The U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development recently announced that it would use a new LEED standard as
part of grant considerations.
Secretary Shaun Donovan said that
the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design neighborhood development
standard criteria will be used as a factor in deciding which projects receive
the department’s sustainable communities planning grants.
“It’s time that federal dollars
stopped encouraging sprawl and started lowering the barriers to the kind of
sustainable development our country needs and our communities want,” Donovan
said.
The LEED green building rating
system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED-ND standard
was written with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Congress for the
New Urbanism to help grow sustainable communities and encourage use of public
transit, council officials said.
“The federal government has been a
pioneer in the green building movement – not only seeking high-performance from
its own buildings, but through incentives and grants that encourage
environmental stewardship,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and Founding
chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council. “HUD has been a powerful voice in
encouraging and creating sustainable communities in which residents will have
access to alternative transportation, jobs, and an increased quality of life.
LEED for Neighborhood Development serves as an important tool to help evaluate
and fund these new communities.”
