LEED for Neighborhood Development
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) is now roughly 6-months into the implementation of the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system. After a pilot program and a response period, the new rating system has a total 110 possible points and requires a minimum of 40 points for a project to be certified and 80+ to receive platinum status.
The main sections to achieve points in are:
- Smart Location and Linkage
- Neighborhood Pattern and Design
- Green Infrastructure and Buildings
- Innovation and Design Process
- Regional Priority Credit
Based on the various credits, one of the primary goals of this rating system is to develop larger concepts of a community and how all the individual pieces work together. It is an extension of many credits that are already a part of the LEED for New Construction system (LEED-NC), specifically the Sustainable Sites points section.
It will take a little time to fully digest all the aspects of this rating system, but the key concepts have already begun to be used by Midwestern Consulting on recently started projects and will hopefully continue to be a guiding light for future developments.
Scott Fisher is an engineer at Midwestern Consulting in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is LEED-AP and can be reached at 734.995.0200.
