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LEED v2009
Neighborhood Development
Neighborhood Pattern & Design
Connected and open community

LEED CREDIT

ND-v2009 NPDp3: Connected and open community Required

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Requirements

OPTION 1. Projects with internal streets
Design and build the project such that its internal connectivity is at least 140 intersections per square mile (54 intersections/square kilometer). All streets and sidewalks that are 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. AND Design and build the project with at least one through-street and/or nonmotorized right-of-way intersecting or terminating at the project boundary at least every 800 feet (245 meters), or at existing abutting street intervals and intersections, whichever is the shorter distance. Nonmotorized rights-of-way may count for no more than 20% of the total. This does 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 over 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 »

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Addenda

10/1/2013 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise connectivity definition to:
“connectivity the number of publicly accessible intersections per square mile, including any combination of streets, dedicated alleys, transit rights-of-way, and nonmotorized rights-of-way. If one must both enter and exit an area through the same intersection, such an intersection and any intersections beyond that point are not counted; intersections leading only to culs-de-sac are also not counted. The calculation of square mileage excludes water bodies, parks larger than 1/2 acre, public facility campuses, airports, rail yards, slopes over 15%, and areas nonbuildable under codified law or the rating system. Street rights-of-way may not be excluded.”
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
2/2/2011 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the third line, remove the text "(up to 20% of total intersections)"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/19/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the first paragraph, replace the fourth sentence with "Thus, developments like gated subdivisions are not eligible to contribute toward the calculation of street connectivity, but their land area must be included in the calculation of the total area within 1/4 mile of the project boundary."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
10/1/2012 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise connecitivity definition to the following: connectivity the number of publicly accessible intersections per square mile, including any combination of streets, dedicated alleys, transit rights-of-way, and nonmotorized rights-of-way. If one must both enter and exit an area through the same intersection, such an intersection and any intersections beyond that point are not counted; intersections leading only to culs-de-sac are also not counted. The calculation of square mileage excludes water bodies, parks larger than 1/2 acre, public facility campuses, airports, rail yards, slopes over 15%, and areas nonbuildable under codified law or the rating system. Street rights-of-way may not be excluded.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
10/1/2013 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
Revise connectivity definition to:
“connectivity the number of publicly accessible intersections per square mile, including any combination of streets, dedicated alleys, transit rights-of-way, and nonmotorized rights-of-way. If one must both enter and exit an area through the same intersection, such an intersection and any intersections beyond that point are not counted; intersections leading only to culs-de-sac are also not counted. The calculation of square mileage excludes water bodies, parks larger than 1/2 acre, public facility campuses, airports, rail yards, slopes over 15%, and areas nonbuildable under codified law or the rating system. Street rights-of-way may not be excluded.”
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/19/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Replace "Total intersections" with "Qualifying intersections"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
2/2/2011 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the third line of the second paragraph of the section, remove "at least"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/19/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In Step 1, replace the text with "Step 1. Subtract any water bodies, steep slopes, rail yards, and other excludable areas from the total project area; the result is the net area."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/1/2013
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

Projects less than 5 acres have little control over public rights of way because of size, and they may not have an opportunity to include multiple street intersections within the project. Can projects less than 5 acres in size have the option to use Option 2 to meet the prerequisite?

Ruling:

The request would like clarification on whether projects 5 acres or smaller can utilize NPDp3, Option 2 to demonstrate that they are a connected and open community. NPD Prerequisite 3: Connected and Open Community Option 1 pertains to projects with internal streets while Option 2 pertains to projects with no internal streets. However, very small projects - those less than 5 acres - may still have some internal streets, but have limited ability and space to include additional ROW in order to meet the prerequisite requirement. Therefore, projects 5 acres or smaller are permitted to utilize NPD Prerequisite 3: Connected and Open Community Option 2 even if they contain some internal ROW, if they are able to demonstrate their inability to make the changes necessary to meet the credit requirement. Applicable internationally.

Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
1/1/2014
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

(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.

Ruling:

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; therefore, 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. The inquiry asks the following specific questions:

(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 sky-walks or an elevated pedestrian plane (e.g. Downtown Akron Skywalks, Minneapolis Skyway System, etc.).

No, 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.

(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 (e.g. Toronto PATH).

No, 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.

(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 (e.g. High Line in NYC) above the street-level, where intersections occur at the entry and egress points along these features.

No, since connectivity and urban design features should meet credit requirements at the primary ground plane, intersections at merging levels cannot contribute to credit achievement.

Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

OPTION 1. Projects with internal streets
Design and build the project such that its internal connectivity is at least 140 intersections per square mile (54 intersections/square kilometer). All streets and sidewalks that are 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. AND Design and build the project with at least one through-street and/or nonmotorized right-of-way intersecting or terminating at the project boundary at least every 800 feet (245 meters), or at existing abutting street intervals and intersections, whichever is the shorter distance. Nonmotorized rights-of-way may count for no more than 20% of the total. This does 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 over 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.
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