Sustainable Community Indicators from AIA

Smart Growth Online has a quick heads-up about a new publication from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Center for Communities by Design. They've produced a first draft of a selection of prominent sustainability practices (DOC).

The official description: The information outlined in this document offers a general overview of how-to guidelines, community indicators/benchmarks, and other similar sources as a reference starting point to understand the very broad and wide-ranging field of community sustainability. In particular, this selection is an approach to facilitate Benchmarking Models to Evaluate the Sustainability of a Community in their relationship to the AIA's 10 Principles for Livable Communities Including Benchmarking Models equipping both architects and their communities implementing sustainable practices.

What I find interesting is the discussion of urban amenity indicators and urban design indicators, and the recognition that no single standard set of indicators would accurately reflect the changing circumstances and preferences of every urban situation. Instead, they provide examples and case studies that help conceptualize how you might build an indicator set that would describe whether your community is sustainable.

Take a look, then check out the other publications from AIA.