The LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System integrates the
principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into the first
national system for neighborhood design. LEED certification provides
independent, third-party verification that a development's location and
design meet accepted high levels of environmentally responsible,
sustainable development. LEED for Neighborhood Development is a
collaboration among USGBC, Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
LEED for Neighborhood Development Registration Is Now Open!
LEED for Neighborhood Development launched on April 29, 2009. Project teams are now able to register their projects in
LEED Online and download forms for the Smart Location & Linkage (SLL) Prerequisite Review.
This new feature will enable projects to assess their location against the SLL prerequisites
before paying for a full certification. Full certification will be added in late 2010 and
project teams will be notified as soon as more information is available. For additional details
and fee information, please visit the
GBCI website. To learn more about the SLL Prerequisite Review, check out the FAQ documents listed below:
LEED for Neighborhood Development Certification FAQ
LEED for Neighborhood Development Program FAQ
Non-U.S. Projects
An important note about project registration: Unlike other LEED rating systems, LEED for Neighborhood Development projects go through three stages toward certification. At the end of Stage 1, a successful project is awarded conditional approval of a LEED for Neighborhood Development plan. At the end of stage 2, an approved plan becomes a pre-certified LEED for Neighborhood Development plan. At the end of stage 3, a project that earns certification can be referred to as a LEED-certified project.
When a project registers at any stage of the process, it must certify under the currently open version of LEED for Neighborhood Development. That means that a project that registers at stage 1 under LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development may have to register at stage 2 and/or 3 under a later version of LEED for Neighborhood Development if a new version has launched when the project reaches that point. For more detailed information on the LEED for Neighborhood Development registration process, please view this policy description.
LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development Rating System
The LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system was approved by USGBC member ballot, following the same consensus-based process that all LEED rating systems go through, and it received approval from our
partner organizations, the Congress for the New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The rating
system incorporates two-and-a-half years of market and user feedback.
LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development Rating System (Updated July 19, 2010) (ZIP - 12MB)
LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development Project Checklist (XLS)
The LEED Reference Guide for Green Neighborhood Development is now available in hardcopy or e-book.
Addenda to the LEED Reference Guide for Green Neighborhood Development (PDF) - It is strongly recommended that project teams adhere to the Reference Guide addenda based on registration date.
LEED for Neighborhood Development Regional Priority Credits
Through USGBC’s regional councils, chapters and affiliates, the following regionally priority credits
were selected for the LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development rating system. Project teams may earn up to four of
the six credits which are specific to the zip code of a project's location. The credits for each zip code are
available in the following sheet (XLS).
LEED for Neighborhood Development Regional Priority Credit Lookup
Note: These regional priority credits are only applicable for the LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System.
LEED for Neighborhood Development, Pilot
The pilot opened in July 2007 with nearly 240 projects participating. They provided
important feedback about the rating system. The pilot is no longer open to new projects, but for information purposes, you may download the pilot version of the rating system and checklist below.
Pilot Version Rating System (PDF)
Pilot Version Project Checklist (PDF)
List of LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot projects by project name (PDF)
List of LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot projects by state/province (PDF)
List of Certified LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot projects (PDF)
Characteristics of LEED for Neighborhood Development Pilot Projects (PDF)
USGBC would like to thank the Blue Moon Fund, the EPA Office of
Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment, the EPA Development, Community,
and Environment Division, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kresge
Foundation for their support of LEED for Neighborhood Development.
