Sustainable Community Design

The built environment - the places we live, work, shop and play - has both direct and indirect effects on the natural environment. Through careful planning, communities can minimize air and water pollution while preserving natural habitat that enhances quality of life.

In North Carolina, we have developed the Conservation Planning Tool to coordinate and guide compatible land use planning and inform future growth patterns. It helps local governments plan water, wastewater and transportation projects away from sensitive areas.

Conservation Subdivision design principles allow communities to conserve their special open spaces at the same time they achieve their development objectives. The developer builds the maximum number of homes permitted under the municipality's zoning, while permanently protecting a large portion of the property that is added to the interconnected network of community green spaces.

Low Impact Development (LID) comprises a set of site design approaches and small-scale stormwater management practices that are designed to reduce runoff and associated pollutants from the site where they are generated. By means of infiltration, evapotranspiration, and reuse of rainwater, LID techniques manage water and water pollutants at the source and thereby prevent or reduce the impact of development on rivers, streams, lakes, coastal waters and ground water.