Green Neighborhoods

"Twenty years ago, the concept of sustainable development, with its emphasis on the interplay among economic, social, and environmental dynamics in communities, suggested a different framework for thinking about planning and development. Progressive policy makers and international agencies embraced it as the future of development. However, many questions from the mainstream remained, such as what is meant, exactly, by sustainable development, what it looks like on the ground, and whether it can it be a part of successful business practice.

...Now, some leading-edge developers are bringing together many of the best practices and tools from green building, smart growth, and related movements to create innovative communities with lasting value, at a scale where it matters most—the neighborhood. With an intersecting network of buildings, infrastructure, and human and natural systems, neighborhoods provide unique opportunities for realizing sustainable development."