Urban sustainability standards: predetermined checklists or adaptable frameworks?

International credit-based urban sustainability standards have generally been compared according to the components that they assess, rather than their fundamental structures, the methodologies of their application and their commercial or open-source status. This has tended to reinforce assumptions that a form of pre-determined checklist is the most appropriate solution for a wide range of circumstances. A deeper understanding of some of these standards, generated through applied research by Place Research Lab at the University of East London, reveals the alternative potential for adaptable frameworks that are more sensitive and appropriate to the particular priorities of different places.