Neighborhood Development Benefits

Encourage Healthy Living

LEED for Neighborhood Development emphasizes the creation of compact, walkable, vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods with good connections to nearby communities. Research has shown that living in a mixed-use environment within walking distance of shops and services results in increased walking and biking, which improve human cardiovascular and respiratory health and reduce the risk of hypertension and obesity.

Reduce Urban Sprawl

In order to reduce urban sprawl, or unplanned, uncontrolled spreading of urban development into areas outside of the metropolitan region, and create more livable communities, LEED for Neighborhood Development communities are:

• locations that are closer to existing town and city centers.
• areas with good transit access.
• infill sites.
• previously developed sites.
• sites adjacent to existing development.

Typical sprawl development can harm the natural environment in many ways. It can consume and fragment farmland, forests, and wildlife habitats; degrade water quality through destruction of wetlands and increased stormwater runoff; and pollute the air with increased automobile traffic.

Protect Threatened Species

Fragmentation and loss of habitat are major threats to many imperiled species. LEED encourages compact development patterns and the selection of sites that are within or adjacent to existing development to minimize habitat fragmentation and also help preserve areas for recreation.

Increase Transportation Choice &
Decrease Automobile Dependence

These two things go hand-in-hand; convenient transportation choices such as buses, trains, car pools, bicycle lanes and sidewalks, for example, are typically more available near downtowns, neighborhood centers and town centers, which are also the locations that produce shorter automobile trips.

Note: These benefits are taken from the USGBC's explanation of Neighborhood Development Benefits, found here.