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?EUR??,,????'?????<?EUR??,,????'?????< Cities Going GreenZak Patton, a talented writer, scripting away in the latest edition of Governing.com discusses how cities across the nation are going green. He comments that cities are looking to rewrite their codebooks with a green pen to green up the skyline. Patton describes the green leadership roles Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Austin are taking. He points out that many cities are finding it difficult to rewrite those codes that primarily affect private property. He cites specific building examples from Fayetteville to Fort Collins in which green is taking root. But in each instance, Patton warily points out, the code cleansing involves buildings only. In these green forward-looking cities new buildings are being built or renovated following sustainability standards set forth by the LEED rating system. Most of the greening involves high-performance buildings that some fear may be used to set the bar for all city green building. Witness for instance San Mateo County?EUR??,,????'?????< To craft a green code to rebuild a city through high-performance buildings only, does seem a bit of a problem.  Baltimore?EUR??,,????'?????< Greening the CodesYet how does a community bring green into their codes? This is a problem perplexing local planners who write these codes. The answer lies in identifying which parts of the codes affect the environment. Where are the impacts to land, air, water, food security, waste, energy, human health and nutrient recycling, chemical balance and wildlife habitat? Can the codes actually lower carbon emissions that scientists believe are warming the globe? These and other questions about coding need to be addressed regarding land use, transportation, housing and development. Once that?EUR??,,????'?????< Many communities today are establishing sustainability offices or directors to ask these questions, find answers, institute green programs and track results. The city of Baltimore, Md. not only has an office but a commission to develop a sustainability plan for the community and to green their building codes. The initial sustainability plan was released February 3, 2009 and sets forth the range of sustainability concerns facing a large urban city. See this plan at www.baltimorecity.gov.   Baltimore?EUR??,,????'?????< Non-Green BuildingBut one must ask, what parts of the city support sustainability? Which elements of the city clean the air? Which parts preserve water quality? What can reduce the carbon footprint of a four-story parking garage? It is important to ask the question, are buildings alone the answer to greening the code? The answer, of course, brings up the role of city parks, open spaces, urban forest, public gardens, food producing areas, stream sides, wetlands and lakes. The quick response is that nature in the city is an integral part of the greening of the city too. These elements of the city provide sustainability to air, water, soil and public health. Then community building codes, zoning codes and development regulations must be rewritten to include not only buildings, but the public and private open space of the city. Landscape codes in particular must address sustainability. High-performance grass, for instance, is not defined in any landscape code in the U.S. Presently, too few codes even think about this. But this is a coming trend in the drafting of community landscape codes. Once these questions are asked, and answered, you clearly see that buildings are not the only element of the city that can green the environment. LEED by itself is not the answer. Green buildings without question, are part of the answer but it is not the complete answer. The landscape of the city can be a major part of the greening equation too. Cities that preserve their urban forest, steep slopes, flood plains, wildlife habitat, rich soils, wetlands, potable water supplies and native wildlife add a large measure of sustainability to a city. As landscape architects, you should have plenty to say about that. Sustainability Standard-High Performance Turf Grass
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