A New York developer is unveiling plans for a fleet of luxury homes that aim to comply with LEED environmental standards. But this article from The New York Times wonders whether that really makes the homes green.
"The house has five bedrooms and four baths, as well as fancy features like a home theater, wine cellar and mirrored exercise room."
"It is the first of 24 homes planned for a development named after an area in the English Lake District, and built in a style meant to evoke 19th-century English country houses."
"Windermere is the first project of NRDC Residential, a new division of the National Realty and Development Corporation of Purchase, N.Y., which wants to develop a niche as a builder of "architecturally driven, planned communities with an environmental consciousness," said Mark Robbins, the division president."
"With the help of the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, known by its acronym, LEED, NRDC Residential hopes to present large luxury homes as environmentally friendly."
"Yet the goals of spare-no-expense luxury (homes at Windermere start at $3.2 million) and environmental awareness seem unlikely when combined. After all, can a four-level house with a three-car garage and a kitchen full of energy-hungry Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances truly qualify as a model of environmental responsibility?"
FULL STORY: How ‘Green’ Can a Huge House Be?
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service