Leveraging LEED for Cities and Communities addenda effectively

In April 2019, the USGBC introduced two pathways for the LEED for Cities and Communities rating system under LEED v4.1-one for places in the planning and design stages and another for existing cities and communities. Currently, this rating system is used by local governments and a variety of mixed-use and residential communities worldwide to steer efforts in sustainability, resilience and social equity. As project types evolve and the market grows, the rating system must continue to adapt and remain flexible.

USGBC released a LEED for Cities and Communities: Existing Cities adaptation in July 2023 as an addenda, in a response to market feedback and highlighting the need for additional differentiation between cities and communities. This adaptation is designed for local governments focusing on sustainability at the jurisdictional level. Cities, towns and counties globally can use it to establish goals, track progress and drive continuous improvement.

In continuation, another adaptation focusing on the LEED for Cities and Communities: Plan and Design Communities rating system was released in February 2024. This addendum is intended for diverse community projects, such as technology and IT parks, residential communities, or mixed-use projects to leverage the rating system effectively.

New tips and tools have been developed to support using the addenda:

• Existing Cities projects that registered prior to July 2023 that want to use updated credits from the July 2023 addenda can use the Existing Cities addenda worksheet for a list of credits that can be replaced. This tool is also part of the certification documentation for easy reference.
• Plan and Design Communities projects registered prior to February 2024 that want to use updated credits from the February 2024 addenda can use the Plan and Design Communities addenda worksheet for a list of credits that can be replaced. This tool is also part of the certification documentation for easy reference.

For additional help, teams may  submit an inquiry via email.

View the Existing Cities worksheet

Related articles