Book excerpt: Capitalize on a Comprehensive New Process for Planning and Designing Sustainable Green Communities Written by internationally renowned architect Avi Friedman, Sustainable Residential Development equips you with a much-needed process and examples for planning and designing green communities. This landmark resource explains the principles of green building and how to apply them to residential development, presenting guidelines for creating communities that balance social, economic, and environmental needs. Filled with plans, elevations, and vignettes, the book shows how to incorporate wind direction, sun exposure, tree preservation, topography, and public spaces into site plan. It also shows how to design high-density neighborhoods...apply green design and construction principles by using local materials and techniques, solar power, waste management, and water efficiency...as well as rehabilitate neighborhoods while respecting their heritage. Sustainable Residential Development features: Expert guidelines for planning and designing communities that balance social, economic, and environmental needs A wealth of international and U.S. case studies and examples that illustrate the principles of sustainable community design Over 100 downloadable plans and elevations that offer a head start for planning and designing sustainable communities Inside this Green Planning and Design Guide: • Defining and Applying Principles of Sustainability in Neighborhood Development • Learning Lessons from the Past: The Rise of Suburbia • Site Selection and Analysis • Strategies for High-Density Neighborhoods: The New Urbanism • Planning, Design, and Construction Principles for Sustainability • The Urban Renewal Process and Architectural Heritage • Balancing Environmental, Cultural, and Economic Needs: A Framework for Greener Neighborhoods