At first glance, it looks like a typical office building. The Westlake/Terry Building in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood occupies a full block, with 317,403 square feet of space in two mixed-use buildings, including 40,328 square feet of street-level retail. But the Westlake/Terry, completed in August 2007, is far from typical. It's close to a new streetcar line. Inside, wooden staircases and floors incorporate long-lasting bamboo, and showers and bike storage areas encourage people to walk or bike to work. And more than 84 percent of demolition and 95 percent of new construction waste related to the building were recycled to avoid piling it into a landfill. The building is expected to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council's Gold LEED certification.

Westlake/Terry is one piece of an overall enterprise by Vulcan Real Estate to revitalize 60 acres in South Lake Union, the no-longeroverlooked commercial and industrial area north of downtown Seattle. The effort by Vulcan Real Estate, which belongs to billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, exemplifies New Localism. Instead of sprawling new buildings outward and loading them up with national retail chains, the company is recycling and reusing an existing neighborhood, dotting it with buildings designed and manufactured to protect the environment, and inviting large and locally bred companies, as well as small independent retailers, to move in. For example, Group Health Cooperative, the anchor tenant of Westlake/Terry, Microsoft and Merck & Co. Inc. all set up shop in the neighborhood. Lori Mason Curran, market research manager for Vulcan, says demographics show that young workers increasingly want to work in eco-friendly buildings. Meanwhile, the revitalization of South Lake Union, which further pumps businesses, workers and nightlife into the Seattle area, "also allows companies to come in and reduce their overall carbon footprint," Curran says. "It's authentic. It's not a neighborhood like any other neighborhood."

The neighborhood's authenticity prompted John Tusher, owner of Velocity Art and Design, to move his business from Belltown to South Lake Union in October 2007. "The foot traffic is tremendous," he says. He describes the aesthetic of his company's offerings, including furniture, lighting and original artwork, as "Organic Modernism." It fits the sleek look young workers want in furnishing their condos. Tusher, who once called Los Angeles home, understands the embrace of locally produced food, goods, services - and neighborhoods - in the Pacific Northwest. "When you go to L.A., you get everything from everywhere, and you don't even think about it." In L.A., localism "doesn't resonate like it does here."

In fact, experts say neighborhoods like South Lake Union provide an alternative to suburban shopping malls, which offer global brands and predictable and co mfortable shopping experiences, but fall short on authenticity, uniqueness and environmental friendliness. Unique neighborhood shopping experiences will become ever more popular as young workers, couples and singles increasingly move to city centers, says retail consultant J'Amy Owens, principal at J'Amy Owens Group in Seattle. "Now you have a different kind of city experience. Generation Y will want more of that."

Meanwhile, Vulcan understands that recycling a neighborhood and assembling green buildings is good for both the environment and financial and marketing purposes. For example, the Westlake/ Terry's eco-friendly features translate into 40 percent and 30 percent reductions in water and energy use, respectively. That's a saving of $60,000 per year. Moreover, at least eight other Vulcan buildings have earned LEED certifications with similar savings in the offing. "Employers appreciate the lower operating costs associated with these buildings, and residents appreciate being able to reduce their individual carbon footprint," Curran says. "These are the kinds of things that keep us competitive and give us a marketing advantage.