A Study for Green CitiesA Study for Green CitiesEquitableSustainability on theNeighborhood ScaleMary Domask and Benjamin Williams December 5th, 200823TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction............................................................................................................................................................................... 4Environmentally sustainable......................................................................................................................................... 4Sense of community........................................................................................................................................................... 4LEED Neighborhood Designation ................................................................................................................................ 4Case Study - Holiday, CO....................................................................................................................................................... 4City Goals................................................................................................................................................................................ 6Sustainability Goals............................................................................................................................................................ 7Equitability............................................................................................................................................................................ 7Other Incentives.................................................................................................................................................................. 8Case Study - Glenwood, GA.................................................................................................................................................. 8Sustainability........................................................................................................................................................................ 9Community..........................................................................................................................................................................10Transportation...................................................................................................................................................................10Summarization of Case Studies........................................................................................................................................10Similarities...........................................................................................................................................................................10Differences...........................................................................................................................................................................10Transferability to City of Ithaca.......................................................................................................................................11SouthWest Ithaca..............................................................................................................................................................11South Hill..............................................................................................................................................................................13Downtown Area.................................................................................................................................................................154INTRODUCTIONThe neighborhood is a logical building block with which to implement sustainable and equitable living into daily life. To implement sustainable and equitable living, there must be number of specific desired elements in a neighborhood. With this paper, we would like to consider the application of such a neighborhood that is described below to the Ithaca community. To this purpose, analyzed here are two different neighborhood developments from different areas of the United States that could serve as a model for a new Ithaca neighborhood.ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLEThe actual construction of the project can focus on sustainability by using locally sourced products, recycled or reused products and by limiting waste. Currently, more attention is paid to the energy efficiency of homes as a means of reducing carbon emissions and waste as well as utility cost of homeowners. Many homes and neighborhoods utilize combinations of passive and active solar power, graywater and stormwater use, composting and recycling programs, public transportation and walking as well effective insulation and energy efficient lighting. For all of these measures, it is important and often difficult to maintain a balance between optimum sustainability and affordability.SENSE OF COMMUNITYA last important aspect of a neighborhood is a sense of community and an atmosphere. Neighborhoods are ideally a place where people want to live, spend their time and can see to many of their needs including education, work, food and social outlets. For this to happen, neighborhoods need to be filled with community centers, parks, retail centers and an efficient layout for pedestrian usability.LEED NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGNATIONOne metric that can be used to evaluate a neighborhood’s viability is the LEED Neighborhood Designation. It states that a neighborhood "places emphasis on the design and construction elements that bring buildings together into a neighborhood, and relate the neighborhood to its larger region and landscape."(LEED Standards) however, this does not accommodate equitability as a goal. Also, LEED is not the only institution granting designations; it is just one that is at a national scale that has a good reputation. Many local communities are creating their own organizations to fill the same purpose as LEED certifications without much of the bureaucracy.CASE STUDY - HOLIDAY, COHoliday Neighborhood in Boulder, Co is made of 330 homes on 27 acres. 2 acres are dedicated to a city park and there are approximately four more acres in the development of community green space. Its