Education and events

This session explores the intersection of the SITES v2 rating system and the European Union’s Nature Restoration Law, demonstrating how Italy is operationalizing restoration mandates through high-performance landscapes. We address a critical gap in current practices: the integration of environmental rating systems with the conservation of historic and testimonial values in monumental gardens.

The narrative follows a "Vision to Performance" model, beginning with a pilot guideline developed for the historic Villa Ada in Rome. This methodology introduces a structured "Knowledge Project" and dedicated Alternative Compliance Paths (ACP) that allow heritage sites to meet SITES v2 requirements while respecting strict conservation constraints.

The narrative then provides technical validation through the "Central Bosc" project in Ferrara. This 5.5-hectare urban forest is currently undergoing the SITES v2 certification process, implementing a suite of innovative solutions specifically designed to satisfy SITES v2 Credit 9.3 (Plan to Monitor and Report Site Performance).

Attendees will discover how the integration of IoT-driven monitoring and bio-modeling provides the rigorous accountability required by public stakeholders and green finance, delivering measurable results such as a 5°C cooling effect and a sequestration of 166 t/year of $CO_2$ eq. By bridging academic research with institutional implementation, the session offers a scalable roadmap for using SITES v2 to transform public funding into verified environmental dividends, supporting the achievement of mandatory nature recovery targets.

Resilience looks different in every climate, but the need to reduce risk while creating long-term value is universal. Through two contrasting case studies in dense urban and rural seasonal settings, this session explores how the SITES v2 rating system guides landscapes that withstand environmental stress while delivering ecological, social, and economic returns.

Victoria Ward Park in Honolulu demonstrates how a former industrial site can become a culturally grounded, high-performing public space. The session will examine the key design and investment decisions behind creating an accessible downtown park that is both visually compelling and ecologically restorative. Discussion will cover integrating 60 percent native planting, filtering rainfall on site to reduce flooding impacts to nearby harbors, improving soil health, lowering water demand, and supporting community health through shaded gathering areas and multi-use paths. Participants will also learn how operational strategies, including water-efficient systems and electric maintenance equipment, strengthen long-term performance and reduce risk.

In contrast, KOA Terramor Outdoor Resort in Bar Harbor explores resilience within a highly seasonal, climate-exposed rural landscape. This case study addresses how to balance sustainability, accessibility, and business viability while designing for extreme weather and durability. Strategies include preserving forests and wetlands as natural buffers, reducing impervious surfaces, concentrating infrastructure, composting organic waste, and selecting low-impact materials to improve stability and minimize operational strain.

Participants will leave with practical insights into how SITES v2 can inform investment decisions, measure performance, and align climate adaptation with long-term value. Together, these landmark projects are united by a shared commitment to generational accessibility, ensuring resilient landscapes remain welcoming and functional for decades to come.

Nature positive — halting and reversing nature loss — is reshaping expectations across the built environment. Buildings, landscapes, infrastructure, and cities are increasingly expected to restore ecological function, strengthen resilience, support public health, and adapt to climate pressures. What began as a biodiversity conversation is now influencing policy, investment, and risk decisions at scale.

This session examines how LEED, SITES, and related frameworks support biodiversity, resilience, ecosystem services, and public health across sectors. Speakers from municipal government, finance, regenerative design, and certification will connect market pressures — including TNFD disclosure, resilience and insurability, climate adaptation policy, and demand for measurable performance — to on-the-ground realities.

USGBC will frame how nature-positive strategies integrate across LEED, SITES, and LEED for Cities, and where stronger alignment may still be needed. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of what it takes across policy, finance, design, and certification to scale implementation.