City Green Building
Design Tools & Strategies

Interest in developing more sustainable communities has grown both nationally and internationally.  In response, a number of new programs have been developed to provide design guidance or establish a standard for sustainable community development.  New strategies and technologies are also being developed to address one or more goals of sustainable community development. 

Sustainable Community Standards and Programs
The following sustainable community standards, programs and initiatives are of particular interest to the City of Seattle as tools that can help us enhance our neighborhoods:

LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED–ND)
LEED–ND is a national standard that combines the principles of smart growth, new urbanism, and green building. LEED–ND was developed through a partnership between the U.S. Green Building Council, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The standard encourages compact, transit-oriented, mixed-use neighborhoods that are pedestrian and bicycle-friendly.  To learn more about LEED–ND and the partners that developed this new rating system visit the sites listed below:

In Washington State there are nine LEED-ND Pilot Projects, including three within the City of Seattle. Regionally, there are 22 LEED ND Pilot Projects spanning from Oregon to British Columbia. To support these projects, the City of Seattle and Cascadia Region Green Building Council partnered to host a fullday summit bringing together regional LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) Pilot Project participants and policy makers to share challenges, best practices, and lessons learned using the LEED-ND Pilot rating system. View the Summit Report for additional information.

City of Seattle LEED ND Pilot Projects:
1. Interbay Neighborhood Master Plan
2. South Lake Union Urban Center
3. Thornton Place ND

For more information about South Lake Union, visit the SLU project website.

Built Green™ Communities
Built Green Communities is an environmentally-friendly, non-profit, green communities program developed by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties in partnership with King County, Snohomish County and the City of Seattle.  Built Green Communities encourages developers to implement decisions and strategies that improve environmental performance in the following categories: site selection and design, planning and education, and construction operations.  To learn more visit:

Urban Environmental Accords
The Urban Environmental Accords is a “Green Cities Declaration” signed by mayors from around the globe at the United Nations World Environment Day on June 5, 2005.  Seattle’s Mayor Nickels was one of the mayors to sign the accords, committing to build an ecologically sustainable, economically dynamic, and socially equitable future for Seattle’s citizens.  The accords establish a set of objectives for energy, waste reduction, urban design, urban nature, transportation, environmental health, and water.  For each objective, actions have been identified that are based on existing and emerging best-practices. There are a total of 21 actions. 

Design Strategies
Sustainable community development requires a different approach to many neighborhood systems.  Below are a list of emerging or proven sustainable design strategies and resources.

Natural Drainage Systems
Natural drainage is an alternative approach to managing stormwater runoff from urban development. Stormwater runoff damages both habitat and water quality, and most solutions have proven to be ineffective or cost prohibitive. Seattle Public Utilities is pioneering an innovative new approach to protect Seattle’s watersheds. The Natural Drainage System is an innovative residential street design that uses open, vegetated swales, stormwater cascades, and small wetland ponds to mimic the functions of nature lost by urbanization with plants and trees, and deep, healthy soils that support them. All three combine to form a living infrastructure that, unlike pipes and vaults, increase in functional value over time.

 

Last Updated: June 25, 2006