LEED Certification is a hot trend in the development/design world. It is a system that defines how "green" your building is. The town of Greensburg, KS is going so far as to require all new buildings be LEED "Platinum" as they rebuild their city after being devastated by a tornado. WWW.BuildingGreen.com has put together a very interesting article titled Driving to Green Buildings: The Transportation Energy Intensity of Buildings to open the "green" discussion to the design of our transportation system.
Being LEED certified is becoming a differentiator in our market (Red Stag Supper Club uses their designation as "The First Leed-CI Registered Restaurant in MN" prominently in their marketing). Several levels of government are also in the game of reducing their carbon footprint. This is a good article if you are involved in government or you are a developer looking for another differentiator.
The strategies discussed are:
- Increasing Development Density
- Transit Availability and Access
- Mixed Use and Access to Services
- Parking Management
- Walkability, Traffic Calming, and Site Design
- Connectivity
- Bicycle Accessibility
