Sustainable Building Technical Manual - Etn-presco.net

➤The city of Chicago, Illinois, has launched a brownfield redevelopment program topromote new investment in older neighborhoods and inner suburbs. In 1993, Chicagoformed an interdepartmental working group on brownfields to devise more responsiveenvironmental and economic development policies, to develop economic models thataccount more accurately for the environmental and social costs and benefits of developmentdecisions, and to implement pilot projects. Initial work on five brownfieldsites has already resulted in remediation of the sites and buildings so that redevelopmentcan occur. These efforts will create local employment opportunities and improvethe appearance and safety of the neighborhoods they target.➤After undertaking a regional planning effort, the city of Portland, Oregon, decided toconcentrate development along mass-transportation corridors, encourage infill throughzoning and loan incentives, and strive to retain green areas around the urban center.➤The city of Chula Vista, California, has developed telecommuting centers at decentralizedneighborhood locations to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. These centersoffer fully equipped office and meeting rooms, videoconferencing and Internetaccess, and interactive video classrooms. The city encourages commuters to walk orcycle to the centers.➤To spur redevelopment in downtown Manhattan, the city of New York, the Alliance forDowntown New York, and other public and private development partners have establishedthe New York Information Technology Center. Equipped with fiber optics; maximumband width, high-speed copper wire; Internet connectivity; state-of-the-art voice,video, and data transmission; and advanced telecommunications and data security, thebuilding is a high-technology hub for the city’s redevelopment efforts.➤The towns of Valmeyer, Illinois, and Pattonsburg, Missouri, following devastatingfloods in 1993, have taken the opportunity to replace and rebuild their communities,using sustainable development principles. To help avoid future flood disasters,the town of Valmeyer decided to relocate on higher ground, and, with resourcesfrom the U.S. DOE and state of Illinois, to incorporate energy efficient designs in itsprivate and public buildings. Pattonsburg, working with the U.S. DOE and FederalEmergency Management Agency, developed a new town vision for the future thatincludes active public education and participation and passive solar land use plans.L O CAL OPTIONS.■ Develop a sustainable development plan for the community by scanning localresources and environmentally sensitive areas, mapping commercial and industrialareas, and identifying areas with the highest potential for public or private developmentor redevelopment.■ Promote the reuse of buildings by assessing existing structures to evaluate their suitabilityfor physical renovation or for upgrades of utilities and telecommunicationsinfrastructure to match current needs.■ Provide incentives for the redevelopment of inner-city areas, including brownfieldsites, and for the use of resource-conserving practices when building on undevelopedgreenfield areas.■ Assess transportation access—bus, bicycle, and pedestrian—when considering a site fordevelopment or redevelopment of municipal buildings.■ Assess the addition of information technology in new or existing buildings to reducetransportation needs and increase economic viability.■ Integrate transportation planning, including mass-transit and transportation-reductionmeasures, with long-range urban and regional land-use plans.■ Integrate sustainable landscaping principles, including retention of native plants, pleasingaesthetics, and multiple recreational uses, into the design of public outdoor areas.