Already an urban leader in sustainability with one of the most stringent green building laws in the country, Washington D.C. announced last week that it will create the city’s first “living building” as part of the Sustainable D.C. Budget Challenge.
Accounced last week as one of 12 pilot programs to win a total of $4.5 million in grants as part of the Sustainable D.C. Budget Challenge, "a grant competition in which District agencies proposed projects to test innovative sustainability initiatives," the District's Department of General Services (DGS) was awarded $180,000 "to plan for the city’s first 'Living Building' as part of the international Living Building Challenge to apply the most ambitious green-building standards in the world."
As Rachel S. Karas notes, "The Living Building Challenge focuses on seven aspects of a site — location, water and energy use, health, materials, social equity and beauty — to create a structure that is environmentally friendly and enjoyable to use." Although a site has not been chosen for the project, officials said that a public school renovation is a likely candidate.
"Other [grant] winning projects include planting community gardens at recreation centers, building mobile mini-parks, converting a coal power plant to use renewable energy, composting and creating a public school curriculum for sustainability," adds Karas.
“The city hopes to take the lead in what it means to be sustainable . . . to test the feasibility of major new investments and demonstrate a new way of doing business in the city government,” said Mayor Vincent C. Gray.
FULL STORY: D.C. aims to create sustainable ‘living building’
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
The Paradox of American Housing
How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
Boston Moves Zoning Reform Forward
The ‘Squares + Streets’ plan creates form-based zoning templates for neighborhoods that promote mixed use and denser housing near transit.
Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan
Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.
How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities
Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.