LEED Neighborhood Development (ND) rating systems such LEED-ND are designed for the certification of exemplary neighborhood development projects which show exemplary performance in relation to smart growth, green building, and new urbanism. Contextually, such development projects include whole neighborhoods, multiple neighborhoods, and even parts of neighborhoods. By reviewing the Pilot version of the LEED-ND 2007 certification document, it is evident that LEED-ND systems are designed to drive the marketplace towards acknowledging the central doctrine of green building i.e. the simple fact that our personal, economic and environment health is significantly influenced by our immediate surroundings which include the places where people live, learn, work, dine, play and shop.
Smart Growth, Green Building, and the 7-Principles of New Urbanism.
LEED-ND systems rate projects based on their performance in terms of green building, smart growth, and new urbanism. Smart growth involves coming up with well-planned developments that preserve natural resources and open spaces, ensures affordable housing, revitalizes existing communities, and provides alternative (and sustainable) means of transportation. Green-building involves using sustainable building techniques that reduce water and energy use, provide means to utilize rainwater (storm runoffs), and avail other amenities such as using environmentally friendly materials and improving the quality of indoor air with minimal use of energy intensive installations such as air conditioning systems. Finally, New Urbanism deals with focusing on the elements in a neighborhood’s design that make it attractive, well integrated, and overall successful. In this regard, New Urbanism is based on 7 fundamental principles which include:
Mixed Use Urban Form: This involves a diverse mix of people (different classes, cultures, ages and races), and structures (mix of malls, office buildings, homes with no fixed designation for each type).
Compact, Walkable Neighborhoods: Shops, offices, recreation should be within walking distance of each other, and the streets should be pedestrian friendly (street parking, tree-lined streets, porches, and slow speed streets, etc.).
Highly Connected Street Networks: Interconnected street grids that ease walking and disperse traffic to avoid congestion. Good quality pedestrian walking grids such as nice-looking alleys, boulevards, and back streets that make walking a pleasurable experience.
Regional Planning: efficient use of open land spaces for scalable settlement growth and infrastructure.
Sufficient density: Closely placed buildings, shops, services and homes for easy walking and effective utilization of resources and services thus creating a convenient and fun living environment.
Building Designs are emphasizing Human Scale: Designing infrastructure that is aesthetically pleasing and one that ensures human comfort. Using human scale architecture and designing a beautiful environment nourishes the human spirit.
The range of Housing to serve Diverse Populations: Houses of different types, sizes and price ranges in close proximity to suit the needs of different people (cultures, classes, races, etc.).
The 3-stage certification process LEED uses to quantify “GREEN” development.
LEED-ND certification involves a 3-stage process to ensure projects can be approved and deemed certifiable even in the early pre-entitlement stages, and also ascertain that great project plans live long enough to be accomplished. The process includes three stages, namely:
Stage 1: The Optional Preview: As stated, this stage is fully optional and only serves to ascertain that if the project is built like in the proposed plan, then it will be up for LEED-ND certification. In this case, a letter is issued to this effect by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) after the pre-review approval of the plan is done. The letter’s main function is to help the developer build an entitlement case with land utilization planning authorities, and also the case for occupant and financing commitments.
Stage 2: Approved Plan Certification: This stage is reached after the project achieves all the required entitlement and approvals to be built according to plan. At this stage, any alterations to the pre-review plan that could potentially impact the achievement credit and/or prerequisites should be conveyed to the USGBC in this stage. If the approved plan is certified, the developer is issued with a certificate indicating that their plan is an LEED-ND Certified Plan, and the USGBC goes ahead to list the plan as such on its website.
Stage 3: Completed Neighborhood Development Certification: This stage occurs when the project is near completion, or when it's finally complete. Any alterations to the pre-review plan that could potentially impact the achievement credit and/or prerequisites are conveyed to the USGBC in this submission. If the completed neighborhood development certification is issued, the project receives plaques, certificates and/or similar awards to be displayed in public at the project location. This achievement is also listed on the USGBC website.
LEED-ND Credit Categories.
