The structure of the green certification scheme for the neighbourhood and application to the new town development: the case of Magok, Seoul, Korea

The green certification scheme for neighbourhoods is believed to be a meaningful means to realistically and effectively achieve a low-carbon city. Many advanced countries have already developed their own green certification schemes and typical examples are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Development), BREEAM (Building the Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), and CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency). However, there are few studies on green certification for neighbourhoods in Korea. This paper presents the structure of the green certification scheme that is applicable to the Korean neighbourhood unit. The green certification scheme is developed through the following four steps: the first step identifies the mechanism of the carbon generation within the neighbourhood based on the IPCC guidelines. Next, five sectors are determined from the carbon emission mechanism identified, and evaluation standards are systematically derived from each sector. Here, the five sectors include industry, transportation, households, green, and planning. The third step is weighing the evaluation standards through a method involving an analytic hierarchy process. Finally, the developed certification scheme is applied to the new town of Magok in Seoul, Korea in order to demonstrate its applicability and usefulness.