Enterprise Green Communities Criteria

The First 20 - You're Invited to Lead

See the projects that have stepped up to certify to the 2020 Green Communities Criteria and follow their journeys throughout the certification process.

Submit your projects’ Prebuild applications to be part of The First 20!

Enterprise Green Communities, the standard for sustainable futures, is the nation’s only national green building program designed explicitly for green affordable housing construction.

Green building practices lead to healthy, efficient and environmentally responsible affordable homes. They promote equitable development by ensuring residents have a voice in designing their homes and creating communities connected to transportation, quality food and critical services.

Today, 27 states and Washington D.C. require that affordable housing developments receiving public funds comply with the Green Communities Criteria. This year alone, practitioners will use the criteria to create or preserve more than 200 green affordable housing developments.

The 2020 Green Communities Criteria is the latest version of the guidelines, first introduced in 2005. Updates include a Path to Zero Energy, new water-quality standards, and a new approach to affordable housing in rural areas, tribal communities and small towns. Join us on this journey as we adapt to a changing climate, promote health and well-being and build a more equitable future.

Explore the Criteria

• Explore highlights of the 2020 Criteria.
• The NYC Overlay for the 2020 Criteria is available.
• Compare the 2020 Criteria to the 2015 Criteria. View the spreadsheet and narrative for a side-by-side criteria comparison.

Certification to the
Green Communities Criteria

Log on to the Certification Portal Today

WELL Building Institute

Through an exciting new partnership with the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), affordable housing that is Enterprise Green Communities-certified will also earn WELL Certification.

Our Impact