Green Protocols for Neighborhoods and Cities

The rating systems which certify the environmental sustainability of neighbourhoods or cities contribute greatly to enhancing the quality of built environ-ments, also from a social and economic point of view, thus improving the quality of life of the inhabitants. For this reason, in a proper vision of green planning of cities and communities they are essential tools. This chapter focuses on the most widespread protocols used for the certification of urban space sustainability: BREEAM® Com-munity, LEED® V4 for Neighbourhood Development and LEED® for Cities and Communities. The analysis confirms the validity of these instruments which, in addi-tion to certifying the environmental, social and economic sustainability of neighbour-hoods and cities, provide indicators that facilitate an objective comparison between different urban realities. The completeness of the areas covered by these protocols certainly places them among smart city protocols.