Equity resources roundup: Tools from the green building community

Feature image: The LEED Gold City of Atlantic Beach, Florida. Photo credit: © City of Atlantic Beach.

When it comes to advancing social equity, there is a lot for professionals in the sustainability world to think about. Market transformation requires equitable consideration of green building objectives like climate change mitigation, energy efficiency, human health and prosperity, particularly for people who have been denied or are currently without access.

Over the past several years, USGBC and other industry leaders have developed ideas and resources to help the community in this work. Research helps us clarify and quantify the issues before us, and tools and guidance documents help us implement strategies. The issues involve diversity and inclusion, accessibility, community engagement, environmental justice, empowerment, and health and well-being. As LEED evolves, credits and prerequisites related to these concerns evolve, too.

Here is just a handful of examples to explore:

Equitable development and community engagement

• NAACP resource: Guidelines for Equitable Community Involvement in Building & Development Projects and Policies
• Autocase tool: Building EJ tool
• ULI report: 10 Principles for Embedding Racial Equity in Real Estate Development
• Urban Sustainability Directors Network report: Equity in Sustainability
• LEED v5 beta credit: Equitable Development
• LEED: Social Equity Checklist (Integrative Process)

Inclusive design practices for buildings and cities

• American Institute of Architects resource: Guides for Equitable Practice
• Arup articles: Articles on improving urban design for racial equity, for women's needs and for LGBTQ+ individuals
• Gensler report: Designing for Racial Justice
• USGBC resource: Advancing Equity: A guide for local governments to build equity with LEED v4.1 for Cities and Communities

Worker protections and construction equity

• Dodge Construction Network report: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Design and Construction
• LEED v5 beta credit: Equity within Operations and Maintenance Staff

Context and thought leadership

• BuildingGreen course: No More Red Lines: Undoing Our Legacy of Urban Segregation
• Liz Ogbu article: Reckoning and Repair in America's Cities
• USGBC+ audio version: A 360-degree view of DEI in green building

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