Colombia. Thanks to the registration of three new projects, Cali surpassed 338 hectares (about 3,383,021 square meters) of sustainable urban development, endorsed by LEED certification.
The new urban developments benefit some 850,000 people and integrate the concept of habitability, while at the same time committing to environmental care, protecting biodiversity and regenerating ecosystem services. In addition, they are aligned with carbon neutrality goals, as well as energy and water savings.
LEED Certification for Cities and Communities
It is an international certification system of the US Green Building Council (USGBC), represented in Colombia by the Colombian Council for Sustainable Construction (CCCS).
It enables developers, planners and other project developers on an urban scale to implement responsible, sustainable and specific plans, with social, economic and environmental performance indicators and strategies.
It also provides a framework against national and global standards, useful for developing a culture of data-driven decision-making, transparency and leadership, as well as for credible tracking of progress towards sustainability goals.
Cali, a benchmark
Sustainable urbanism in the city has tripled since 2019, when the first partial plan was carried out under the LEED for Communities program, with the Residential Park Nursery project of about 100 hectares.
Currently in Colombia there are more than 512 hectares registered for urban developments under the LEED program for cities and communities and in the process of review by the GBCI, the certifying entity. This area is equivalent to 5,120,000 square meters or 731 football fields.
After Cali, the Colombian cities that lead this type of initiative are Ibagué, Bogotá, Medellín and Piedecuesta.
