Michael at The Front Porch offers the following question about the LEED neighborhood rating system…
Green Neighborhood Report Card - Front Porch
I encourage the good folks involved with this seemingly very complex process to get even more explicit about fostering community within the neighborhood. Scoring high on this rating system would indicate strong environmental performance and say something about the potential for being a decent place to actually live… but is it a friendly place full of good neighbors?
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This is an interesting perspective on the LEED Neighborhood program, one that many wouldn’t consider up front, but perhaps the assumption with the New Urbanism ideas is that community will form out of better design. Is this true or accurate? Having had a look at the LEED neighborhood program, I’d say that their focus is definitely on the physically and environmental sustainability side of things, but having walkable communities, increased density and common parklands, and local shops should improve community.
Technorati Tags: LEED, LEED neighborhoods, community, sustainability, residential, urbanism, urban design, green neighborhood
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Is “green” enough?
I agree Is “green” enough?
I agree Mike. Those things should lead to an decent level of community. I guess a point that I was trying to make, but didn’t quite get to, is that LEEDs should not leave the people part to chance. It seems that our culture has slid so far toward isolation and “bowling alone” that the definition of “sustainable neighborhood” should include more than just infrastructure and direct eco-impact. Not sure how this would get incorporated into the LEEDs rating system, but how about things like… annual neighborhood parties, active neighborhood association, online social networking service (like Front Porch Forum), welcome wagon type of service for new arrivals, etc.
I can picture an eco-utopian neighborhood where everyone drives their Prius into their garages, then march inside and watch solar-powered American Idol all evening. That doesn’t do much for me… tastes a little like voluntary carbon offsets somehow.
Cheers! -Michael
Totally agree! We’ve just Totally agree! We’ve just bought a house walking distance from work, in a community, in a house we are hoping to make sustainable.
Can you change people? Can you force people to become a community? Some people are just so far from that in their daily lives… working 50 hour weeks, escaping to the mountains or the beach every weekend, not part of any local groups or sporting activities.
Sometimes all it takes is a core group of citizens who value the sharing and community and build this up from the inside-out.
Thanks for commenting, I like the idea of your blog too!