Neighbourhood Development

The USGBC has developed the LEED for Neighbourhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system to guide and assess sustainable community development. The system was created as a partnership between the USGBC, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Congress for the New Urbanism. Registration opened in April 2010.

LEED 2009 for Neighbourhood Development with Canadian Alternative Compliance Paths

The CaGBC has developed Canadian Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs) for the LEED 2009 ND rating system. The ACPs are formally approved approaches that provide clarity and guidance for Canadian projects, addressing sections of the rating system that contain US-specific standards or wording. Canadian projects interested in pursuing LEED 2009 ND certification are encouraged to review these ACPs, and employ them as needed as part of the certification process. The ACPs have been embedded within the original LEED 2009 ND rating system, and can be viewed here:

LEED 2009 ND with Canadian Alternative Compliance Paths
- Download High Resolution PDF (33MB)
- Download High Resolution Zip File (17 MB)
- Download Low Resolution PDF (4 MB - please note that images will be lower quality)

Certification Process for Canadian LEED for Neighbourhood Development Projects

LEED 2009 ND projects worldwide register and certify through the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). Canadian LEED 2009 ND projects follow the same certification process, referring to the LEED 2009 ND Canadian ACPs as required. The CaGBC will continue to work with the GBCI to ensure that this process serves the needs of Canadian project teams, and will endeavor to address any certification process issues that may arise. In order to further assist our organizations to improve the certification process, all projects outside the U.S. are required to provide feedback in the form of a questionnaire and interactive sessions.

LEED for Neighbourhood Development Resources

The CaGBC will be producing additional guidance on the application of Canadian ACPs for LEED 2009 ND. Please check back here in the coming months for additional Canadian resources.