Technology
Billings Becomes Montana's First City to Earn LEED Gold Certification
The 2022 certification highlights opportunities in infrastructure, fiber networks and active transportation for local workers and job seekers tracking Billings tech growth.
How we reported this
Billings is the first city in Montana to achieve LEED for Cities Gold certification for its green initiatives in emissions, transportation, and water efficiency. The city reached the milestone in 2022 after completing electric bus deployments, EV charging stations and water treatment upgrades.
The certification arrives as Billings expands smart infrastructure projects that intersect with employment in technology, utilities and planning. Local professionals tracking these developments can identify openings tied to sensor networks, traffic systems and sustainable operations that have already drawn private investment.
Smart bins and fiber networks reshape daily operations
Billings spent $1.7 million on smart infrastructure that includes IoT-enabled bins. Those bins lifted recycling rates by 32 percent and cut fuel use by 15 percent, according to project records. TDS added $46 million in fiber optic lines that feed real-time traffic monitoring and produced an 18 percent drop in central-area congestion.
These systems require technicians, data analysts and maintenance crews familiar with IoT platforms and fiber routing. Job seekers with experience in sensor calibration or network monitoring now have concrete local references when applying to city contractors or the companies maintaining the new equipment.
Safety partnerships and grant-funded mobility work create new roles
Downtown Billings launched the Smart Design + Safer Space program through a partnership of the Downtown Billings Alliance, Chamber of Commerce and Police Department. The effort focuses on design changes that improve public safety while integrating technology. Billings also received a 2023 Safe Streets for All grant to carry out projects listed in its Safe Routes to Schools Plan and 2024 Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan.
Workers in urban planning, civil engineering and active-transportation programs can follow these grants for contract and full-time positions. The combination of LEED-certified systems, fiber monitoring and pedestrian infrastructure points to steady demand for skills in emissions tracking, traffic software and bicycle-pedestrian network design over the next several years.