"Green Building" projects like the Charles River mall in Massachusetts hope to help preserve the environment, but some activists say it isn't enough to combat the effects of sprawling development.
"Michael and Barbara Faron always feel good after visiting the Bread & Circus grocery at the Charles River mall. The organic rice cakes, the free-range chicken, recycled paper and plastic - it's environmentally friendly shopping, they say. What they didn't know is that the mall buildings themselves are ecologically sensitive. Rainwater is collected from the rooftops and sent to an elaborate network of underground tanks that recharge the aquifer deep below the parking lot." The methods the developers used are increasingly common in Massachusetts as developers embrace the practice of "green building," also known as sustainable design." Yet, some critics cite that an environmentally conscious development on farmland near a beltway is still sprawl.
Thanks to Christian Peralta
FULL STORY: 'Green' mall alters tone of sprawl debate
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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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