I recently had the pleasure of sitting in on a talk hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that was headlined by three Greater Washington developers working on projects that are hoping to obtain some of D.C.'s first LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) certifications:  The Southwest Waterfront (The Warf), North Bethesda Market, and Chevy Chase Lake. The presenters' developments where designed to meet the growing demand in America for smart growth communities.  They highlighted their project's short blocks, high residential density, and improved transit access and pedestrian facilities. And, in the attempt to pursue higher levels of LEED-ND certification, these projects took environmental stewardship a few steps further. Presenters mentioned plans to improve streetlight energy efficiency, protect existing waterways, and support local food production. The LEED-ND certification encourages builders to invest additional capital in sustainable planning, design and construction by awarding them with an easily communicable and financially valuable brand. 

                First launched as a pilot program in 2009, LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), in cooperation with the Congress for New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council, to reward environmentally conscience neighborhood design. The new standards sought to encourage the creation of places that protect fragile land, lower energy use and emission creation, and limit waste. The three umbrella standards which the USGBC ranks new projects; 1) Smart Location and Linkage, 2) Neighborhood Pattern and Design, 3) Green Infrastructure and Buildings; all seek to create a benchmark for area development. The Smart Location and Linkage standard focuses on limiting newly developed land, rejuvenating brownfields; while conserving bodies of water, erosion susceptible land, animal habitats, and agriculturally rich soil.  It encourages the creation of neighborhoods that promote dense and well connected areas that support pedestrian and bike traffic. Neighborhood Pattern and Design focuses on the infrastructure choices made within the community that reduce the carbon footprint created by residents in their day to day lives. And Green Infrastructure and Buildings, much like LEED's original green building code, uses passive and active designs and tools to reduce water waste, improve energy efficiency, and lessen infrastructure's environmental impact.

                While existence of this standard will undoubtedly benefit the environment, LEED- ND still has room left for improvement. More environmentally beneficial standards could award more points for projects that reduce parking facilities and remove stipulations that encourage additional on-street parking. Less available parking would encourage car owners to leave their vehicles behind and instead use the pedestrian and transit facilities that are generally made standard in certified LEED-ND areas. The USGBC could also award more points for adaptive reuse of existing infrastructure and the on-site recycling of building materials. Because LEED-ND awards are generally geared toward new developments, encouraging the turnover of infrastructure would limit some of the environmental impacts of all new construction. In addition, adaptive reuse could limit the disingenuous nature ("sameness") that threatens new large scale developments. Finally, like the original LEED building certifications, a LEED-ND certification is expensive to qualify for and obtain. Because these high costs will likely be passed to the development's tenants, newly certified areas; who have to work hard to prevent their neighborhoods from becoming exclusive, wealthy enclaves; deserve LEED-ND benefits for their efforts. 

                In general, LEED-ND has created a good first step that will benefit future communities and the environment. It walks an impressive tightrope by rewarding the environmentalist while remaining attractive to and attainable for profit-focused developers. LEED-ND standards give developers a reason to invest in often expensive, sustainable solutions by offering their seal as a vehicle to communicate these investments to perspective investors and consumers. USGBC has created an almost completely free market solution that can only benefit our energy and climate future.

This is an opinion piece by Frank Zimmerman, ECPA Intern.