Santa Fe recently achieved the LEED Gold rating under the LEED v4.1 system—making it the second city in the world to achieve this distinction.
There are more than 100 LEED-certified cities and communities, but these were achieved under earlier versions of LEED. Santa Fe achieved credits for resilience planning activities that strengthen its ability to respond and adapt to climate change risks, natural and man-made hazards, and extreme events including public health crises. The importance of resilience has been magnified as communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The LEED for Cities certification was backed by a grant from Bank of America that was awarded by USGBC to 15 cities and communities. The grant provided financial assistance, educational resources, and technical support.
When the city applies for recertification in 2025, it hopes to achieve Platinum certification.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Oct 12, 2016
Making concrete greener
The high energy-consuming material can be made more sustainably.
Codes and Standards | Oct 11, 2016
Historic preservation moving beyond saving grand old buildings
National Trust for Historic Preservation CEO says the focus is on saving cities, not just buildings
Codes and Standards | Oct 10, 2016
Los Angeles voters will decide whether high-density developments should be harder to build
A March vote on the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative would put 2-year ban on zoning changes
Codes and Standards | Oct 10, 2016
New sustainable landscape development and management credential launched
GBCI offered the first testing opportunity Oct. 3 at Greenbuild
Codes and Standards | Oct 6, 2016
Obama administration will spend $80 million for smart cities initiatives
The technology is targeted for climate, transportation, resiliency.
Codes and Standards | Oct 6, 2016
New York City files criminal charges on owner for deadly building façade accident
The owner allegedly did not heed warning about danger of the crumbling exterior.
Codes and Standards | Oct 5, 2016
New York becomes the first city to adopt a target for energy storage
Mayor de Blasio also announces increased solar generation goals
Codes and Standards | Oct 4, 2016
New global residential floor space measurement standard unveiled
The new standards will produce better transparency and are said to benefit investors.
Codes and Standards | Sep 29, 2016
Dept. of Energy forecasts big jump in LED use, resulting energy savings
Big gains are expected in both commercial and residential markets.
Codes and Standards | Sep 28, 2016
San Francisco commercial, multifamily regulations aim to reduce traffic volume
City planners will require design features to cut miles driven.