What is a “sustainable development”?
According to ICSC’s Dictionary of Shopping Center Terms, Third Edition (International Council of Shopping Centers: 2008), this development “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The meaning has additional connotations on preserving the environment, promoting healthy conditions in buildings, and demonstrating concerns for social and economic needs of shareholders.” Such a system does not, on a net basis, deplete resources. Such projects share elements common to green buildings, as well as indigenous plantscaping, capturing rainwater and “gray” water that has been used, and minimized transportation costs. Mixed-use developments represent a natural outgrowth of such development.
