CDBC’S GREEN AND SMART URBAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES

The guidelines focus on three categories: urban form, transportation, and energy and resources. They aim to reduce pollution, congestion, and carbon emissions while improving economic vitality and livability through specific benchmarks for urban growth boundaries, transit-oriented development, mixed-use zoning, and resource efficiency.

• The guidelines propose that every city establish an enforced urban growth boundary (UGB) to prevent sprawl and protect natural resources. The boundary should only expand if infill locations are unavailable, defined by an urban land use intensity of at least 10,000 residents per square kilometer.
• Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is recommended to increase density around transit hubs. The guidelines suggest that for large cities, at least 70% of residents should live in TOD areas, and the floor area ratio (FAR) within 500-800 meters of major transit stations should be at least 50% higher than the district average.
• To promote walkability and reduce car dependence, the guidelines advocate for mixed-use development where all residential units are within 500 meters of at least six types of amenities. The job-resident ratio in commuting districts (no larger than 15 km2) should be between 0.5 and 0.7.
• The guidelines recommend a small-block urban form to improve pedestrian safety and traffic flow, stating that blocks should be less than or equal to 2 hectares, with 70% of blocks complying with this standard.
• Public green space should comprise 20-40% of construction areas, with all residences having access to such space within 500 meters to improve mental health, air quality, and property values.
• Non-motorized transit (NMT) targets include dedicated and connected walking and biking paths of at least 10 km in length per square kilometer in urban areas.
• Public transit accessibility benchmarks require all new developments to be within 500 meters of a bus or mass transit station, and 90% of all city developments to be within 800 meters of a station.
• The guidelines suggest a strategy to cap car use and limit parking where high-quality transit exists to reduce carbon emissions and health costs.
• Green building targets are based on MOHURD stars: at least 70% of buildings should be One-Star, 20-40% Two-Star, and 5-15% Three-Star within any development.
• For energy and resources, the guidelines recommend analyzing district energy potential (e.g., CHP) and achieving local renewable energy generation of 5-15% for residential areas and 2-5% for commercial areas.
• Waste management goals include sorting all household waste and achieving composting rates of 30-50% and recycling/re-use rates of 35-50%.
• Water efficiency guidelines require 100% adoption of water-saving appliances, the use of low water-use plants in green spaces, and that 20-30% of the water supply be recycled from rainwater or wastewater.

APA

Huang, C., Busch, C., He, D., & Harvey, H. (2015). CDBC’S GREEN AND SMART URBAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/12-Green-Guidelines.pdf

Chicago

Huang, CC, Chris Busch, Dongquan He, and Hal Harvey. CDBC’S GREEN AND SMART URBAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES. Energy Innovation, 2015. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/12-Green-Guidelines.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Huang |first1=CC |last2=Busch |first2=Chris |last3=He |first3=Dongquan |last4=Harvey |first4=Hal |title=CDBC’S GREEN AND SMART URBAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=October 2015 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/12-Green-Guidelines.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{huang2015cdbcs, author = {Huang, CC and Busch, Chris and He, Dongquan and Harvey, Hal}, title = {{CDBC’S GREEN AND SMART URBAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/12-Green-Guidelines.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }