While MetroFuture calls for more growth in and near existing cities and town centers, that growth must be designed well in order to improve quality of life. Urban areas will see the largest amount of new growth in existing neighborhoods, but suburbs would also experience changes. 14% of existing suburban households are in areas where the net density of housing units per developed acre would increase by 25%. New development would be reviewed to ensure compatibility with community-driven design standards. Most projects would also meet national best practices for sustainable, human-centered, and accessible design. High quality design is difficult to assess quantitatively. The US EPA Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) program represents the state of the art framework for assessing new development against a comprehensive set of design criteria (including site design, accessibility, and sustainability).

Objectives:

• 100% of the region’s municipalities will have design guidelines or form-based codes.
• 100% of the region’s municipalities will have incorporated LEED or LEED-equivalent requirements in their zoning.
• All new residential and commercial development will meet the requirements of LEED Certification or equivalent..