LEED Green Associate: Principles of Intelligent Development in LEED: Preserving Open Spaces and Promoting Transportation Options
In the realm of sustainable urban planning, the concept of Smart Growth has gained significant traction. This approach, encouraged by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and LEED, promotes a mix of building types and uses, diverse housing and transportation options, development within existing communities, and community engagement.
One of the best examples of a project demonstrating the key tenets of smart growth is Option D. This project, through its compact design and proximity to jobs, shops, schools, and other essential amenities, protects open spaces and farmland from sprawling development. By encouraging walkable, livable communities and providing people with transportation alternatives to driving, it fosters a sense of community and distinctive, attractive neighborhoods with a strong sense of place.
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However, it's important to note that while adult care and senior living facilities provide important housing options, they alone do not comprehensively represent smart growth. Simply building housing, regardless of its location, may not align with the principles of smart growth. For instance, a sprawling housing complex far from the city goes against the smart growth principles of compact development and proximity to existing communities.
On the other hand, building housing and providing transportation options in close proximity to jobs, shops, and schools not only helps protect open space and farmland from sprawling development but also encourages walkable, livable communities. This approach, embodying the principles of smart growth, gives people transportation alternatives to driving, making development decisions predictable, fair, and cost-effective, and encouraging community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions.
Moreover, redeveloping brownfield sites, such as building on a former landfill site, can be sustainable, but it doesn't necessarily demonstrate smart growth. A project that protects open spaces and farmland by building housing and transportation options near workplaces, shops, and schools, however, represents Smart-Growth principles in its purest form.
In conclusion, embracing smart growth is essential for sustainable development. By adhering to the key principles of smart growth, we can create communities that are not only environmentally friendly but also economically viable and socially equitable.
