The City of Miami just announced that our magic city has been selected by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to receive a LEED for Cities and Communities grant.
The City recognizes that the next generation of green building must focus on the development of smart cities and resilient communities, and this certification will allow Miami to demonstrate leadership among cities and communities advancing a sustainable, healthy, and equitable way of life.
City of Miami press release
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 1993 to help define “green building” by establishing a common standard of measurement and to promote integrated, publicly reviewed, whole-building design practices. Since then, LEED has grown from one standard for new construction to a comprehensive system of standards covering all aspects of the development and construction process.
In 2016, the USGBC introduced two new certification programs in – LEED for Cities and LEED for Communities (collectively referred to as “LEED v4.1 for Cities and Communities”). “These programs are helping cities and communities develop responsible, sustainable and specific plans for energy, water, waste, transportation and many other factors that contribute to quality of life.”
The U.S. Green Building Council received $500,000 Bank of America Charitable Foundation for the “LEED for Cities and Communities Grant Program” to support local governments pursuing certification under the LEED for Cities and Communities rating system. Each grant package includes:
- One annual USGBC Silver membership;
- LEED for Cities and Communities registration and certification;
- Access to the Arc reporting platform to encourage city/county continuous improvement and ability to explore opportunities for managed/owned affordable housing units;
- A two-day, in-person orientation workshop with other selected communities for two local government officials/staff;
- One registration to attend the Greenbuild Conference and Expo and the Communities and Affordable Homes Summit in Atlanta in November 2019
- Access to online education resources, USGBC technical assistance and monthly conference calls.
This partnership presents a tremendous opportunity to bolster the City’s sustainability agenda, take stock of where we stand now on sustainability and establish a baseline that we can measure against as we move forward. Congratulations to our Office of Resilience and Sustainability for securing this invaluable opportunity for the City to work directly with USBGC professionals to make Miami more sustainable.
Miami City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez