USGBC attended the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) 92nd Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, from June 20 to 23. At the event, USCM released the "Business Council 2024 Best Practices Report," a compilation of innovative public-private partnerships between businesses and cities that can serve as actionable examples of how to improve the quality of life in a community.

USGBC was excited to spotlight Kansas City's green building leadership in the 2024 USCM best practices report.

Leading by example

Kansas City, a USGBC member at the organizational level, has a leading-by-example policy for its own buildings, requiring new city facilities and renovations exceeding 5,000 square feet to achieve LEED Gold certification. Projects such as the Kansas City International Airport terminal project have achieved LEED Gold certification in accordance with the green building policy, demonstrating the city’s commitment to being a role model in the region. USGBC supported Kansas City with implementation of its LEED policy and was thrilled to celebrate the new airport terminal with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, USGBC/GBCI President and CEO Peter Templeton, and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.

In addition, Kansas City was awarded Gold certification under LEED for Cities and Communities in 2023. By participating in the Local Government Leadership Program’s annual national cohort, Kansas City received support from USGBC with training, technical assistance and peer-to-peer networking on its journey to certification.

Mayor Lucas (center) joined the celebration for Kansas City’s Gold-level certification.

Kansas City is a phenomenal example of a city championing green building strategies to its community by leveraging the LEED standard not just once, but in numerous ways.

USGBC supports local governments

Want to learn more about how USGBC supports local governments? Read our new policy brief, "USGBC and Local Governments: Solutions for Urban Sustainability," and make sure to subscribe to USGBC’s local government newsletter.

Read the 2024 USCM best practices report

Kansas City leads by example in green building