Benfield
