Michelle Kaufmann’s green dev resource

If you’re looking for a reliable green resource regarding placemaking and design, take a look at architect Michelle Kaufmann’s blog, as well as her firm Michelle Kaufmann Design. It’s long on practice and real world examples without getting bogged down in theory and lecture.

For instance, her blog is like a green placemaking combination of Apartment Therapy and the one you’re reading right now. She recently published Embracing Thoughtful, Walkable Neighborhoods: Housing Collapse Reveals Pressing Need for Green Communities, a user-friendly guide to green development for very current times, featuring the substantive infographics pictured above and below.

Here’s her Ten Green Communities We Love, with the most natural cultural district oriented ones in bold:

1. Somerset Parkside, Sacramento, CA
2. Greenbridge Development, Chapel Hill, NC
3. Florence Lofts, Sebastopol, CA
4. Village Homes, Davis, CA
5. Prairie Crossing, Grayslake, IL
6. Orenco Station, Hillsboro, OR
7. The Fields of St. Croix, Lake Elmo, MN
8. Steelworks Lofts, Williamsburg, NY
9. Highlands’ Garden Village, Denver, CO
10. Belmont Dairy, Portland, OR

…and her 10 EcoPrinciples, fully explained in the document described above.

1. Smart Design: Design to use less, to collaborate with the landscape, and for longevity as well as flexibility by…
2. Energy Efficiency: Reduce the need for energy and supply remaining demand via renewable sources by…
3. Water Conservation: Save and reuse water while reducing runoff by…
4. Reduce Waste: Funnel traditional sources of waste to facilities that allow for new and productive uses for refuse by…
5. Healthy Environment: Create a clean, healthful living environment for residents by…
6. Diversity: Forge a healthy mix of residents from different backgrounds and at various points in their lives by…
7. Smart Location: Build someplace and design in a way that offers environmental, social, and economic benefits by…
8. Respect the Land: Protect a site’s existing landscape and ecology by…
9. Smart Auto Strategy: Lessen the intrusion and impact of automobiles by…
10. Shared Resources: Help cultivate unity, collaboration, and reciprocity by…

What green placemaking resource would you use? This one? Comment below!

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