STAR Communities Rating System

In a Nutshell

STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.

Practical Solution

The “How To”The “How To”

STAR Communities was incorporated in April, 2012.The acronym stands for Sustainability Tools for Assessing & Rating Communities. National experts and local government practitioners met and devised the framework for the rating system. Since that time, more than 30 pilot communities have signed on to test and evaluate the program. As these communities finish their STAR requirements, reports will be made available on each city’s rating system and the tools used to get there. The City of St. Louis is one of the pilot communities from the program. Any community can follow the STAR Communities system.

Planning & ZoningPlanning & Zoning

There are no legal, legislative, or regulatory actions needed to participate in the STAR Communities program. The ultimate impact of pursuing sustainability goals will likely lead to the implementation of various policies and programs, covered by other tools within the One STL toolkit. 

Dollars & CentsDollars & Cents

At the time of the launch of the STAR Communities community rating system program in 2013, the three levels of participation have the following fees:

  • We're a Participating STAR Community- $500
  • We're a Reporting STAR Community- $1,500
  • We're a Leadership STAR Community- $5,000 to $15,000

 

Measuring SuccessMeasuring Success

This tool, in itself, is a holistic metric system. Where other tools provide methods to evaluate your success in implementing one specific tool, the STAR Communities community rating system measures an entire city across a comprehensive set of measurement criteria.

The OneSTL Performance Measures can also be used to measure your community's success in implementing STAR Communities Rating System.

Case StudiesCase Studies

City of St. Louis, Missouri - STAR Communities Pilot City

  • Contact

    Ms. Catherine Werner JD, LEED AP
    Sustainability Director
    314-622-3201
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Address

    1200 Market Street Rm. 200 - St. Louis, MO 63103

    Description

    The City of St. Louis is charging full-steam ahead with its sustainability efforts. Some of the keys to the City of St. Louis’s sustainability efforts include capitalizing “on its dense area, existing infrastructure and rich heritage to preserve and restore” historic buildings. New buildings in the St. Louis area must meet certain energy efficiency and green building standards. Another key component is building bicycle-friendly infrastructure. In early 2013, St. Louis released a Sustainability Plan. 

    Cost $0
Download "STAR Communities Rating System" as a PDF
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