With its recent launch, the LEED for Neighborhood Development program can now be accessed by land developers, and equally important, leveraged by local governments seeking to accelerate sustainable development. The fundamental cornerstone for LEED-ND eligibility is a smart location with strong community linkages. Locations must be close to existing development and services, and only certain parts of jurisdictions will be able to qualify initially. Over time, local planners can increase the supply of eligible areas with strategic land-use and transportation changes that respond to LEED-ND standards.

Criterion Planners of Portland Oregon has released a methodology (www.crit.com/documents/leedndguideforplanners.pdf) that city and county planners can use to apply the LEED-ND locational criteria. The method produces an inventory of parcels that are currently eligible without any plan or zoning changes, those needing minor adjustments, and a third group requiring moderate or major changes. With these results, local planners can reach out to developers and designers with incentives and technical assistance that foster and expedite LEED-ND projects. Planners also gain a "spatial fix list" of areas that need longer-term attention in order to attain eligibility. This kind of proactive approach will help communities derive maximum benefit from LEED-ND as rapidly as practical, and lay the groundwork for greater eligibility in the future.

Criterion can teach local staff how to apply the method, or it can be applied for an agency on a consulting basis. The method is an adjunct resource for the firm's USGBC EPP course "Local Government Leveraging of LEED-ND" (www.crit.com/documents/leedndworkshop.pdf). More information about the location eligibility method and local government use of LEED-ND is available from Eliot Allen at eliot@crit.com.