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Explore this LEED credit
Post your questions on this credit in the forum, and click on the credit language tab to review to the LEED requirements.
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To encourage development within existing cities, suburbs, and towns to reduce adverse environmental and public health effects associated with sprawl. To reduce development pressure beyond the limits of existing development. To conserve natural and financial resources required for construction and maintenance of infrastructure.
Requirements
Achieve any combination of requirements in the following three options:
Option 1. Location type
Locate the project in one of the following locations:
- A previously developed site that is not an adjacent site or infill site (1 point).
- An adjacent site that is also a previously developed site (2 points).
- An infill site that is not a previously developed site (3 points).
- An infill site that is also a previously developed site (5 points).
AND/OR
Option 2. Connectivity
Locate the project in an area that has existing connectivity within 1/2 mile (800 meters) of the project boundary, as listed to Table 1.
Table 1. Points for connectivity within 1/2 mile (800 meters) of project
| Intersections per square mile | Intersections per square kilometer |
Points |
|---|---|---|
| 200-249 | 78-96 | 1 |
| 250-299 | 97-115 | 2 |
| 300-349 | 116-134 | 3 |
| 350-399 | 135-153 | 4 |
| 400 or more | ≥ 154 | 5 |
Intersections within the site may be counted if the intersections were not constructed or funded by the developer within the past ten years.
AND/OR
Option 3. Designated high-priority locations
Achieve the following (3 points):
- Earn at least 2 points under NPD Credit 4, Mixed-Income Diverse Communities, Option 2, Affordable Housing.
- In addition, locate the project in one of the following high-priority redevelopment areas: EPA National Priorities List, Federal Empowerment Zone, Federal Enterprise Community, Federal Renewal Community, Department of Justice Weed and Seed Strategy Community, Department of the Treasury Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Qualified Low-Income Community (a subset of the New Markets Tax Credit Program), or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Qualified Census Tract (QCT) or Difficult Development Area (DDA) or a local equivalent program administered at the national level for projects outside the United States.
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 »Documentation toolkit
The motherlode of cheat sheets
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To encourage development within existing cities, suburbs, and towns to reduce adverse environmental and public health effects associated with sprawl. To reduce development pressure beyond the limits of existing development. To conserve natural and financial resources required for construction and maintenance of infrastructure.
Requirements
Achieve any combination of requirements in the following three options:
Option 1. Location type
Locate the project in one of the following locations:
- A previously developed site that is not an adjacent site or infill site (1 point).
- An adjacent site that is also a previously developed site (2 points).
- An infill site that is not a previously developed site (3 points).
- An infill site that is also a previously developed site (5 points).
AND/OR
Option 2. Connectivity
Locate the project in an area that has existing connectivity within 1/2 mile (800 meters) of the project boundary, as listed to Table 1.
Table 1. Points for connectivity within 1/2 mile (800 meters) of project
| Intersections per square mile | Intersections per square kilometer |
Points |
|---|---|---|
| 200-249 | 78-96 | 1 |
| 250-299 | 97-115 | 2 |
| 300-349 | 116-134 | 3 |
| 350-399 | 135-153 | 4 |
| 400 or more | ≥ 154 | 5 |
Intersections within the site may be counted if the intersections were not constructed or funded by the developer within the past ten years.
AND/OR
Option 3. Designated high-priority locations
Achieve the following (3 points):
- Earn at least 2 points under NPD Credit 4, Mixed-Income Diverse Communities, Option 2, Affordable Housing.
- In addition, locate the project in one of the following high-priority redevelopment areas: EPA National Priorities List, Federal Empowerment Zone, Federal Enterprise Community, Federal Renewal Community, Department of Justice Weed and Seed Strategy Community, Department of the Treasury Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Qualified Low-Income Community (a subset of the New Markets Tax Credit Program), or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Qualified Census Tract (QCT) or Difficult Development Area (DDA) or a local equivalent program administered at the national level for projects outside the United States.
