Homebuilders are driving the momentum for green-certified homes.
It's getting easier to be green.
The U.S. Green Building Council has been certifying new construction commercial buildings under its rigorous "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" criteria, a.k.a. LEED, since 2000. The next frontier: a national certification standard for houses, called LEED for Homes. While only a handful of houses have received certification so far, about 700 homes are now awaiting LEED review, and another 700 are applying. Typical considerations in an environmentally-sensitive home are energy efficiency, indoor air quality, durability, and site impact. As the trend mounts for individual custom homes, larger builders are taking notice. Who knows? Entire neighborhoods could be next.
FULL STORY: Keeping It 'Green' With Panels and More

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‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
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U.S. Miles Driven Rose by 1 Percent in 2024
Americans drove a total of 3.279 trillion miles in 2024, but per capita VMT stayed the same.

Seattle Recorded Zero Bike Deaths in 2024, per Early Data
The city halved the number of pedestrian deaths compared to 2021.

Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research