Annotated Table of Contents Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, Revised Edition Copyright Walker Wells and Kimberly Vermeer, 2020 Preface The authors describe their paths to working in green affordable housing. Kim shifting to housing, health and environment from her start in housing finance, and Walker through an interest in sustainable urban planning and development. These different and diverse backgrounds, along with the authors’ centers of practice being in Boston and Los Angeles, add to the breadth and richness of the chapter content. Foreword by Jonathan Rose Jonathan Rose is well known as a thoughtful and innovative developer of affordable housing. He describes how green affordable housing is an example of restorative environmental justice, addressing both humanistic needs for housing and a healthy environment. He also provides historical context for the content of the book, including his involvement with both the Natural Resources Defense Council and Enterprise Community Partners in the early 2000s. This intersection of interests was among the catalysts for developing the Enterprise Green Communities Initiative, which is the most commonly used green building rating system for affordable housing in the US. Chapter 1: The Case for Greening Affordable Housing Designing, building, and operating affordable housing is integral to advancing social equity in both housing and the environment. This chapter describes the relationship between affordable housing development and sustainability. The Chapter starts with the rationale for providing housing designated for low-income families: to strengthen society’s social safety net and to promote social equity. The core elements of sustainability are outlined – environment, economy, and equity – with affordable housing designed and built to green building standards shown as a method for implementing sustainability in urban environments. The Chapter also discusses the relationship of green affordable housing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities but also Goals 3: Good Health & Well-being, 10: Reduced Inequalities, and 13: Climate Action. The Chapter concludes with describing how Project Managers are critical players in the development process and explaining that the book is intended to be a practical guide for them. Chapter 2: The Integrated Design Process The Integrated Design Process is a holistic, collaborative, and iterative method for clarifying project goals, identifying performance criteria for energy, water, health, resource use efficiencies, and climate action. This Chapter provides a description of the Integrated Design Process and guidance on how to apply this approach to affordable housing design and development. The chapter includes a detailed discussion of the role of the “green design charrette” as a core element of the integrated design approach, including discussions of who should attend, the structure and agenda, and how to foster
Annotated Table of Contents, p. 2 collaboration and creativity. Methods for continuing the spirit and outcomes of the charrette through the overall project design and construction process compete the chapter. This chapter has reflection questions. Chapter 3: Best Practices in Green Design This Chapter provides a topic-by-topic description of best practices in green building design and construction, with a specific focus on the systems and materials that are typical to housing nationally. Site selection, site planning, building massing, energy efficiency and renewable energy generation, water conservation and reuse, environmentally preferable materials, ventilation, and healthy housing approaches are discussed. The chapter includes guidance for incorporating green building practices into architectural plans, construction documents, and specifications. The chapter concludes with a “Top-20” list of low-cost green measures. Chapter 4: Operations Once construction of a green building is complete, the project transitions to green operations. This chapter lays out the foundations for green operations and maintenance and offers suggestions for establishing roles and responsibilities for staff, creating schedules and reporting requirements, and putting green practices in place. This chapter also provides guidance for improving the efficiency, healthiness and sustainability of older existing housing through maintenance of buildings and systems and planning for future replacements and renovations. This chapter has reflection questions. Chapter 5: Costs and Financing Identifying the costs and benefits of green building requires looking beyond conventional measures such as return on investment. This chapter outlines the unique opportunities in affordable housing finance to address the “split incentive” concern that occurs when one party pays for a green feature (the builder or owner) and another party (the residents) benefits. Topics include how various affordable housing funding mechanisms, such as the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC), and utility allowance adjustments, can recognize green features and result in an increase in borrowing capacity to fund green features. This chapter has reflection questions. Chapter 6: Looking Forward –Four Trends in Green Affordable Housing The final chapter identifies a series of emerging trends and opportunities that are influencing green affordable housing practice. These are: community resilience, resident health, greenhouse gas reductions and achieving carbon neutrality. A final trend is “green beyond the building”—integrating housing with broader community efforts to develop sustainably, address historic inequities and increase access to opportunity.
Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, Revised Edition
Annotated Table of Contents, p. 3 Case Studies The book has 14 detailed case studies, each four to six pages in length, of green affordable housing developments. Each case study describes why the developer chose to pursue green strategies or certification, the specific measures included, the certifications achieved, information on costs and financing, and a review of the effectiveness of the green measures and discussion of the key lessons learned. The cases include a range of property types and locations, for example: homeownership within a LEED for Neighborhood Development project in Grand Rapids, Michigan; senior rental housing in a transit-oriented mixed-use development in Decatur, Georgia; and rental housing in Vista, a catalyst for new development in a suburban community near San Diego, California. The cases can stand alone as realized examples of the concepts presented in the chapters. Instructors can also use the Case Study Worksheet, provided as a separate document, as a tool for extrapolating information from the cases that illustrates points made in the chapters. The Index to the case studies and location map from the book are on the following pages. Appendices The Blueprint Appendices include a Glossary and a set of checklists to aid practitioners. These checklists could be used as the basis of in-class exercises or assignments. Additional Materials The authors developed an instructor guide for using the cases in educational settings and a worksheet for students to use as they study a case. These materials can be found on the Island Press website along with this Annotated Table of Contents. The authors also developed a set of slides for the figures in the book. The slide deck is available in two formats. The PPTX version has comments in the Notes section of the slides to reference the location in the book and provide context and a description of the figure. The PDF version retains the original formatting and is suitable for presentations.
Copyright Š Kimberly Vermeer and Walker Wells, 2020. All rights reserved. The content may be used for noncommercial, educational purposes with appropriate credit.
Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, Revised Edition
106
Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing
Table C0-1. Index to the Case Studies
Case Name
Sponsor
Location
1
Auburn Court, 3 Brookline Place
Homeowner’s Rehab, Inc.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
2
Avery Hill Solar
Lakes Region Community Developers
Laconia, New Hampshire
3
The Villages at Cabrillo
Century Villages at Cabrillo
Long Beach, California
4
El Camino Crossing
Homewise Inc.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
5
The Lace Mill
RUPCO
Kingston, New York
6
Mutual Housing at Spring Lake
Mutual Housing California
Woodland, California
7
Orchards at Orenco I
REACH
Hillsboro, Oregon
8
Phoenix House
3Keys, Inc. with co-developers Tapestry Development and NHT Communities
Atlanta, Georgia
9
Habitat for Humanity at Plaza Roosevelt
Habitat for Humanity of Kent County
Grand Rapids, Michigan
10
The Rose
Aeon and Hope Community
Minneapolis, Minnesota
11
North Santa Fe Apartments
Community HousingWorks
Vista, California
12
Second Street Studios
First Community Housing
San Jose, California
13
Sendero Verde
Jonathan Rose Companies
East Harlem, New York
14
Senior Residences at Decatur East
Columbia Residential
Decatur, Georgia
Conservation Code; Copyright 2011; Washington, DC: International Code Council. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. www.ICCSAFE.org.
Figure C0-1. Geographic and climate zone locations for case studies. Map is based on Figure C301.1, excerpted from the 2012 International Energy
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Paperback: $35.00 240 PAGES Publication Date: July 2020 ISBN: 9781642830385
Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, Revised Edition Walker Wells and Kimberly Vermeer
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lueprint for Greening Affordable Housing is the most comprehensive resource on how green building principles can be incorporated into affordable housing design, construction, and
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Vermeer capture the rapid evolution of green building practices and make a compelling case for integrating green building in affordable housing. The book offers guidance on innovative practices, green building certifications for affordable housing, and the latest financing strategies. The completely new case studies share detailed insights on how the many elements of a green building are incorporated into different housing types and locations.
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Every affordable housing project can achieve the fundamentals of good green building design. Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing gives project teams what they need to push for excellence.
Walker Wells and Kimberly Vermeer
W
alker Wells is a principal at Raimi+Associates, a consulting service that supports healthy, sustainable, and equitable communities. He is former Executive Director of Global Green USA and a lecturer in the UCLA planning program.
K
imberly Vermeer is President of Urban Habitat Initiatives Inc., a Bostonbased consulting practice working to advance sustainability and climate resilience, especially in multifamily and affordable housing.
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