New Urban Certification Process Moving Forward

"LEED-ND, the first official rating system for New Urbanism and smart growth, is touted as an important new tool for developers, smart growth advocates, and municipalities. “It’s a system to distinguish good development from bad and give a seal of approval to good development,” said Kaid Benfield, Director of Smart Growth for NRDC."

"However, some new urbanists, particularly those working on land never previously developed, are concerned that LEED-ND will not help their cause. The pilot is “at risk of imperfections, but I hope that people will [go through the process] anyway,” said CNU president and CEO John Norquist. Some are concerned that LEED-ND could be a “powerful tool for NIMBYism, that it will bring things to a halt — I don’t think it will work that way,” he said."