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Requirements
Meet the requirements of Case 1 if the project has no circulation network intersections within the project boundary and is five acres or less in size. All other projects must meet Case 2.
Case 1. Surrounding connectivity
Locate the project such that the connectivity within ¼ mile (400 meters) of the project boundary is at least 90 intersections per square mile (35 intersections per square kilometer). Any part of the circulation network that is counted toward the connectivity requirement must be available for general public use and not gated. Gated areas are not considered available for public use, with the exception of education and health care campuses and military bases where gates are used for security purposes. Additionally, any circulation network within the project must be available for general public use and not gated.Case 2. Internal connectivity
Design and build the project such that its internal connectivity is at least 140 intersections per square mile (54 intersections per square kilometer). Any part of the circulation network counted toward the connectivity requirement must be available for general public use at all times and not gated. Additionally, no more than 10% of the project area may be accessed via circulation network that is gated. Education campuses, health care campuses, and military bases where gates are used for security purposes are exempt from the 10% limit, and intersections within those projects may be counted toward the connectivity requirement. Design and build the project with at least one through-connection (of the circulation network) intersecting or terminating at the project boundary at least every 800 feet (245 meters), or at existing abutting intervals and intersections of the circulation network, whichever is the shorter distance. These requirements do not apply to portions of the boundary where connections cannot be made because of physical obstacles, such as prior platting of property, construction of existing buildings or other barriers, slopes steeper than 15%, wetlands and water bodies, railroad and utility rights-of-way, existing limited-access motor vehicle rights-of-way, and parks and dedicated open space. See all forum discussions about this credit »What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
See all forum discussions about this credit »Addenda
(a) Can intersections occurring at levels of circulation above a project's primary ground plane be considered toward its connectivity score? Examples include projects with integrated skywalks or an elevated pedestrian plane.
(b) Can intersections occurring at levels of circulation below a project's primary ground plane be considered toward its connectivity score? Examples include projects atop of an underground transit hub with one or more intersecting subterranean transit rights-of-way, projects built on a podium or platform as the "street-level" with a physically depressed motorized circulation level underneath, OR projects atop of a network of pedestrian tunnels.
(c) Can intersections occurring at merging levels of circulation be considered toward its connectivity score? Examples include projects with primary circulation at the street level that are bisected by a riverwalk below street-level or by an elevated trail/right-of-way above the street-level, where intersections occur at the entry and egress points along these features.
The question seeks clarification on how to determine various connectivity measures for projects that contain means of circulation on several different levels. Credits related to connectivity and the urban design of streetscapes are intended to determine both how the project itself performs and how the project relates to its surroundings; so, it is important that the design and connectivity of the circulation network on the main ground level be strong enough to meet the credit requirements on their own. Therefore the overall response is no.
Specifically, regarding whether intersections occurring at levels of circulation above a project's primary ground plane be considered toward its connectivity score? (E.g. projects with integrated sky-walks or an elevated pedestrian plane—i.e. Downtown Akron Skywalks, Minneapolis Skyway System, etc.) While intersections occurring at levels of circulation above a project's primary ground plane may contribute to project occupant mobility, only the ground level intersection should be used to determine the project’s connectivity. Ground level is defined as the addressable, at-grade street and pedestrian network.
Regarding whether intersections occurring at levels of circulation below a project's primary ground plane be considered toward its connectivity score? (E.g. projects atop of an underground transit hub with one or more intersecting subterranean transit rights-of-way, projects built on a podium or platform as the "street-level" with a physically depressed motorized circulation level underneath or projects atop of a network of pedestrian tunnels—i.e. Toronto PATH.) While intersections occurring at levels of circulation below a project's primary ground plane may contribute to project occupant mobility, only the ground level intersection should be used to determine the project’s connectivity.
Finally, regarding whether intersections occurring at merging levels of circulation be considered toward its connectivity score? (E.g. projects with primary circulation at the street level that are bisected by a riverwalk below street-level or by an elevated trail/right-of-way—i.e. the High Line in Manhattan—above the street-level, where intersections occur at the entry and egress points along these features.) Since connectivity and urban design features should meet credit requirements at the primary ground plane, intersections at merging levels cannot contribute to credit achievement.
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Meet the requirements of Case 1 if the project has no circulation network intersections within the project boundary and is five acres or less in size. All other projects must meet Case 2.
