As the White House puts its influence–and billions of dollars — behind energy-efficient living for all Americans, opportunities abound for developers, entrepreneurs, and consumers to contribute to healthier, eco-friendly living. Several green housing developments have cropped up across the nation in urban and inner-city areas where companies and organizations have found a way to not only revive communities and their inhabitants, but help preserve the planet.
One such development is the R-Street Apartments in Washington D.C. The District’s newest green community, R-Street was purchased by residents through the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, and underwent nearly $8 million in renovations to preserve and green 130 apartments.
In New Orleans, the Pontchartrain Park Community Development Corp. is turning a historic African American neighborhood that was left destitute after Hurricane Katrina into a community of 350 LEED-certified, flood-elevated homes. The organization is helping to provide tax credits, grants, and other incentives that will allow elderly homeowners to repurchase their homes at a significant discount.
In the Bronx, New York, the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corp. (WHEDCo), an organization that works with families who struggle with poverty, has turned a dilapidated urban lot into a 128-unit high-rise for low-income and formerly homeless families. Intervale Green has energy-efficient elements and aesthetic additions that are not only keen on the eye but eco-friendly.
Here’s a look at each of these communities and their renewal: