The planning and development of sustainable communities can be accelerated through local government leveraging of the LEED for Neighborhood Development (ND) rating system. The ND system offers cities and counties an unprecedented mechanism for achieving integrated smart growth, new urbanism, and green construction at the neighborhood or district scale. Communities can use a leveraging process that first identifies eligible areas meeting ND location criteria; second, catalyzes projects by removing barriers and focusing incentives on eligible areas; and third, grows the supply and quality of eligible areas with strategic land-use and transportation planning, and capital improvements.

A full-day workshop on the ND leveraging process will held for local government planners on October 27 at Portland State University as the second part of Portland's EcoDistrict Summit that begins October 26. The ND workshop registration starts at $225/person and attendees receive:

- Local government leveraging process description and ND rating system summary.
- Checklist of local government interface points within the ND rating system.
- Model ND overlay zoning ordinance.
- 6 hours of AICP and LEED AP credential maintenance.

Registration for the ND workshop and EcoDistrict Summit is at http://www.ecodistrictssummit.com/register.html. The ND workshop is offered by Criterion Planners, a U.S. Green Building Council education provider, and additional information is available from the workshop instructor, Eliot Allen, at [email protected].