A rating tool for developments at a precinct, neighbourhood or community scale
Why Green Star Communities?
By 2027, over 28 million people will call Australia home — with nearly 70% living in our major cities.
How we shape these growing communities will define our future. For the property and construction industry, this is a powerful opportunity to build places that are not only good for people and the planet. but great for business too.
Green Star Communities helps you go beyond individual buildings to deliver better outcomes at the precinct scale, guiding you to create places that prioritise:
- Public spaces and local amenity
- Sustainable transport and walkability
- Integrated water management
- Community connection and resilience
Create healthier, more liveable and future-ready communities with Green Star Communities.
Current version: Green Star Communities v2, registrations are now open, with formal submissions opening in January 2026.
Previous version: Green Star - Communities v1.1, released 13/09/2016. For current users of v1, please see more information about transition timings to v2 here.
Introducing the next version of the tool: Green Star Communities v2
GBCA have been developing the next version of Green Star Communities as a part of our Future Focus Program, setting a new standard for creating great places to live, work, and play. Green Star Communities v2 focuses on practical, real-world solutions to create vibrant, low-carbon and healthy communities that are ready for the future.
- Built for the future - Uses the latest climate science to make sure precincts can adapt and thrive in a changing world.
- Flexible for different projects – Works for all kinds of developments, from residential neighbourhoods to mixed-use hubs, with a certification process that rewards progress at every stage.
- Strong connections between people and nature – Supports green spaces, biodiversity, and better urban design to make communities healthier, more liveable and more connected.
- Lower emissions, smarter energy – Prioritises fully electric, renewable powered developments to reduce carbon and running costs.
- Progress you can see – Tracks sustainability efforts at every stage, providing clear benchmarks to measure success and keep projects on track.
Nick Alsop, GBCA's Senior Manager of Buildings, Precincts & Homes explains the update below:
To learn more, download the submission guidelines, contact our Market Engagement or sign up to our Communites v2 advanced course.
Download the submission guidelines Request a briefing with our Market Engagement teamGreen Star Communities v2 is structured around eight holistic categories that are defined by a distinct outcome, including:
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Frequently asked questions
Download the Submission Guidelines from the Resources Portal online or reach out to the Market Engagement team for a briefing at meteam@gbca.org.au.
You can also learn about Green Star Communities V2 in our advanced course.
Registrations for Green Star Communities v2 are now open. The formal submission for assessment will open in January 2026.
This early registration period enables teams to get started with implementation planning, stakeholder engagement, engagement with GBCA and alignment to the new tool.
Please refer to the Certification Fees page for the full breakdown
Green Star Communities v2 certification rewards what has been delivered in the precinct. This is to ensure Certification is robust and represents outcomes that have occurred, providing a strong level of assurance to customers, precinct users and project financiers. This aligns with other Future Focus rating tools.
The Masterplanned assessment provides projects the opportunity to have their projects recognised early, and show they are on track to a certification. This allows them to promote to stakeholders their plans early in the project. The annual submission process supports this, by ensuring progress is tracked regularly towards their certification.
Projects using earlier versions do not have to upgrade, and can continue using the version of the tool they most recently certified/registered under. If you would like to upgrade, GBCA will support you through the process.
Sets new benchmarks:
- Minimum Expectations replace conditional requirements, introduction of Climate Positive Pathway and star rating requirements for biodiversity enhancement
- Recalibrates what best practice through to world leadership looks like
Verifies delivered outcomes:
- Certification represents delivered results not future commitments
- Awarded once projects can demonstrate completed credit outcomes
Tracks progress:
- Introduces annual Masterplanned assessment to acknowledge plans and progress towards long-term outcomes
- From 5 year certification cycle (used by earlier tool versions) to simplified annual assessment
GBCA will be releasing a range of guidance documents to support those using Green Star Communities v2. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Guidance on submitting for Masterplanned Assessment and Certification.
- Guidance on calculating precinct upfront carbon (second half of 2025)
- Guidance to support upgrading from earlier versions of the tool, or substituting credits (second half of 2025)
- Guidance for government (early 2026)
Green Star - Communities v1
The Submission guidelines explain each credit's aims, criteria and compliance requirements, and offers additional guidance, background information and resources.
You can download the submission guidelines from the shop or the Green Star resources portal. GBCA members can access the Submission guidelines for free.
Projects can continue registering under Green Star Communities v1 until 30 June 2026. After this date, all new registrations must be under Communities v2.
Projects that register under an earlier version of the rating tool can upgrade to version 2 at any time but once upgraded, cannot revert to the previous version.
For projects registered under earlier versions of Green Star Communities, it is not mandatory to upgrade to version 2 when recertifying.
For any queries, please contact our Market Engagement team.
What types of communities can be Green Star certified?
Certification is available for a range of precinct typologies. Airports, university campuses, greenfield residential projects and mixed-use urban regeneration areas are just some of the kinds of precincts that have received a Green Star - Communities certification.
As of the end of 2024:
- 86 communities have been certified totaling 19,500 ha of Green Star - Communities certified
- 935,000+ people will live or work in a Green Star community
See some of our case studies below: