Vacant suburban areas are emerging all over the U.S. due to the credit crunch. Houses are either being abandoned or areas that were in the process of development have been left undeveloped at  the subdivision level.. So what do you do with these vacant houses and abandoned sub-divided lands?

In an article “What will save the suburbs“, by Allison Arieff, there is the prospect that “The problem now isn’t really how to better design homes and communities, but rather what are we going to do with all the homes and communities we’re left with”. I recommend you read this article.

These suburban lands could be redeveloped in a number of different ways, which is not dissimilar to the way traditionally urban areas have been turned over, old warehouses become loft apartments, industrial lands become parks in cities.

Suburbia  could be redeveloped in a way that generates carbon credits, if the change of land-use included multiple projects that could earn carbon credits. Out on the wind-swept urban moors, and not so windy urban areas all over the USA a variety of voluntary carbon offsets projects could be generated, which have additional  social benefits in terms of job creation, food production and reduced greenhouse gases. Eventually all the displaced persons have to be re-housed somewhere. Some of the land could be re-released as housing in a compact urban settlement.

An area now abandoned could under the  Voluntary Carbon Standard be re-modelled as a mixed development, with areas set aside for wind farming, compact urban housing developments, with higher densities that are energy efficient and use renewable energy.  The use of electric cars powered by PV cells on the roofs could be another additional carbon credit.

If the U.S Cap and Trade Emissions Trading Scheme were to include energy efficiency and agricultural offsets, then aspects of sustainable community development would also be eligible for credits.

Urban gardens could provide some of the produce for local populations under the ‘Locally Grown’ initiatives, which aim to reduce food miles and greenhouse gas emissions.  Many aspects of the redevelopment of vacant and abandoned houses could be converted to carbon offset projects. All it requires is a developer with some vision to work out the financing of such a development.

In other words a transformation of the suburbs into sustainable communities, providing local energy,  growing food locally may well be the way to revive these communities. The carbon credits earned every year from these communities would be able to assist with the management of the community owned environmental initiatives. Just a thought, but why not!