Committing to a Green Neighborhood Plan

The Action Planning Model details how to do this at a community scale. However, when you are working at a neighborhood scale, the following guidance may help:

• Restate the overall commitment:  Emphasize the community’s overall emissions reduction commitment by restating it in documents related to the neighborhood planning project, such as those for development site policy, zoning and guidelines.
• Make a specific neighborhood commitment: Consider creating a neighborhood-specific emissions reduction plan and targets, if appropriate.
• Consider multiple, complementary commitments: As described in Integrated Perspective, local governments can integrate greenhouse gas reduction objectives into ongoing programs that will affect new and existing neighborhoods. These include programs aimed at better energy efficiency, better air quality, safer streets, local economic development, and many others.

A green neighborhood can also commit to action in more specific ways, reflecting local priorities and opportunities.  Some good choices include:

• Adopting design principles from such sources as New Urbanism, smart growth and/or transit-oriented design, and including them as requirements for neighborhood plans.
• Adopting LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) as a requirement for large new developments.
• Setting density targets that will ensure there are enough potential customers for transit to justify frequent service.
• Favoring redevelopment of infill, grayfield, and brownfield sites over greenfield sites, through a combination of regulations and incentives.
• Reducing parking standards, which frees land for better uses and lowers per-unit development costs
• Adopting context-sensitive street design standards.
• Setting green building performance targets.
• Establishing targets for other aspects of the project.