Beyond Buildings
In addition to green buildings, there are many things that you can do to make your community more sustainable. In fact, the AIA has an entire center devoted to the topic. By working with local architects and the AIA's Center for Communities by Design, you can obtain resources and assistance on many community design needs.
The AIA's 10 Principles for Livable Communities outlines how to achieve a better, more livable built environment. The AIA Center for Communities by Design also has programs that offer comprehensive recommendations on sustainable city design.
Center for Communities by Design
The Center for Communities by Design is a catalyst, convener, and source of information that helps AIA members work with citizens and other stakeholders to envision and create more livable communities. The Center believes that architects are critical to designing safe, attractive, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable communities.
Good design is an investment; well-designed communities will attract and benefit residents, businesses, and visitors, and meet the needs of present and future generations alike.
Livability 101
Livability 101 offers communities the resources to develop a vision for the future and enables them to be engaged in a successful process with the expertise offered by the architectural profession. As designers of the built environment, architects play an important role in shaping our communities. Their design affects our safety, health, and the environment as well as the quality of life in our neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions. This publication seeks to strengthen the relationship of citizens and architects by sharing a common vocabulary to create a sustainable framework for building more livable communities.
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Local Leaders in Sustainability
The Local Leaders in Sustainability Report examines the current state of green building laws in American cities as of 2007. The primary goal of this analysis is to provide a tool for communities as well as other levels of government that seek to design green building programs in the future. It is based on research conducted by the AIA on all American cities with a population greater than 50,000 (661 communities) to spotlight the growth and effectiveness of green building policies.
