The Kings of LEED

Kaid Benfield:

As this post is published, I am on vacation in Victoria, British Columbia, a wonderful city that -- among other good things -- is home to Dockside Green, which some people are calling the greenest development in the world.
At least with respect to new, highly urban developments-in-progress, they may have a case to make. For starters, when NRDC, the US Green Building Council, and the Congress for the New Urbanism first announced the LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot program to honor smart growth, the developers of Dockside Green made a point of being the program's very first applicant. It has since earned a platinum rating under LEED-ND.
Moreover, its two completed residential phases have also earned platinum ratings under the LEED green building programs, in one case setting a new world record for the highest LEED building score ever achieved and in the second case tying their own record. Its completed commercial phase has also earned, you guessed it, a platinum rating.

This is a very interesting brownfield redevelopment.  Some of the efficiency projects are better for scoring LEED points than being cost effective, but if people are going to blow a bunch of money on fancy housing, energy-efficient housing is better than the alternative.