Director, Sustainable Communities, NRDC; co-founder, LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system; co-founder, Smart Growth America coalition; author, Once There Were Greenfields (NRDC 1999), Solving Sprawl (Island Press 2001), Smart Growth In a Changing World (APA Planners Press 2007), Green Community (APA Planners Press 2009); voted one of the "top urban thinkers" in poll on Planetizen.com and named one of "the most influential people in sustainable planning and development" by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.
Attorney, recovering litigator, cyclist, blogger, dreamer.
Follow Kaid on Twitter: @Kaid_at_NRDC.
Posted May 22, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably
Phil LaCombe and Lou Thomas, co-founders of the website and blog Small Streets, believe that the Danish capital of Copenhagen provides a special environment for delightful walking. It is certainly not a shock to find such praise for the...continued→
Posted May 21, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably
Two years ago, I wrote a short article titled Transit-oriented development requires more than transit and development. My point was that, to maximize the powerful potential of public transportation to reduce automobile dependence and associated environmental impacts, we should...continued→
Posted May 18, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably
Charlotte now has a lively entertainment district within shouting distance of Uptown, thanks to the NC Music Factory, which has repurposed a decaying textile mill into a sophisticated mix of concert theatres, restaurants, offices and places to hang out. ...continued→
Posted May 17, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably
The housing price recovery has begun, says a new report from The Demand Institute, a think tank recently launched by Nielson and The Conference Board to track consumer demand. Among the findings that are promising for more sustainable development...continued→
Posted May 16, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably
(Illustration courtesy of Julie Stuart, Making Ideas Visible) Today’s post is guest-authored by my friend and frequent collaborator, Lee Epstein. Lee is an attorney and land use planner working for sustainability in the mid-Atlantic region. First, a confession: I...continued→
Posted May 15, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably
About two decades ago, my friend Bob – a mover and shaker of sorts in the art world – took me to an artist’s studio in a (then, at least) scruffy area of lower Manhattan. The artist we were...continued→
Posted May 14, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably
The neighborhood near Nationals Park, the baseball stadium in southeastern Washington, DC, is undergoing an amazing transformation. A decade ago, the federal Department of Transportation had made a hopeful commitment to the area with plans for a new headquarters,...continued→
Posted May 11, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably
This started out as an article on prefabricated modular housing, which can bring the construction price of new homes down considerably and lends itself well to use of green materials and straightforward replication. There’s a multi-part series on green...continued→
Posted May 10, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice, Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably
When it is done well - with inclusion, affordability, environmental and cultural sensitivity, and attention to great placemaking - few things are as good for our communities as reinvestment in aging neighborhoods. It’s the ultimate win-win-win: improving environmental quality...continued→
Posted May 9, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably
The headline in Tuesday’s USA Today was shocking: “Obesity could affect 42% of Americans by 2030.” That is nearly triple the rate experienced just three decades ago, according to an article written by Nanci Hellmich. At current rates, eleven...continued→
Posted May 8, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably
I’ve been looking at some research reports, and confirming that some of the qualities associated with great urbanism – good public transit; easy access to cultural activities, recreation and shops; connectedness – are associated positively with human happiness. I...continued→
Posted May 4, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice, Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably
Transit analysts Reconnecting America and the Denver equity coalition Mile High Connects have released an impressive compendium of maps and research showing how expansion of that city’s transit system could bring major opportunity to traditionally underserved populations – if...continued→
Posted May 3, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably
The American Society of Landscape Architects has produced another great video, this one about growing food in cities. I'm a big fan of ASLA's work, in part because of their terrific skill at public and professional communications. This particular...continued→
Posted May 1, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment
As elaborated in yesterday’s post, metropolitan regions may well be the economic engines that drive America, and they may be one of the most significant scales (along with neighborhoods) for addressing environmental challenges. But they can be jurisdictional and administrative...continued→
Posted April 30, 2012 by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably
Our highly fragmented "system" of local governments makes it nearly impossible to address important issues facing metropolitan America in a rational way. Indeed, just getting around a metro region can be a challenge. Let's look at some examples. Getting...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
