Remarkable cities and the fight against climate change: 43 recommendations to reduce greenhouse gases and the communities that adopted them
- Publisher:
- Environmental Law Institute
- Publication date:
- 2020-02-11
- Authors:
- Jonathan Rosenbloom
- ISBN:
- 978-1-58576-221-7
Description:
Our cities and communities face an uncertain and daunting future. Diverse challenges, including an increasingly warmer and erratic climate, losses of biodiversity, disparities in economic equality, and state and federal hostility to local action, test the survival of many communities. Paralleling these challenges is an explosion of development that will rival post-World War II land use expansion. Yet most development codes are decades old and not prepared to confront today’s changes, and many local governments do not have the time or resources to research and address the myriad of changes and uncertainty they face.The Sustainability Development Code (SDC) project provides concrete ways for communities to amend development codes and adapt to new challenges as they occur. The SDC aims to help all local governments, regardless of size and budget, build more resilient, environmentally conscious, economically secure and socially equitable communities. In tandem with the SDC project, this book arms local governments with a diversity of approaches to meet the climate change challenge, focusing on actions that are traditionally within local governments’ land use and development authority
Remove code barriers
- Accessory Dwelling Units
- Cluster/Conservation Subdivision in Rural/Urban Area
- District Heating and Cooling Zones
- Height & Setbacks to Encourage Renewables
- Live-Work Units
- Local Recycling Centers
- Mixed-Use
- Renewable Energy for Historic Buildings
- Solar Energy Systems and Wind Turbines by-Right
- Tiny Homes and Compact Living Spaces
Create Incentives
- Density Bonus for Installation of Solar Energy Systems
- Energy and Water Efficiency
- Green Roofing
- Infill Development
- Limiting Off Property Shading of Solar Energy Systems
- Pervious Cover Minimums and Incentives
- Priority Parking for Hybrid & Electric Vehicles
- Property Assessed Clean Energy Program
- Property Tax Exemptions for Renewable Energy Systems
- Recycle, Salvage and Reuse Building Materials
- Recycling in Multi-family and Commercial Buildings
- Renewable Energy with Incentives
- Transit-Oriented Development
- Varying Unit Sizes within Multi-Family and Mixed-Use Buildings
Fill Regulatory Gaps
- Alternative Pedestrian Routes to Parking Areas, Neighborhoods, and Businesses
- Energy Benchmarking, Auditing, and Upgrading
- Green Zones
- Limit Solar Restrictions in HOAs and/or CC&Rs
- Maximum Size of Single-Family Residences
- Native Trees and Invasive Trees
- Open Space Impact Fees
- Parking In-Lieu Fees
- Parking Maximums
- Safe Routes
- Site & Solar Orientation
- Solar-Ready Construction
- Third-Party Certification Requirements
- Tree Canopy Cover
- Urban Growth Area
- Urban Service Area
- Vegetation Protection Areas
- Water Efficient Landscaping
- Zero Net Energy Buildings
- Appendix: Alternate Categories for Recommended Local Legislation
- Index