WELL COMMUNITY STANDARD
A global benchmark for healthy communities
An adaptable district-scale program to support your community’s health and wellness
Putting people first
The WELL Community Standard™ pilot builds upon the WELL Building Standard™ and aims to impact individuals throughout the public spaces where they spend their days. A WELL community functions to protect health and well-being across all aspects of community life. The vision for a WELL community is inclusive, integrated and resilient, fostering high levels of social engagement.
Promote health & well-being
Adaptability & flexibility
Attract more people
Comprehensive community well-being
The WELL Community Standard focuses on ten concepts to support the development of health-focused, integrated and supported communities.
Air Facilitates ambient air quality with strategies to reduce traffic pollution and reduce exposure to pollution. 
Water Encourages drinking water quality, public sanitation, and facilities provisions with strategies managing contaminated water on a systems scale and strategies to promote drinking water access. 
Nourishment Facilitates fruit and vegetable access, availability and affordability with policies to reduce the availability of processed foods and providing nutritional information and nutrition education. Also includes strategies for food advertising and promotion, food security, food safety and breastfeeding support. 
Light Supports maintained illuminance levels for roads and walkways and strategies for limiting light pollution, light trespass, glare and discomfort avoidance. 
Movement Integrates environmental design and operational strategies to reduce the risk of transportation-related injuries, mixed land use and connectivity, walkability, cyclist infrastructure, infrastructure to encourage active transportation and strategies to promote daily physical activity and exercise. 
Thermal Comfort Facilitates strategies to reduce heat island effect with policies to deal with extreme temperatures and manage sun exposure and ultraviolet risk. 
Sound Facilitates noise exposure assessment with planning for acoustics, techniques to reduce sound propagation and hearing health education. 
Materials Supports strategies to reduce exposure to hazardous chemical substances in cases of uncontrolled/accidental release and contaminated sites and to limit use of hazardous chemicals in landscaping and outdoor structures. 
Mind Provides access to mental health care, substance abuse and addiction services and access to green spaces. 
Community Supports health impact assessments, policies that address the social determinants of health, health promotion programming, policies that foster social cohesion, community identity and empowerment, crime prevention through environmental design, policies and planning for community disaster and emergency preparedness.
Certification tailored for your project
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Documentation review & WELL Precertification
We give you and your project a support team to help
enable to walk together towards success. - 3
Performance verification & certification
After a successful review your project now has
WELL Community Certification.
Looking to explore WELL Community Standard pricing?
Frequently asked questions
Don’t see your question answered here?
Reach out to: wellcommunity@wellcertified.com
Building healthy and sustainable communities
We recognize the fundamental role individual buildings play in creating healthy and sustainable communities. Check out our list of health and sustainability rating systems approved for inclusion in the WELL Community Standard.
Additional resources
Want to learn more about how to apply the benefits of WELL towards your project or company? We have you covered.
We are transforming health and well-being with our people first approach to buildings, organizations and communities.
International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL Portfolio, WELL Portfolio Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Workforce, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.
