Planning for a Sustainable Future

In June 2009, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Transportation, and Environmental Protection Agency formed the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.  The partnership defined six livability principles for sustainable communities.

Sustainability efforts — including plans, initiatives, policies, programs, and even the internal structure of local government — can significantly impact the development of the green economy in a community and region.  To determine current levels of interest and involvement within areas of sustainability at the local level, three national organizations — the National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, and the International City/County Management Association — conducted independent surveys of municipalities across the country.

General Motors’ bankruptcy filing in June 2009 represented the largest industrial bankruptcy in US history. When GM filed for Chapter 11 protection, the goal was to reorganize GM into a car maker that could better compete in the global marketplace.  When “New GM” was created, many of “Old GM’s” (now “Motors Liquidation Company’s) surplus facilities were left behind.  Less than a year later, the White House announced that agreement had been reached on the largest environmental response trust ever created to speed the remediation and redevelopment of GM’s surplus properties in 14 states. 

This session will discuss programs currently being implemented in Indianapolis and Detroit that are intended to create sustainable cleanup solutions for these urban areas.

Integrated use of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), focused community engagement, and brownfield revitalization in the urban core can achieve healthier—and more livable—sustainable communities. 

Concern about sediment and nutrients in waterways is driving cities and states to adopt more stringent stormwater management regulations.  Nowhere is this more evident than in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  This group of industry experts leads a town hall discussion of new and impending stormwater management regulations and the realities of implementing them during brownfield redevelopment.

States, localities, and communities are moving beyond site-by-site brownfield redevelopment and looking to catalytic investment and area-wide approaches to achieve neighborhood revitalization by linking individual site reuse plans to larger neighborhood needs and sustainability goals.  In the process, these communities are leveraging public and private investment, fostering community engagement, and advancing equity and environmental justice.  Smart Growth America and the Environmental Law Institute have been examining new approaches to redeveloping petrol

Through the Solar America Communities program, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), partnering organizations and local governments are working together to increase domestic renewable energy generation, create new green jobs and economic growth and reduce pollution by powering cities with clean, safe, reliable solar energy. 

This session identifies sustainability metrics and presents three case studies from across the country where metrics are being developed and used at brownfield sites.  An overview of general sustainability metrics is presented, and metrics most pertinent to brownfields are identified.  Case studies include the LEED Gold–certified headquarters for the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Massachusetts (named a top 10 green building by the American Institute of Architects in 2009), the LEED Platinum–certified Ohlone Community College Campus in California

An important new tool in certifying and promoting the sustainability of a brownfield revitalization project is the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) rating system, launched in 2010 after a three-year pilot phase.  Speakers provide an overview of LEED ND certification and its advantages and incentives, particularly for brownfields and affordable housing projects.  For example, Department of Housing and Urban Development grant programs have the option of prioritizing funding for projects that are certified under LEED ND.