In this professional report LEED for neighborhood development (LEED-ND) is analyzed through the lens of disaster resilience and mitigation. The new LEED-ND certification system recently created by the U.S. Green Building Council looks to be a popular method to create sustainable developments. LEED-ND as a system does not take hazards into account when certifying projects. Using HAZUS and hazard assessment methodologies LEED-ND is shown to do almost nothing to mitigate hazard losses. This is seen using the example of two hazard types (fire and earthquake). Since LEED-ND does not address hazards within the context of its system it is shown that LEED-ND is neither truly sustainable nor disaster resilient. Given the current trend of increasing hazard losses initiatives such as LEED-ND will have to address the issue of hazards moving forward. / text

Research from multiple domains has provided insights into how neighborhood design can be improved to have a more favorable effect on physical activity, a concept known as walkability. The relevant research findings/hypotheses have been integrated into a Walkability Framework, which organizes the design elements into nine walkability categories. The purpose of this study was to test whether this conceptual framework can be used as a model to measure the interactions between the built environment and physical activity. We explored correlations between the walkability categories and physical activity reported through a survey of residents of Tucson, Arizona (n=486). The results include significant correlations between the walkability categories and physical activity as well as between the walkability categories and the two motivations for walking (recreation and transportation). To our knowledge, this is the first study that reports links between walkability and walking for recreation. Additionally, the use of the Walkability Framework allowed us to identify the walkability categories most strongly correlated with the two motivations for walking. The results of this study support the use of the Walkability Framework as a model to measure the built environment in relation to its ability to promote physical activity. (C) 2017 The Authors.

[pt] Enquanto aumenta o uso da sustentabilidade nos projetos urbanos, cresce a necessidade de se elaborar indicadores de sustentabilidade que sirvam como referência para avaliar as políticas urbanas implantadas na cidade. Com isso surgem novos sistemas de avaliação que levam em consideração o entorno, a localização, a mobilidade urbana, a infraestrutura e a gestão ambiental, colocando em prática conceitos do novo urbanismo e desenvolvimento sustentável. Através de indicadores qualitativos de sustentabilidade, mostra-se como as cidades poderiam ser pensadas para absorver o crescimento urbano, sem deixarem de ser autossustentáveis, oferecendo oportunidades sem colocar em risco as gerações futuras. Após um levantamento dos parâmetros conceituais urbanos de sustentabilidade, foi elaborado um estudo de caso do loteamento Centro Metropolitano, localizado na Barra da Tijuca, indicando a sua possibilidade de certificação de acordo com os padrões exigidos pela certificação LEED ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Neighborhood Development). / [en] The terms Sustainable Neighborhoods or Green Neighborhoods have been increasingly used by society as a positive way to occupy new areas. This concern for the sustainable development of cities has meant that developers across the country to adhere to this thought, seeking certification as a way to classify their projects at different levels of sustainability and add value to their works (FARR, 2013). Currently there are numerous enterprises certified and in process of certification in the country. However, environmental certification for neighborhoods has not been much discussed and used in Brazil. While the use of sustainability increases in urban projects, it grows the need to develop sustainability indicators that serve as a reference for assessing urban policies implemented in the city. What can be seen nowadays is an urban legislation where the indices for construction differ from the indices required by environmental certifications, and therefore require a compatibility of urban laws with environmental certifications, enabling thus a sustainable urban growth of neighborhoods (FARR, 2013). The main problem of this research is: what would be the best way to measure sustainability in urban settlements. The indicators are fully applicable to the Brazilian urban environment? The construction is major cause of degradation in the environment. Thus it justifies the choice of this subject, as an attempt to gather information and data to encourage the construction of neighborhoods that cause less environmental impacts. The overall objective of this research consist of listing sustainability indicators for urban neighborhoods and housing developments, which are in accordance with the law of Rio de Janeiro and the local reality. The methodology adopted for this study consist of the following stages of research: conceptualize the term urban sustainability; describe indicators with essential importance to enable sustainable urban development; list the most used and recognized environmental certifications for neighborhoods; analyze the LEED ND certification; analyze and apply the concepts of LEED ND in the study subdivision.

