USGBC LEED Accredited Professional Neighborhood Development

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) is a framework developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to encourage sustainable practices in neighborhood design. It integrates principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into the first national system for neighborhood design.

 

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USGBC AP ND Exam Summary:

Exam Name	USGBC LEED Accredited Professional Neighborhood Development
Exam Code	AP ND
Exam Fee	Combined exam: $550 ($400 for USGBC members) Specialty only: $350 ($250 for USGBC members)
Exam Duration	120 Minutes
Number of Questions	100
Passing Score	170 out of 200
Format	Multiple Choice Questions
Sample Questions	USGBC LEED AP ND Exam Sample Questions and Answers
Practice Exam	Certified LEED Accredited Professional Neighborhood Development (AP ND) Practice Test

USGBC LEED Accredited Professional Neighborhood Development Syllabus Topics:

Topic	Details
LEED Process (13 Questions)	- LEED interpretations - Components of a LEED scorecard - Project boundary/context; LEED boundary; pre-project conditions; site vicinity; previously developed - Prerequisites and/or minimum program requirements for LEED certification - Knowing the evolutionary characteristics of LEED (e.g., development cycles of the rating systems; continuous improvement) - Integrative process (e.g., roles and responsibilities; facilitating collaboration) - Ways to earn Innovation credits: ◉ Innovative methods (e.g., criteria for new innovative method; using credit that has been used before) ◉ Exemplary performance (e.g., which credits have exemplary performance paths; what are the thresholds of exemplary performance) ◉ Pilot credits - Identifying development program; nonbuildable and buildable land; building/street frontage
Smart Location & Linkage (21 Questions)	- Preferable locations: ◉ Existing context (e.g., infill sites; adjacent sites with connectivity; transit corridor; nearby neighborhood assets; existing/planned utilities) ◉ Connectivity (e.g., street design and intersection density) ◉ Designated high-priority locations (e.g., high-priority redevelopment areas) ◉ Brownfield (e.g., contaminated soil or groundwater; remediation) ◉ Existing transit service ◉ Bicycle network (e.g., short- and long-term storage; bikeable location; bicycle network) ◉ Housing and jobs (e.g., jobs-housing balance) - Sensitive feature avoidance: ◉ Imperiled species and ecological communities (e.g., habitat conservation plan) ◉ Wetland and water bodies (e.g., classification of wetlands and water bodies; minor development impacts; buffer delineation) ◉ Agricultural land (e.g., prime and unique farmland; affected soils) ◉ Floodplain (e.g., flood hazard, National Flood Insurance Program [NFIP]; ASCE 24) ◉ Steep slope (e.g., restoration and protection of steep slopes) - Site design and development: habitat and water body design, restoration, and long- term conservation
Neighborhood Pattern & Design (23 Questions)	- Community resources: ◉ Walkable streets (e.g., functional entry; building height-to-street width ratio; continuous sidewalks; street/ building frontages; property setbacks; on-street parking) ◉ Connected and open community (e.g., surrounding connectivity; internal connectivity; throughconnections; gates) ◉ Tree-lined and shaded streetscapes (e.g., tree-lined blocks; shaded sidewalks; street tree plantings) ◉ Access to civic and public space, recreation facilities ◉ Local food production (e.g., neighborhood gardens; community-supported agriculture; farmers market) ◉ Transit facilities and transportation demand management ◉ Neighborhood schools (e.g., continuous sidewalks; traffic controls/bicycle lanes) - Compactness: ◉ Compact development (e.g., residential density [DU/acre]; nonresidential density [FAR]; buildable land) ◉ Reduced parking footprint (e.g., location and size of parking lots) - Diversity: ◉ Mixed-use neighborhoods (e.g., specific use types and categories) ◉ Housing types and affordability (e.g., Simpson Diversity Index score, housing categories) ◉ Visitability and universal design (e.g., Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA]; universal design features) ◉ Stakeholder engagement: Community outreach and involvement (e.g., pre-design meeting; charrette; ongoing means of communications)
Green Infrastructure & Buildings (21 Questions)	- Infrastructure: ◉ Renewable energy production (e.g., solar; wind; geothermal; small-scale; micro- hydroelectric; biomass) ◉ District heating and cooling ◉ Infrastructure energy efficiency (e.g., traffic lights; street lights; water; wastewater pumps) ◉ Recycled and reused infrastructure (e.g., roadways; parking lots; water retention tanks; water piping) ◉ Solid waste management - Buildings: ◉ Certified green buildings (e.g., LEED; ISO-compliant) ◉ Energy use (e.g., design; building loads; energy efficiency; ASHRAE 90.1-2010; Energy STAR®/HERs) ◉ Indoor water use (e.g., fixture selection) ◉ Materials reuse (e.g., building reuse; historic preservation; adaptive use) - Site design and development: ◉ Construction activity pollution prevention and minimized site disturbance ◉ Outdoor water use (e.g., reduced potable water use for irrigation) and management of wastewater ◉ Heat island reduction and solar orientation ◉ Lighting pollution reduction ◉ Rainwater management (e.g., EPA Technical Guidance Section 438; percentile rainfall event; low impact development; green infrastructure)
Project Surroundings and Public Outreach (7 Questions)	- Planning process and local framework (e.g., land use change amendments; public hearings; zoning; transportation) - Government agencies (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]; FEMA; HUD; USDA; local/state agency equivalents)