SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS: RATING TOOLS TOWARDS THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE INTERMEDIATE URBAN SCALE

Abstract

During the last decade, there has been an exponential emergence of building rating tools internationally, as a response from the building sector to the development and environmental challenges that the world faces today. Currently some of these systems are evolving towards a wider scope, going further than the limits of the buildings as singular objects, for assessing the sustainability of neighbourhoods and communities. In this context is relevant to analyse the role of this kind of systems, based on actions at the intermediate urban scale. For that purpose, this essay aims to explore some of the main rating systems for neighbourhoods and communities, reviewing the sustainability aspects covered by them, their influence towards sustainability, and their relevance as possible base for the sustainability evaluation of neighbourhoods and communities at the Chilean context.