USGBC’s community-scale rating systems have traditionally emphasized commitments, policies, and programmatic strategies. While these indicators are essential, they may not fully capture how sustainability is delivered through the physical design of streets, blocks, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

This interactive session will explore how the LEED for Communities rating system can create a clearer, more actionable connection between urban design decisions and sustainability outcomes.

Participants will work together to:

• Identify the urban design elements that most strongly influence sustainability outcomes in mixed-use developments, including connectivity, public realm quality, human comfort, walkability, mobility, ecological performance, and resilience.
• Translate these elements into measurable criteria that are credible, equitable, and practical across different contexts and geographies.
• Explore how design-focused metrics can complement existing performance and policy measures while supporting better decisions earlier in the design process.
• Apply and refine draft criteria through a real-world project exercise, providing feedback on usability, clarity, measurement, and potential unintended consequences.

Participants will gain:

• A clearer understanding of the direction of LEED for Communities.
• Practical language for discussing sustainable urban design in measurable terms.
• Firsthand experience applying proposed criteria to a real-world project.
• An opportunity to help shape candidate metrics and inform the rating system update.