Urban planning organization the Congress for the New Urbanism is working on developing green building standards that go beyond just a single structure and the lot it sits on and, for the first time, takes context into account. Together with the U.S. Green Building Council, the CNU is developing guidelines for making whole neighborhoods walkable, transit friendly and green. Of course, that means these neighborhoods will be good for bikes too.

The CNU’s page on the standards they are calling “LEED-ND” (LEED for Neighborhood Development) states:

More than one-third of greenhouse gas emissions are produced by buildings (primarily in heating and cooling), but another third is spent transporting people and goods to and from those buildings — and transportation emissions are growing much faster. Workplaces, shops and residences — even energy-efficient ones — in remote, auto-dependent locations generate vastly more transportation-related emissions than locations in urban places where transit-use, walking, and bicycling are viable options. Simply put, no building can be considered truly green unless it’s in a green urban neighborhood — and the principles of traditional city and town design as promoted by the CNU are essential guidelines for creating and supporting these neighborhoods. By focusing on traditional neighborhood design principles — such as density, proximity to transit, mixed use, mixed housing type, and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods — LEED-ND is recognizing the environmental benefits inherent in New Urbanism.

The rating standards will be similar to the current ones for green buildings and so will help cities encourage much better development.

The standards document includes, right now, a full section on building a bicycle network and providing for secure places to lock bicycles for both short and long durations. The parking guidelines are amazing just by themselves, with recommendations such as providing for at least one bicycle parking space per unit in multi-unit developments like condominiums and apartments, along with requirements for providing parking spaces for retail employees in shopping areas. There are additional provisions for publicly available shower facilities too.

To learn more about these standards, visit the CNU’s page on LEED-ND or the U.S. Green Building Council resources, where they are currently taking public comments if you want to go ahead and read the whole standards document and put your two cents in.