Washington, D.C. – IWBI and NLC announced today a multi-year partnership focused on supporting cities in their efforts to create safer, healthier spaces and help accelerate systems change to integrate health and well-being across the foundation of their communities.
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the global leader working to transform our buildings, communities and organizations in ways that help people thrive, and the National League of Cities (NLC), the voice of cities, towns, and villages, representing more than 200 million people, announced today a multi-year partnership focused on supporting cities in their efforts to create safer, healthier spaces and help accelerate systems change to integrate health and well-being across the foundation of their communities.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to join with the National League of Cities to play our part to support and empower cities across the country and make progress toward our shared vision that everyone has the opportunity to live the healthiest version of their lives,” said Rachel Gutter, IWBI President and CEO. “This is a pivotal moment to embrace strong collaborative engagements, especially as we think about the future of our cities and the critical role they play in enhancing, improving and protecting human health.”
The partnership will focus on collaborating on the development of strategies, tools and resources that will enable city leaders to effectively navigate in a post-COVID-19 world. Developed to support the implementation of city-scale actions, the effort will help cities demonstrate leadership in advancing health, well-being and social equity in everything from municipal buildings to public spaces and from programs to policies.
“NLC is excited about this collaboration and the opportunity to work closely with IWBI to broaden access to healthy community solutions and to create stronger cities, towns and villages,” said Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director, NLC. “By working together, we can support municipalities and continue to help drive innovative solutions that we all need more than ever, especially right now as local leaders confront the COVID-19 public health crisis – and as they plan for the future.”
The two organizations will host joint events to educate, activate and inspire city leaders, bringing their perspective and insight to the forefront, while also forging new opportunities to better achieve population health and health equity goals of cities across the country. In the coming months, NLC, with IWBI’s support, will onboard a dedicated fellow to work directly with NLC’s community of city leaders and to help establish an advisory group populated by city leaders, design practitioners, urban planners, corporate executives and public health researchers to contribute feedback on health-promoting strategies that can be applied at the city scale.
About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is leading the global movement to transform our buildings, communities and organizations in ways that help people thrive. IWBI mobilizes the wellness community through the WELL Building Standard, the WELL Community Standard pilot and aligned rating systems, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellness everywhere. More information is available here.
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The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America’s cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people across the country. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.