Green Community Framework

[Tyson]

Here is a conceptual framework for green and sustainable communities and neighborhoods. It includes the core principles of Smart Growth, New Urbanism, and green building. It’s important to remember that this is simply a framework – there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution or strategy that will make a place green, sustainable, or sustaining.

Bear in mind that it’s far easier to create plans, whether for single buildings or entire neighborhoods, when starting with a “blank slate.” Building a new house (or community) is logistically and financially easier than renovating one that’s a century old. Of course, the Near Eastside is not a blank slate. The bevy of “existing conditions” as well as the “programmatic requirements” that have been identified by neighbors and stakeholders must be a part of the final “design” of a revitalized Near Eastside. A green framework may help to organize and unify some of these priorities. Again, the framework only serves as an organizational tool.

Many green principles deal directly with the built environment, i.e. roads, sidewalks, trails, houses, buildings, parking, infrastructure, etc. The key to building strong and sustaining communities is to combine social and economic needs with a sustainable built environment. This is where the rubber hits the road. As much as we shape the places we live, our places have the capacity to shape us. The social and economic needs of communities must shape and inform *how* green principles are implemented.

A few examples: Smart Growth tells us that we need to decrease automobile commuting in order to conserve energy and stem global climate change. That’s a very general statement. What does this mean for the Near Eastside? It may mean that we need to create better connections to transit so folks have more transportation options. It may mean that we need to create more jobs locally. We may expand this further and decide that we need to create a more diverse mix of jobs, as well as a more diverse mix of workforce housing. Other solutions could include increasing bus service, building covered bus shelters, and widening sidewalks. Or creating pedestrian connections to a new multi-modal hub. We may also consider workforce development, business development, business district improvements, etc. The concept neither defines nor constrains the solutions.

Another smaller example. The Old Northside neighborhood is sponsoring a community cleanup and brush-chipping event, which satisfies a number of goals at once: streets, alleys, and parks get spruced up; neighbors get to know each other; people have a chance to clean out their garages and basements without paying dump fees; metal, plastic, wood and glass are recycled; brush and tree trimmings are chipped into mulch for use in neighborhood parks. The event is green by virtue of not hauling brush and recyclables to the incinerator. The event is sustaining in that it fosters a greater sense of community among neighbors.


Here's the framework...


Develop Within the Carrying Capacity of the Land
• avoid steep slope development
• avoid floodplain development
• protect watersheds, wellfields & aquifers
• protect wetlands & water bodies
• preserve habitat & wildlife diversity

Develop Within the Existing Utility Infrastructure
• avoid farmland or “greenfield” development
• analyze “transportation energy intensity” of new development (avoid sprawl)
• encourage brownfield redevelopment
• encourage “greyfield” redevelopment (blighted shopping centers, strip malls, etc.)
• encourage infill development

Create Well-Connected Communities
• provide internal connectivity (create a continuous street grid)
• develop safe routes for pedestrians and bicyclists
• provide universal access
• provide transportation choices (multi-modal corridors, mass transit, bus, walk, bike)
• provide external connectivity (safe, direct routes)

Create Compact Communities
• encourage mixed-use development
• develop housing, schools, jobs & services in proximity to one another
• develop inviting, usable public spaces & active spaces
• limit parking footprint
• encourage increased density where appropriate

Create Diverse Communities
• encourage a diversity of housing type (homeownership, rentals)
• encourage diversity of housing cost (affordable, senior, apartments, condos, custom)
• encourage local food production

Build Green
• encourage preservation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings (building LCA)
• manage construction waste
• preserve existing tree canopy, soil & native vegetation
• manage stormwater on-site
• build well sealed, well insulated, energy efficient buildings
• encourage on-site energy generation & renewable energy sources
• build well ventilated, healthy buildings (indoor air quality)
• conserve water & encourage wastewater reuse
• encourage resource conservation (material LCA, recycling)
• reduce urban heat island effect
• reduce urban light pollution