With the global population explosion, the pace and nature of conventional land development practice is negatively impacting the ecological systems that life on Earth depends on.

Parks, gardens and other public spaces have tremendous value to the community—they impact where we live, work, play, gather, exercise and learn.

Vitally important to the human experience and the health of our community and the environment, parks and public spaces have become the center of a growing movement to sustainably design and construct outdoor public parks and social infrastructure.

Advancing your knowledge of green building and sustainability concepts can be easy with these resources at your fingertips. Check out the tools we recommend to help grow your expertise in SITES and the sustainable building industry.

SITES APs are landscape architects, designers, engineers, planners, ecologists, architects, developers and policymakers committed to the field of sustainable land design and development. Maintaining a SITES AP credential demonstrates their knowledge, expertise and commitment to their profession.

More than 15 years ago, a Georgia Tech architecture and urban planning master’s student named Ryan Gravel delivered a thesis statement that is leading to the transformation of the City of Atlanta. His plan for a combination of a transportation network, parks and bike trails connecting people across the city is now a 25-year, $4.8 billion project, spanning more than 640 acres of land, known as the Atlanta BeltLine.

Washington, D.C.—(June 21, 2018)—The renovation of Bartholdi Park at the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is complete, and the new garden is a showcase of sustainable gardening. Created in 1932, Bartholdi Park has served as a demonstration garden for more than 80 years, and until 2016, had not undergone a complete renovation since its original construction.

Over the years, GBCI has built a suite of green business programs dedicated to enhancing environmental performance and human health benefits. As companies continue to work to validate sustainability performance and communicate progress, more and more are finding value in pursuing multiple certifications.

For more than 80 years, Bartholdi Park at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., has served as a demonstration garden for residents and visitors visiting the nation’s capital. When it came time to undergo a renovation, the team saw an opportunity to show how applying sustainable design and development principles can help elevate the value of land in a way that better serves communities and the environment.