A Methodology for Inventorying LEED-ND Location-Eligible Parcels in a Local Jurisdiction

The development of sustainable communities can be accelerated through local government leveraging of the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system. LEED-ND combines the principles of smart growth, new urbanism, social equity, and green construction into the first U.S. system that rates and certifies neighborhood-scale sustainability. For communities, their infrastructure efficiencies, environmental footprint, and general livability can be substantially improved to the degree that larger amounts of incremental growth are ND-certified.

A parcel or group of parcels must comply with the Smart Location and Linkages prerequisites to be eligible for the remainder of the rating system and, ultimately, for certification. Therefore, an initial and valuable ND-leveraging opportunity for local governments is surveying their jurisdiction for ND location-eligible parcels.