International. The USGBC and GBCI, the organization that certifies LEED green building projects globally, announced that Savona, Italy, is the first LEED-certified city in Europe. Savona received LEED Gold certification through USGBC's LEED for Cities program.
LEED for Cities is a certification program that addresses city planning, development, and operations, while improving the lives of citizens around the world. The program combines sustainability, social equity, and human expertise with technology and analytics, and is based on LEED, the world's most widely used program for green buildings and communities.
LEED for Cities provides cities with a framework for measuring and managing the performance of water consumption, energy use, human experience, waste and transport.
The Savona campus of the University of Genoa developed a state-of-the-art smart polygeneration microgrid combined with a smart energy building. These strategies inspired city officials to establish appropriate low-carbon initiatives that will be instrumental in driving the city's transformation into a low-impact urban center.
When it comes to the human experience, the city seeks to ensure the safety and health of its inhabitants through tactics such as high air quality standards that reduce risk conditions for the most sensitive population groups and mitigate urban pollution. In addition, local police statistics show that the level of crime in the city is close to zero, making Savona a safe and livable city.
The European market has seen high levels of green construction and business growth in recent years. Last April, the USGBC held the Greenbuild Europe conference in Berlin, Germany. USGBC also launched GBCI Europe in 2017 to facilitate the growth and promotion of LEED and other GBCI sustainability programs. GBCI Europe provides local and field assistance to clients and improves access to GBCI's sustainability programs and resources.
