I am assisting a LEED project for a university in Jersey City which is building a new residence/dormitory for its students. I am unsure as to what to enter under "Project Building Context". What are the precise definitions for each category? Is there a resource for this? I am currently hesitating between urban and suburban.
Thank you!
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Summer Minchew
Managing PartnerEcoimpact Consulting
LEEDuser Expert
164 thumbs up
June 18, 2016 - 11:47 am
Anna:
Generally metro areas with a population over a 1,000,000 or a city with a population over 100,000 may be considered urban. Suburban would refer to a residential area on the outskirts of a city. Suburban areas generally have lower population density.
Hope this helps.
Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
323 thumbs up
June 19, 2016 - 10:55 pm
Anna—The distinction between “urban" and other contexts appears to be relevant to only a few credits:
. . SSc5.2 (Site Development—Maximize Open Space) permits projects in urban areas that also earn SSc2 (Development Density and Community Connectivity) to include vegetated roofs and pedestrian-oriented hardscape in “open space” calculations.
. . SSc6.1 (Stormwater Design—Quantity Control) prescribes a special compliance path for “zero lot line projects located in urban areas with a minimum density of 1.5 FAR.”
. . SSc8 (Light Pollution Reduction) uses exterior “lighting zones” that correspond roughly to rural, suburban, urban, and urban core.
Beyond these credits, your response on PIf2 may not make much difference (although reviewers might look twice at a “greenfield” site in an urban core or a high level of community connectivity on a rural site). In most cases, “Go with what seem right”: http://www.leeduser.com/topic/determining-project-building-context-leed-...