Product Statement
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Scope
LEED-ND will be a voluntary standard for developers. It will emphasize smart growth aspects of development while still incorporating a selection of the most important green building practices. Among other things, the LEED-ND rating system will promote density, proximity to transit, mixed use, mixed housing type, and pedestrian- and bicycle- friendly design.
As the product is still being developed, LEED-NDs scope is still being defined, but it is becoming increasingly more clear, and will most likely include larger projects, such as neighborhood-scale subdivisions and mixed-use developments, and smaller projects that may be urban infill projects, including single-use developments when they complement nearby existing uses.
The LEED-ND Core Committee is still discussing how LEED-ND can best relate to the other LEED products, and the product interaction will be a topic for discussion at the upcoming LEED Steering Committee retreat. The current thinking on this interaction is summarized in the following three points:
LEED-ND will be distinct from other single-building-focused LEED horizontal products in that LEED-ND may require a minimum developed square footage for the project.
LEED-ND will tie into the building-focused products, possibly through a LEED-ND prerequisite that some portion of buildings within the development be certified under other LEED rating systems.
LEED-ND will be distinct from the LEED Campus Application Guide in that LEED-ND will focus on residential and commercial developments that are developed by single entity, but then sold or leased to multiple consumers. In contrast, the Campus Application Guide will target institutional and office park campuses that will be owned and operated by a single entity. In addition, because it is an application guide of LEED-NC, the Campus Application Guide will not recognize smart growth or urbanist acheivement to any greater degree than LEED-NC does, whereas LEED-ND will.
Product Appeal
LEED-ND provides a concrete signal of, and incentive for, better location, design, and construction of neighborhoods and buildings.
Value Proposition
For developers:
All developers are looking for ways to expedite the permitting process, in order to save money. Innovative smart growth and urbanist developers are looking for recognition of the environmental and social benefits inherent to their projects.
For state and local governments:
Many municipalities are looking for a standard to tie incentives to, so they can demonstrate real progress towards smart growth planning to their residents and in some cases to the state government.
Some state governments are also looking for standards that can help promote smart growth, as they bear much of the burden for implementing responsible regional planning.
For planners and designers:
Many planners and designers want naturally to do urbanist design and smart growth plans, and they need more clients and municipalities who demand it.
Last edited by chriskorwel. Based on work by chris korwel. Page last modified on July 12, 2005
