Community Development

Any truly sustainable building response begins with the big picture. Nationally and regionally these generally take the form of public policy which would be formulated to encourage or mandate sustainable infrastructure and building practices. Green-building tax credits, financial incentives for employing renewal energy strategies, and higher-density zoning allowances for high-performance building are several examples. Community-scale sustainable development is generally the largest-scale project type undertaken by private developers, and the ones in which they can have the most (or least!) impact.

SWA's portfolio of sustainable consulting includes several of the largest and most innovative mixed-use community-development projects in the nation and in locations ranging from Florida to New England. Services have included: strategic and master planning; customized green-guidelines development designed to address local and regional environmental and market conditions; planning board presentations; green-building funding incentive analysis; and certification program reviews and implementation recommendations. SWA is currently working on several LEED ND (Neighborhood Development) community development projects. SWA has also advised on community-scale renewal energy applications, and on district combined heat and power (CHP) solutions.

Starting with a sustainably conceived site development strategy is the only way to achieve a truly green building environment, and one on which the foundations of green buildings can be placed.