Renewing the rivalry between Los Angeles and San Francisco, today's Los Angeles Times shows how the two cities are implementing new green building requirements and promising to be the country's "greenest city." But which city's environmental plan will actually A.) materialize as promised and B.) work? In other words, who's gonna walk the walk after talking the talk? Let's cut to the chase and head straight to the polls. First, a re-cap:
LA's Plan:
· Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says: Slash greenhouse gas rates to 35% below the 1990 level by 2030, and make L.A. the "cleanest and greenest city in the country."
· LEED requirements in place for public structures— if they're over 7,500 square feet in size. The city notes its sheer scale of building activity as a plus.
· LEED compliance required for private construction over 50,000 square feet. Residential buildings with over 50 units must also comply with LEED standards.
SF's Plan:
· Mayor Gavin Newsom says: Cut greenhouse gases to 20% below the 1990 level by 2012, creating "the greenest large city in the United States of America."
· More stringent regulations in regards to LEED-certified buildings— all must be certified if over 5,000 square feet; fast-tracking of permits for such projects.
· SF planning 6,500 units of affordable, LEED-certified housing on Treasure Island.
· LEED gold compliance required for privately constructed commercial buildings over 25,000 square feet in size; silver LEED compliance required for all residential high-rises. All residential and low-rise units must comply with LEED standards.
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