Planning & Design

  • LEED ND USGBC - is an overview of the principles and implications of LEED's Neighborhood Design program for design of new and redesign of existing neighborhood scale projects.
  • Green Building Toolkit - published by the US EPA, is an extensive PDF document (92 pages) that assists local governments in identifying and removing barriers to sustainable design and green building within their permitting process.
  • ReImagining Cleveland - an extensive report on land use and vacant land, summarizes the goals, principles and strategies for returning vacant properties to productive use at the city-wide scale. It identifies policy changes that will enable the city to better make use of this growing resource. The report also includes a range of potential pilot projects meant to illustrate and test the principles, and to build capacity for the strategic management of vacant land throughout the city. The accompanying Pattern Book has specific design suggestions for the repurposing of different types of vacant land.
  • http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/ - outlines EPA's State and Local Climate and Energy Program, which provides technical assistance, analytical tools, and outreach support to state, local, and tribal governments.
  • Sustainability Climate Plans USA - is a linked list, published by ICLEI, of Sustainability and Climate Action Plans created by local government though out the United States.
  • Best Planning Practices WindEnergy - a manual on best practices, published by the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association, MDEQ, and NOAA, to assist Michigan counties developing community wind energy plans.