Bogotá, October 6, 2025. — As part of the alliance between Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and the Colombia Green Building Council (Colombia GBC), the city of Barranquilla announced on October 2 its official registration in the LEED for Cities program of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

With this step, Barranquilla becomes the first city in Colombia and South America to formally begin the journey toward this international certification, which evaluates the overall sustainability performance of cities. This milestone marks a major advancement in Colombia’s environmental management and urban development, positioning Barranquilla among the Latin American cities adopting world-class standards to measure and enhance their sustainability.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a certification system developed by the USGBC that, while originally focused on buildings, has evolved to address larger scales such as neighborhoods, communities, and entire cities. The LEED for Cities framework provides a comprehensive structure for measuring, certifying, and improving urban performance across three key dimensions: environmental, social, and governance. It evaluates factors such as energy efficiency and emissions reduction, water and waste management, sustainable mobility, climate resilience, natural systems and ecology, social equity, public health, and overall quality of life.

Beyond evaluation, LEED for Cities offers local governments a clear roadmap for advancing sustainability. It establishes a consistent framework to plan, manage, and monitor sustainability initiatives at the community scale, incorporating metrics across environmental, social, and economic performance. The system also includes strategies and standards that support meaningful comparisons and transparent progress reporting. Finally, third-party verification of results ensures accountability and reinforces the credibility of each city’s sustainability achievements.

A Joint Effort Toward Sustainable and Resilient Cities

Colombia continues to strengthen its leadership in sustainable construction across the region. Beyond Barranquilla’s progress, the country is advancing in the adoption of comprehensive sustainability certifications.

Under CASA Colombia, a certification system for both social and non-social housing focused on improving people’s wellbeing,  more than 190 projects are currently registered, representing an estimated 81,400 families who will benefit from enhanced quality of life.

Meanwhile, LEED has surpassed 770 projects and more than 23 urban projects registered with LEED for Communities in the planning and design phase. In addition, the country is beginning to certify its first sustainable and resilient infrastructure projects under the Envision system.

These milestones reflect the growing commitment of both public and private sectors to transforming the built environment and driving climate action.

“Through GBCI and USGBC, in alliance with the Colombia Green Building Council, we work to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices in Colombia’s construction sector, with the goal of maximizing the environmental and human health benefits of the built environment. This initiative equips communities with the tools they need to create more sustainable and resilient buildings, communities, and cities. Barranquilla’s progress reflects the power of collaboration between local governments and technical organizations to transform urban areas into more sustainable and resilient models,” said Angélica Ospina, Executive Director of the Colombia Green Building Council.

“Beyond international recognition, LEED for Cities certification also helps attract responsible investment, strengthen urban governance, and promote greater citizen participation in decision-making, making it a replicable model for other cities in Colombia and across the region” comments María Alexandra Cardona, Head of Business Development Colombia