Michelle Kaufmann, one of the major darlings of the green prefab movement, released a white paper this last January, “Embracing Thoughtful, Walkable Neighborhoods,” which offers ten proposed EcoPrinciples for Communities. The ideas revolve around ideas that “Delve into some of the best practices that city planners, developers, architects, and builders can employ in order to design and build green communities that ensure the health of our neighborhoods and our planet over the long-term.”
Green is not some flash in the pan idea, and I like that Kaufmann’s paper addresses the long-term. Plus it’s cool that it focuses on whole community efforts vs. simply focusing on building one green home and calling it a day.
Below is one image from the white paper that points out some of the discussed incorporated green community factors.
A overview of Kaufmann’s ideas about green communities is discussed as well as 10 EcoPrinciples for communities. Three EcoPrinciples include:
Smart design: Which looks at’ “Design to use less, to collaborate with the landscape, and for longevity as well as flexibility”
Energy efficiency: Such as, “Sealing building envelopes with super efficient insulation and glass”
Water conservation: Like, “Making water “challenges” into water “features” and, “Sculpting bioswales into the land”
You can download Embracing Thoughtful, Walkable Neighborhoods for FREE to see all the great ideas offered.
[image via Michelle Kaufmann]
