Homebuilders are driving the momentum for green-certified homes.
It's getting easier to be green.
The U.S. Green Building Council has been certifying new construction commercial buildings under its rigorous "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" criteria, a.k.a. LEED, since 2000. The next frontier: a national certification standard for houses, called LEED for Homes. While only a handful of houses have received certification so far, about 700 homes are now awaiting LEED review, and another 700 are applying. Typical considerations in an environmentally-sensitive home are energy efficiency, indoor air quality, durability, and site impact. As the trend mounts for individual custom homes, larger builders are taking notice. Who knows? Entire neighborhoods could be next.
FULL STORY: Keeping It 'Green' With Panels and More

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
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