LEED for Cities and Communities

A new way forward for resilient, green, inclusive and smart cities

LEED for Cities and LEED for Communities helps local leaders, planners and developers create cities and communities with responsible, sustainable and specific plans for natural systems, energy, water, waste, transportation and many other factors that contribute to quality of life.

The LEED v4.1 for Cities and LEED v4.1 for Communities certification programs revolutionize the way cities and communities are planned, developed and operated in order to improve the quality of life of people around the world. The programs provide a framework for planning, designing, measuring and managing the performance of social, economic and environmental conditions on a city-wide or community level, in a globally consistent way.

Track progress toward sustainability objectives

The framework provided by LEED for Cities and Communities credibly tracks progress toward overall sustainability objectives and allows for comparison by and among communities around the world. The platform serves cities and communities of all shapes and sizes and at all phases of their evolution. Participants can be public or privately managed, new or rapidly developing places, mature or fully built-out places, neighborhoods or districts, counties or even small states or countries.

LEED for Cities and Communities helps local leaders to:

Benchmark performance against national and global standards

Projects track and report progress towards local targets, such as GHG emissions, and support goals set by leadership, such as climate action goals. LEED for Cities and Communities helps local leaders to measure and then communicate sustainability performance and goals in a consistent format and also compare progress against similar jurisdictions.

Demonstrate commitment to sustainability

LEED for Cities and Communities helps local leaders to demonstrate a commitment to the environment, human health and economic prosperity. LEED for Cities and Communities benchmarks current performance and helps to educate residents, visitors and business owners that enable continuous improvement and make a community more livable and sustainable.

Improve the sustainability and quality of life of your community

The LEED for Cities and Communities rating system provides standards and strategies to improve sustainability performance over time. The best practices help to reduce energy, water, waste, pollution and CO2 at the community scale, and in turn improve air and water quality.

Develop a culture of data-driven performance management

Local leaders use LEED for Cities and Communities certification to commit to data-driven decision making and continuous improvement, establish a central data hub for citywide or communitywide progress and demonstrate responsible stewardship of resources.

Get started

LEED for Cities and Communities is available for new and existing cities and communities by sharing data across six LEED credit categories: Natural Systems and Ecology, Transportation and Land Use, Water Efficiency, Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Materials and Resources and Quality of Life.

New cities and communities is available to new cities and communities to plan, design and develop sustainable strategies. View credits.

Register in LEED Online. Learn more about registration and certification fees
Precertify (optional): Submit your project overview, goals, strategies and roadmap.
Certify: Receive initial certification by documenting sustainable strategies during the planning, design and development phase.
Recertify: Submit performance data and receive a score for ongoing certification.

Existing cities and communities is for existing cities and communities to measure the performance of social, economic and environmental conditions at a city-wide scale or at a community level. View credits.

LEED Online. Learn more about registration and certification fees.
Precertify (optional): Submit your project overview, goals, strategies and roadmap.
Certify: Receive initial certification by documenting sustainable strategies and submitting performance data.
Recertify: Submit performance data and receive a score for ongoing certification.

Not ready for full certification? Start small by tracking incremental progress towards your sustainability goals. LEED v4.1 lets cities and communities report building portfolio performance, carbon emissions, policies and incentives. Cities and communities can also benchmark progress against local, regional and global peers. Start tracking your progress.

Who's using LEED for Cities and Communities

More than 100 cities and communities across the globe are using LEED for Cities and Communities to communicate continuous performance.

View the full list

Washington, D.C.

"It is in the best interest of Washington, DC’s safety, economy, and future to take sustainability and resiliency seriously, and as the nation’s capital, we have a special obligation to lead the way on environmental issues. We are proud to be recognized as the world’s first LEED Platinum city. Our commitment to these issues will not yield, and we look forward to continuing to build a greener, more resilient, and more sustainable DC." —Mayor of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser

Phoenix, Arizona

"Phoenix has earned a national reputation for its leadership on sustainability, and this prominent certification validates our incredible progress. We've set ambitious goals, and Phoenix will continue to take more steps to divert waste, increase water efficiency, and reduce carbon emissions, which benefits us, our environment and our economy." — Mayor of Phoenix, Greg Stanton

Arlington, Virginia

"It is truly an honor, and a validation of Arlington’s commitment to sustainability, to be the first to earn Platinum certification as a LEED community. This has been a community effort, achieved by having a vision of combating climate change and promoting energy efficiency on a local level, and putting in place innovative policies and practices to achieve it. Now, more than ever, the responsibility for progress on climate change rests with local and state governments and with the private sector." — Arlington County Board Chair, Jay Fisette

Songodo, South Korea

"The sustainability mandates we set for Songdo IBD have always envisioned how the quality of life for our residents, workers and visitors could be enhanced by a commitment to environmentally responsible development. LEED for Communities certification will further validate Songdo's commitment to be the vanguard of smart sustainable urban transformation." — Chairman of Gale International, the co-developer of Songdo International Business District, Stan Gale

Savona, Italy

"The city of Savona is committed to making measurable progress that we will share with others so that we can serve as a model for others cities that are looking to participate in LEED for Cities." — Mayor of Savona, Ilaria Caprioglio

Imagine a future where cities are healthy, sustainable and high performing

Cities can lead in prioritizing and enhancing human health, while saving energy, water and waste. Cities can be powered by clean and reliable energy, while teaching children in green school buildings. Cities can be affordable for even the poorest. We see that future within reach, with consistent and clear performance measurement as the path that will lead the way.

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