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Congratulations to the City of Coral Gables for Achieving LEED Gold Certification for Cities and Communities.
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In 2021, the City of Coral Gables was selected as one of 15 local governments from around the country to participate in the 2021 Local Government Leadership Program that was focused on accelerating progress on climate change, social equity and resilience. In being selected, the City received a scholarship valued of over $25,000 that included technical assistance, registration/certification fees, a 1-year Silver Membership to USGBC, access to the ARC database, etc.
The idea behind LEED for Cities is to revolutionize the way communities are planned, developed and operated and improve the quality of life for people around the world by providing a framework form ensuring and managing the performance of water consumption, energy use, quality of life, waste, transportation and other factors at a city-wide level. In addition to environmental factors, the rating system considers social and economic indicators, such as health, equity, education, and prosperity. LEED certification helps demonstrate a city’s commitment to sustainability, human health and economic prosperity. It not only helps benchmark a city’s current performance, but it educates residents, visitors and business owners about progress and priorities and enables continuous improvement, making our City the place where people want to live, work and play.
In June, the City achieved LEED for Cities Gold certification v4.1 Cities: Existing. The City received 67 out of a possible 110 points. Coral Gables scored very high in the Integrative Process, Natural Systems and Ecology, Transportation and Land-Use, Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Quality of Life, Innovation, and the Regional Priorities categories.
The City now joins over 120 other cities and communities from around the world that have been certified. In achieving this certification, it is another step in the