Local governments can encourage more green neighborhoods by overcoming market barriers, and employing a progressive strategy that parallels changes in the market.
Three Opportunities
Even small changes in policies, programs and regulations can work like levers to accelerate change. There are three main opportunities for local governments to facilitate a transition to green neighborhoods.
Key opportunities for local governments are:
- Developing the capacity of staff, stakeholders, and the public to advance green neighborhoods with these key strategies:
- Use integrated design processes.
- Develop staff understanding and expertise.
- Build public understanding and support.
- Enhance expertise within the development community.
- For developers of mixed-use communities.
- For low-income communities.
- Changing regulations, especially:
- Zoning.
- Parking.
- Street standards.
A Progressive Strategy
Prioritize actions based on progress the community has made so far, and match them to realistic performance goals. As actions begin to have the desired results, strengthen the policy framework over time.
- Enabling strategies: Typically, enabling strategies – those that make green neighborhoods possible, such as removing regulatory barriers – come early in a long-term plan.
- Change strategies: Strategies that facilitate change, such as financial solutions and development of community and stakeholder support, also need to start early. If they are maintained over a number of years, they gradually make it easier to develop green neighborhoods.
- Regulations: Finally, regulations that cement forward progress come later, once much of the market is used to green development practices.