The LEED-ND rating system has three sub-categories: Smart Location and Linkage, Green Infrastructure and Buildings, and Neighborhood Pattern & Design. These three categories have prerequisites required for all projects and different credits rewarding performance. The categories include:
Smart Location and Linkage: This category focuses on the location (where) the project is situated, and the prerequisites also outline where the project cannot be situated in order preserve wetlands, habitats, prime farmlands, and other places that need saving. Projects are encouraged to situate in existing development areas near transit and services.
Neighborhood Pattern and Design: In this category, the project is assessed from a perspective of how it is laid out on overall. In this section, credit is given to developments that are connected, compact and complete. Such kinds of developments are perceived to have the potential to change the occupants’ behavior for the better. For example, reduced driving and more walking due to pedestrian networks, nearby goods and services, and shared public spaces.
Green Infrastructure & Buildings: This category emphasizes on measures that could alleviate the environmental impacts of building and infrastructure construction and their operations. It thus promotes effective and efficient energy and water utilization, reduced emissions, and sustainable waste management practices, especially in urban areas.
Neighborhood Pattern and Design: Prerequisites and Credits.
Prerequisites
Open Community: This involves promoting communities with a physical connection i.e. to foster connectedness and community beyond development.
Compact Development: The project is required to promote livability, conserve land resources, ensure walkability and transportation efficiency.
Credits:
Compact Development: 1 to 7 points possibly awarded if the project promotes livability, conserves land resources, ensures walkability, and transportation efficiency.
The diversity of Uses: 1 to 4 points possibly awarded if a project has a number of uses. For example, if at least 25% of the total square footage of a building is residential.
The diversity of Housing Types: 1 to 3 points possibly awarded if the projects comprise a variety of house types, sizes, and price ranges.
Affordable Rental Housing: 1 to 2 points possibly awarded if the project includes a portion of rental units whose pricing targets households whose earnings are below the area median income.
Affordable For-Sale Housing: 1 to 2 points possibly awarded if the projects include the minimum specified portion of the for-sale housing that can be afforded by households at or slightly earn more than the area median income.
Reduced Parking Footprint: 2 points possibly awarded if parking areas are designed to increase pedestrian-oriented projects and minimize the environmental impacts of parking e.g. designing parking areas on the sides and rear of buildings.
Walkable Streets: 4 to 8 points possibly awarded if projects are designed to provide comfortable and appealing pedestrian street networks with the aim of promoting more pedestrian activity and reduced driving. Also, walking helps improve public health due to increased physical exercise.
Street Network: 1 to 2 points awarded if the project design incorporates high internal connection levels and compact project locations for purposes of land conservation, promoting physical health, and multimodal means of transport.
Transit Facilities: 1 point possibly awarded if the project encourages the use of transit and reduces driving via the creation of comfortable and safe transit facilities.
Transportation Demand Management: 2 points possibly awarded if the project plan encourages the use of public means of transport in order to reduce energy consumption and motor vehicle emissions.
Access to Surrounding Vicinity: 1 point possibly awarded if the project provides safe and direct connections for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians to neighborhood centers and other local destinations.
Access to Public Spaces: 1 point possibly awarded if the project provides a variety of open spaces close to home and work in a bid to encourage people to spend more time outdoors.
Access to Active Public Spaces: 1 point possibly awarded if the project puts in measures to provide various open spaces close to home and work thus encouraging more active outdoor activities and physical exercise/activities such as walking and games.
Universal Accessibility: 1 point possibly awarded if the project enables a broad spectrum of people of different ages and abilities to easily fit in the community by increasing the number of areas that can be accessed by people with various disabilities and/or limitations.
Community Outreach and Involvement: 1 point possibly awarded if the community is actively involved in the project planning and design to determine how the community feels their neighborhood should look like, and how it should evolve over time.
Local Food Production: 1 point possibly awarded if the project design promotes local/community-based food production to minimize the environmental effects of transporting food over long distances. This also helps improve the community’s access to fresh produce.
Local Effect of LEED-ND.
If everyone decided to implement LEED-ND and get certified, the end result would be improved quality of life due to a stronger economy, cleaner environment, and healthier communities. Again, issues such as security, cultural diversity and overall wellness are bound to improve if communities become more connected, compact and networked. Everyone working or living in an LEED-ND community gets to reap the benefits of sustainable development.
