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NGBS Land Development certification covers design and development of residential green communities.

Reasons to Select NGBS Land Development Certification over LEED ND

April 15, 2014
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Also see 6 Reasons to Choose NGBS over LEED post from June 2013.

While LEED® for Neighborhood Development™ (LEED-ND) continues to hold greater name recognition, a lesser-known certification option of the National Green Building Standard (NGBS) is the Green Land Development certification. This green rating system covers the design, planning, and development of residential and mixed-use green communities. Since 2009, Home Innovation Research Labs has certified 22 land developments, representing over 1,500 lots, with nine communities currently in progress, representing 21,382 lots!

Although similar to LEED-ND, NGBS Land Development certification's core philosophy differs. Whereas LEED-ND can only be achieved in dense urban cores, the NGBS Green Land Development certification is designed to have wide application for all types of communities—urban, suburban, and rural. An additional distinction is the NGBS focus beyond site selection and design to successful implementation of green practices during the development work.

If you're considering green certification for your community, here’s a quick primer on why to choose NGBS.

Housing performance made great gains in the past decade. Building science improved, as well as energy, water, and resource efficiency, and indoor air quality. The NGBS Land Development rating system can beget similar environmental improvements in the way we plan, design, and develop the communities of the future.

Are you considering NGBS Land Development certification? Contact me to see how I can help!

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