(Miami, FL December 20, 2022) - The City of Miami announced today that it has achieved LEED Gold certification. The City is part of a growing group to be certified using the LEED for Cities rating system. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and is the world’s most widely used green building rating system.

“Miami continues to lead the way as the most sustainable city in the world,” said Mayor Francis Suarez. “We have pledged Carbon Neutrality by 2050, and our buildings will play a big role in achieving this feat. Our resilience planning ensures that all buildings comply with the highest sustainability standards and being named a LEED Gold City is indicative that we are on the right track to building a Miami That Lasts Forever and Works for Everyone.”

“A sustainable city strives to offer its residents a higher living standard. A LEED city takes action and delivers measurable outcomes that improves overall quality of life for residents,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC. "Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection, building more resilient cities is crucial and the City of Miami’s LEED Gold certification is a symbol of their leadership.”  

The City of Miami achieved LEED Gold certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at improving sustainability and the standard of living for residents. LEED is designed to help buildings, communities, and cities achieve high performance in key areas of human and environmental health.

Notably, the City received credits for initiatives in the following categories which helped ensure the Gold certification:

-Resilience Planning: City of Miami has identified its climate vulnerabilities and has taken a holistic approach to addressing these threats through the development of Citywide plans such as the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, Miami Forever Climate Ready, and the City’s Strategic Plan.

-Green Building Policy and Incentives: Green building design is encouraged by expediting review of LEED projects and, through Miami21, provides density and height bonuses for projects that contribute to the public benefits program.

-Environmental Justice: Toxic soils were successfully removed from seven City parks, thus mitigating a human health risk for residents, especially in the historic West Grove neighborhood.

-Innovation & Equity: The City implements community building programs such as the Opioid Pre-Arrest Diversion Program, the Children’s Savings Accounts Program, the opportunity to participate in the Climate Resilience Committee, and participates in Tree City USA.

-Green Spaces: 87% of City of Miami residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park which substantially exceeds the national average of 55%.

-Alternative Fuel Vehicles: To encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, the City passed an ordinance requiring 20% of new off-street parking to be EV Capable and is also working with Florida Power and Light to install EV chargers at City parks.

-Regional Priority: The City participates in collaborative, regional scale climate action through collective impact initiatives such as Resilient305, the Building Efficiency 305 program, and the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact.

LEED enables the City to measure and track outcomes that are evaluated against key metrics that include energy, water, waste, transportation, education, health, safety, prosperity, and equitability. The City of Miami joins a global network of more than 150 certified cities and communities.