Bausteine - Referate - Jana Milosovicova - Urban Design English

Sustainable neighborhood rating systems: An international comparison
Die Bewertungsmatrix
of international core criteria for sustainable
neighborhoods. While the list can be rearranged
or reordered, the goals are appropriate for
any new neighborhood. What is also important
about this analysis is the opportunity to see how
two rating systems have evaluated the same issue.
Despite the size advantage of LEED-ND, it
can learn from the Assessment Matrix criteria
that tend to have higher but more general criteria.
Similarly, if the Assessment Matrix wants to
move toward a certification model, LEED-ND
has a high level of rigor in their standards. When
sustainable neighborhood rating systems are revised
in the future or if new systems are created,
alternative criteria options are provided in the
detailed comparison (see Appendix 1).
in Germany and therefore makes little sense to
reward the current system. Each country needs
a system that caters to its circumstances. German
transit standards need to be higher than
American standards, otherwise there wouldn’t
be an incentive to improve anything in Germany.
Regional differences within the U.S. and to a
lesser extent within Germany may need to be
considered in a similar manner. Finally, while the
reduced auto use credits may offer flexibility
within the rating system for cities that do not
have transit, it is still not a substitute for offering
other modes of travel.
Best Practice Ideas
Similar Issues, Different Standards
Some issues in this evaluation are similar, but
may be need to be based on national standards
for the purposes of evaluation. These standards
may include energy and water efficiency
or affordable housing, where criteria are best
tailored to national programs or accreditation
organizations.
Unique Problems
There are many problems addressed by LEED-
ND that are unique to the U.S. and would not
be appropriate to evaluate in a German context
since they are not problems worthy of evaluation.
These include the requirement for using
city water and sewer which is standard practice
in Germany. Similarly, Germany does not
have gated communities, so prohibiting them
also is not relevant. Site erosion during construction,
while common to find on an American
construction site, is also rare in Germany. The
reduction of auto travel relative to the metropolitan
area that LEED-ND offers as a substitute
for the transit credit (for municipalities
that do not have transit), also makes little sense
in Germany where all but the smallest towns
have mass transit. Providing bus stop shelters
and route information is also standard practice
One of the strongest concepts to emerge from
this analysis is “Reachability.” This word – a direct
translation from the German “Erreichbarkeit” –
refers to the ability for people to reach their destinations.
While not a common planning term
in English, it appropriately expresses the needed
relationship between land use and transportation.
The Assessment Matrix does a better job
analyzing this concept than LEED-ND, considering
eco-mobility options for walking, bicycling
or transit and how it connects people to where
they need to go: work, school, grocery shopping
or a soccer game.
Achieving Climate Change Results
A study at the relationship between LEED-ND
pilot projects and climate change impacts has
been completed. The results show that pilot
projects have increased density, increased transit
commute share and increased walking/bicycling
commute share than average U.S. communities,
which could lead to potential CO2 savings. (Criterion
Planners, 2007) Given these results, encouraging
more development to follow LEED-
ND could reduce CO2 emissions from vehicle
travel. Similarly, as worldwide standards for sustainable
neighborhood rating systems evolve,
they can also provide measureable goals that
will reduce the threat of climate change.
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