This report studies the specific case of Highland Redevelopment as if would pursue a LEED ND certification. It highlights the major issues observed to fulfill compliance of LEED ND minimum requirements as it is proposed, as well as the importance of achieving this certification as a means to define a performance level of the development. / text

Prevailing city design in many countries has created sedentary societies that depend on automobile use. Consequently, architects, urban designers, and land planners have developed new urban design theories, which have been incorporated into the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) certification system. The LEED-ND includes design elements that improve human well-being by facilitating walking and biking, a concept known as walkability. Despite these positive developments, relevant research findings from other fields of study have not been fully integrated into the LEED-ND. According to Zuniga-Teran (2015), relevant walkability research findings from multiple disciplines were organized into a walkability framework (WF) that organizes design elements related to physical activity into nine categories, namely, connectivity, land use, density, traffic safety, surveillance, parking, experience, greenspace, and community. In this study, we analyze walkability in the LEED-ND through the lens of the nine WF categories. Through quantitative and qualitative analyses, we identify gaps and strengths in the LEED-ND and propose potential enhancements to this certification system that reflects what is known about enhancing walkability more comprehensively through neighborhood design analysis. This work seeks to facilitate the translation of research into practice, which can ultimately lead to more active and healthier societies. (C) 2016 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.

In drylands, it is essential to maximize the coupling of social and ecological systems in order to achieve sustainability, particularly in human dominated landscapes such as cities. The enhanced use of greenspace in cities in drylands provides unique opportunities to maximize the coupling of social and ecological systems. It maintains the functioning of ecological systems while involving civil society in the conservation of biodiversity and improving human wellbeing in urban settings. The provision and access to greenspace in cities is determined by neighborhood design. The access for the human use of greenspace can be enhanced through walkability, or the characteristics of the built environment that influence physical activity. Walkable neighborhoods that provide access to greenspace can be catalysts for activity and health and have the potential to increase the level of conservation support in urban residents. The purpose of this research is to look for wellbeing and conservation synergies between walkable neighborhoods and the enhanced use of greenspace. To accomplish this research, first we assess walkability in the built environment through an interdisciplinary literature review that integrates the findings on walkability from several research domains. We create a conceptual framework that organizes the neighborhood design elements that influence physical activity into nine walkability categories: connectivity, land-use, density, traffic safety, surveillance, parking, experience, greenspace, and community. We call this the Walkability Framework. This analysis allows us to identify gaps and strengths of walkability in the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) certification system. After a quantitative and qualitative analysis, we propose an enhanced version for walkability that we call LEED-NDW+ (walkability plus). The next step is to test if the Walkability Framework can be used as a model to measure the interactions between the built environment and physical activity. We accomplish this through the use of a questionnaire (N=486) that captures the perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of residents in Tucson, Arizona. Significant correlations between all the walkability categories and physical activity support the use of the framework as a model. We call this the Walkability Model. The final stage of this research uses the Walkability Model to evaluate walkability in four neighborhood design types in Tucson that include traditional development, suburban development, enclosed community, and cluster housing. We then look for wellbeing and conservation synergies between walkable neighborhoods and the enhanced use of greenspace. Results from this study suggest that neighborhoods with a high level of walkability have the potential to enhance the use of greenspace, which in turn provide important wellbeing and conservation synergies that can contribute to healthier communities and increase the support for conservation of biodiversity within and beyond cities. The enhanced use of greenspace maximizes the coupling of social and ecological systems in cities in drylands, which increases resilience in the face of climate change.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has developed a rating system that examines the sustainability of neighborhoods. They have specifically stated that that LEED-ND certified neighborhoods will protect and enhance residents’ overall health, the natural environment, and quality of life. This study uses relevant quality of life indicators that are commonly identified by social scientists as accurate interpreters of the various quality of life domains to determine if there is, in fact, a relationship between LEED-ND and quality of life. Four of the ten domains examined were found to be related to LEED-ND certified/certifiable neighborhoods, thus, to a certain extent, LEED-ND certification does increase quality of life as compared to traditional suburban neighborhoods.

This study examines the LEED-ND pilot rating program created by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the Congress for New Urbanism, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in 2007. The rating system is evaluated based on its application as a broad set of national standards meant to encourage green neighborhood development. The main case study is a master planned community in semi-rural Paso Robles, California. Among other things, the study discovers problems related to the application of the rating system in semi-rural and rural regions of the Western United States. Both the standards used by the rating system and the certification process itself were considered through a case study methodology.

In recent years there have been many advances in the measurement of urban form. However, there is often a gap between the quantitative and qualitative approach, which can prevent useful policy application- scholars and policy makers often do not speak a similar language. This thesis seeks to answer whether LEED for Neighborhood Development can bridge the gap between the quantitative and qualitative and therefore serve as a useful policy metric for assessing urban form. Does it accurately capture an areas spatial structure and more importantly, is it policy relevant?