LEED’s Neighborhood Pattern and Design, Compact Development, intends to “Conserve land. Promote community livability, transportation efficiency, and walkability,” and while it sounds ideal in theory it has caused some stir. On Green Life Smart Life, the author points out how LEED penalizes the size of everything and highlights a point system used by LEED for single-family homes:

- 4 Points from LEED if you build 20 houses on a 1-acre lot
- 3 Points from LEED if you build 10 houses on a 1-acre lot
- 2 Points from LEED if you build 7 houses on a 1-acre lot

Others on TreeHugger commented on the system and complained about the close proximity of the homes if they were to follow the LEED guidelines. Is the trade off a good one? In order to gain these LEED points, single-family homes would be close to one another within this one acre but the acres surrounding the homes might then be open spaces. They would also likely be near public transportation if the builders are trying to attain LEED points, thus reducing the need for driving and increasing efficiency. While it may seem hard to sacrifice our own personal space, building near our neighbors allows us to save valuable farm land and preserve forests all while building communities.