• Federal High Performance and Sustainable Buildings
  • Policy Background
  • New Construction and Major Renovation
  • Existing Buildings
  • Supporting Technical Guidance
• Federal Mandates
• Construction Criteria Base
• ProductGuide
• Periodicals
• Case Studies
• Participating Agencies
• Industry Organizations

Sustainable Sites / Smart Growth

Technical Guidance

Recommendations

Federal sites should:

• Be located next to existing transit stations/stops to provide multiple transportation options;
• Be located within existing communities (infill development on vacant lots or redevelopment of existing parcels);
• Be located alongside a mix of uses (e.g., retail, housing);
• Ensure pedestrian accessibility between the facility and the surrounding community; and
• Have reduced parking requirements for facilities located near transit.

Related Mandates

• National Environmental Policy Act—Environmental Impact Statements/Assessments
• Endangered Species Act
• Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
• Clean Water Act
  • stormwater requirements
  • NPDES permits
• Wetlands-404 permits

Major Resources

WBDG

Design Objectives

Sustainable—Optimize Site Potential

Publications

• Turning Bases Into Great Places, EPA. 2006.

Other

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has compiled a set of smart growth scorecards and rating systems currently being used in communities across the country. Use one of the project-level scorecards to see how proposed developments would affect the community socially, economically, aesthetically, and environmentally.