Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
about 1 km from Tokyo Station. It was evaluated as 'A with four stars' on a
ratings scale or one to five stars [20].
Completed city environmental performance assessments would provide
strong support for environmental measures within each municipality, and
they would also function as a tool for comparing the environmental efficien-
cies of various measures with other cities. This would attract more attention
from citizens and enhance their sense of belonging to their local communi-
ties. It is also expected to help motivate the community itself by introducing
a competitive consciousness among cities [19].
3.3.1.2 LEED for Neighbourhood Development
In 2000, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched its rating sys-
tem, LEED, a set of standards for green buildings. The LEED standard
combines prerequisites with optional credits that count towards an overall
score. The levels of performance start at certified on the low end and plati-
num on the high end.
However, LEED has faced some criticism. Farr criticised its shortcomings
because it is building-centred and places low value on a project's location and
context, particularly concerning auto-dependency. In 2002, the USGBC Board of
Directors inaugurated the LEED for Neighbourhood Development (LEED-ND)
rating system in partnership with the Congress of New Urbanism (CNU) and
the National Resource Defense Council. It increased the weighting given to
land use and transportation concerns. In 2005, the USGBC board modified its
mission to address both buildings and community [21]. The resulting rating
system integrates the principles of smart growth, NU and green building into
the first national standard for green neighbourhood development.
As stated by the LEED-ND guidebook, each of these three principles is an
integral part of the LEED-ND rating system. Although each has a unique
perspective, they reinforce each other by providing a set of criteria designed
to help developers and designers envision sustainable communities in terms
of where they are located, how they are designed and how they perform.
It places emphasis on the site selection, design and construction elements
that bring buildings and infrastructure together into a neighbourhood and
relate it to its landscape as well as to its local and regional context [22].
Scale of eligible projects may range from whole neighbourhoods, portions
of neighbourhoods, or multiple neighbourhoods, with no absolute minimum
or maximum size limit. However, the recommended size range is at least two
buildings up to 320 acres. Moreover, it is recommended that the majority
(more than 50%) of planned project square footage consists of new construc-
tion or substantial renovation to ensure that the project has enough flexibil-
ity to meet a substantial number of requirements in the LEED-ND rating
system.
Although projects may contain only a single use, typically a mix of uses
will provide the most amenities to residents and workers and will enable
