by Rebecca Walker — May 3, 2010—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) officially launched its LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system.
A joint effort between USGBC, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Congress for the New Urbanism, LEED-ND incorporates principles of green building, smart growth, and new urbanism. All three organizations had to approve the final rating system before it was released.
Registration for LEED-ND is now open.
Although not all of the credit forms are ready, one key form—for the Smart Location & Linkages prerequisite&mdsah;is available. Submittal forms for the rest of the system will be available later in the year.
The rating system encourages development within or near existing communities and/or public infrastructure in order to reduce the environmental impacts of sprawl. By promoting communities that are physically connected, LEED for Neighborhood Development conserves land and promotes transportation efficiency and walkability, says the USGBC.
The correlation between transit-oriented development and proximity to services, amenities and jobs to human health benefits and economic capital has been found by numerous studies and is advocated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. Furthermore, the connectivity to neighboring communities with existing transportation and thoroughfares or local retail and services, greatly benefits the citizens, businesses and local economy of the surrounding region, notes the organization.
For more information, see the USGBC Web site.
