Integrating a Systematic Approach to Health in National Green Building Programs

Significant gaps remain in the availability of tools to promote healthy places for use within the real estate industry. Architects, planners, developers, and investors need better defined project-level guidance to translate public health evidence into practice. In response, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has developed a new 'Health Process' pilot credit for use within its Leadership in Energy Design (LEED) certification system, the leading green building certification system in the United States.

The new LEED Health Process Credit translates the core principles of health impact assessment (HIA) for real world use by defining a practical step-wise process for applying core public health methodologies (community needs assessment, health impact assessment, evaluation) in the context of real estate development. Specifically, the new LEED Health Process Credit provides a LEED-compatible design tool and compliance process enabling built environment project teams to: a) formally incorporate analysis of community health data, and consideration of health and wellness impacts into their design and operation decisions and b) receive credit for prioritizing health promotion as a component of their project’s overall LEED certification score. 

As a part of the USGBC LEED rating system, the new LEED Health Process pilot credit will be applicable and available for project teams working on a broad variety of built environment project types with documented impact on community health (e.g. schools, healthcare, transportation, and neighborhood design).  New USGBC information systems, communication products, and technical assistance frameworks are also under development to educate and support early pilot use of the new health process pilot credit by project teams. 

In his presentation, Dr. Trowbridge will introduce this new tool and highlight the growing opportunity for public health professionals to engage directly with built environment project teams to help guide the design of our community environments to promote health and wellness for all.