See the Work

Renaissance Development Standards

“The people of the Gulf Coast deserve quality developments that provide safe housing in desirable, walkable communities for all income levels. The Renaissance Guild was established as a means of measuring a project’s contribution to meeting this objective.”

— Anthony Topazi, Chairman of the Board- Gulf Coast Renaissance Corporation , CEO- Mississippi Power Company

Soon after its formation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf Coast Business Council realized that the Coast’s recovery would not occur in a balanced and efficient manner unless an entity was created and empowered to remove the obstacles associated with the redevelopment of the coastal communities. In response to the unprecedented need, the Gulf Coast Business Council formed the Gulf Coast Renaissance Corporation to guide the redevelopment effort, to prevent further deterioration of housing stock, and to ensure an equitable distribution of housing for the workforce. The Renaissance Corporation’s mission is to foster the redevelopment of communities as environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable through responsible land use practices with a particular focus on mixed-use and mixed-income communities.

To carry out this mission the Gulf Coast Renaissance Corporation, in partnership with the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS) created the Renaissance Builder & Developer Guild—a design and education centerpiece for the Renaissance Corporation. The Guild is charged with administering high, yet attainable development standards that qualify projects for financial assistance from the Renaissance Corporation that exhibit good, sustainable design. The Gulf Coast Community Design Studio drew on the work of the Smart Growth Network, the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating programs, the Smart Growth Network, Enterprise Green Communities, the Congress for New Urbanism, and the US Department of Energy to create a set of development standards that was sensitive to regional environmental and economic conditions.

Seth worked on the team at the GCCDS that developed the Renaissance Standards and was particularly closely involved in the ‘Building Systems’ Category, which sets requirements relating to building science and performance.

Project Summary

Location:
Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mississippi
Project Status
(June 2009 anticipated completion)
Location:
Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mississippi
Project Scope
Project Status
(June 2009 anticipated completion)

Enterprise Community Partners