Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute in British Columbia has written a paper that calls for changes in the LEED rating system. LEED programs typically “reduce building energy consumption 20 to 60 percent,” says Litman, but they offer “few mobility and parking credits,” and thus do not cut driving as much as possible. His paper, “Recommendations for Improving LEED Transportation and Parking Credits,” calls for a new approach, in which performance targets would be defined for the LEED silver, gold, and platinum standards. Developers would establish mobility and parking management plans that indicate how targets would be met. Litman says the credits he proposes could quickly be incorporated into the existing LEED rating system. The paper is posted at www.vtpi.org/leed_rec.pdf.