A home is more than the sum of its parts, and the most efficient strategy to green building is to evaluate all the systems in a home, and develop a holistic approach to home design, construction, and operation. This approach expands beyond the walls of the structure to include site and community development considerations. The benefits of a home's green practices development practices such as xeriscaping, permeable pavement, low-impact development storm water management and environmental preservation efforts are more fully realized when done on a larger community or subdivision scale.
The Lot Design, Preparation, and Development Guiding Principle in the NAHB Model Home Green Building Guidelines covers some key land development topics such as infill, greyfield, and brownfield sites, resource conservation, minimizing environmental impact. Builders are required to meet a minimum of these lot design variables for all certified green homes.
To help site planners and developers prepare lots and communities, the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines includes Appendix A -- Site Planning and Land Development (Parts 1 and 2) (1.7MB PDF). While this Guiding Principle does not assign point values for the checklist of items it contains, the User Guide contains resources and additional information to help guide developers. Topics include many of the ones listed in the Lot Design, Preparation, and Development Guiding Principle, but are expanded to include street considerations and utility installation and more importantly, instituting green development practices on a larger scale.
Further, the National Green Building Standard scheduled to debut in 2008 incorporates a chapter on Green Subdivisions. The proposed Standard includes point values for the Green Subdivisions section, providing site planners and developers with a defined set of criteria when planning and designing green lots.