How EcoDistrictsTM works
The EcoDistrictsTM approach is regarded as a new model of public-private partnership that emphasizes innovation and deployment of district-scale best practices to create the neighbourhoods of the future – resilient, vibrant, resource efficient and just.
The Protocol puts a comprehensive lens on every urban regeneration decision, drives the delivery of meaningful performance outcomes, and sets the conditions for sustainable, collective impact. Above all, the Protocol is designed as a flexible performance framework rather than a prescriptive standard, recognizing that every community has the ability and need to advance a place-based sustainability agenda.
District teams can tailor the Protocol to local circumstances, set performance targets based on local conditions and aspirations, and measure progress against the Protocol’s Imperatives and Priorities.
Performance focuses on measuring impact and gauging a district’s progress towards its performance targets. This is an ongoing phase during which reports are shared regularly in the community and publicly on the EcoDistrictsTM Registry. A district’s biennial progress report becomes the basis of measuring impact over time and supporting peer-to-peer learning.
Certification includes three core submission requirements after project registration. The required documents are developed in line with the guidance provided by the EcoDistrictsTM Certified Handbook. They are then submitted for third-party verification sign-off, and an endorsement from the EcoDistrictsTM organisation is secured for that step.
As soon as the project secures endorsement for the submission documentation for all three steps, it will be EcoDistrictsTM Certified. In order to maintain certification, districts must submit biennial progress reports beginning on the second anniversary of certification, and every two years thereafter.