ABSTRACT
Buildings and the built environment in the US – homes, businesses, libraries and schools – consume significant amounts of energy, water and other materials, and thus have major implications for resource management and environmental conservation. Buildings and the built environment account for some 40 percent of our energy needs, produce about one-third of the world’s carbon emissions, and take about 40 percent of the raw materials extracted from the earth (City of New York 1999). A more careful design of the built environment that seeks to use energy and water sparingly, recycles materials, minimizes wastes, and enables more sustainable lifestyles represents an important form of urban infrastructure. Increasingly green building and intelligent design take advantage of information technologies (IT), making it easier to reach these environmental goals. This chapter explores the potential of green design and the role of IT at two primary spatial levels – the individual structure or building and the urban district or neighborhood.
