The process of developing a residential neighbourhood should focus on two major factors; the build-up space and the social group which will resident the neighbourhood, hence the rating of the Neighbourhood development should be able to identify the quality of the community social construction.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - Neighbourhood Development (LEED-ND) is a rating system that integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into the first USAsystem for neighbourhood design rating.
LEED-ND, as a sustainability assessment tool which is used to rate the level of success in achieving the green development goals, it should be able to rate the success level in achieving social sustainability as a major component of sustainability. The paper argues that, While Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is vitally concerned with bring about a more sustainable and equitable physical and social environment, Social Impacts should be conducted within LEED-ND framework, which should encompasses social, economic and environmental considerations. These considerations are highly relevant to assessing the impacts of the development project scheme, which among other things, seeks to develop a more “sustainable community".
The paper intents to describe social features in the LEED-ND striving for Green neighbourhood developments toward sustainable urban development and investigates the social dimensions and issues considered into the LEED-ND through the analysis of the LEED-ND based on the types of social issues and possible impacts associated with a project. This analysis aims to providing evaluation of the current LEED-ND rating system for its consideration of these social issues and highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures; and making recommendations for future improvements.