LEEDND: A Tool For Public Health, Environmental Quality and Community Design

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LEED-ND A TOOL FOR PUBLIC HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY AND COMMUNITY DESIGN
Comprehensive Planning for Healthy Cities and
Communities October 26, 2006
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AGENDA

• LEED Rating System (5 min)
• LEED-ND Overview (5 min)
• Public Health and the Built Environment Report
  Summary (5 min)
• LEED-ND Rating System (20 min)
• Implications for Comprehensive Plans (10 min)

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WHAT IS LEED?

• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
• Developed by the US Green Building Council
• A leading-edge system for designing,
  constructing, operating and certifying the
  worlds greenest buildings.
• Goal TRANSFORM THE MARKET!

289 Certified Projects 2,069 Registered
Projects
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LEED PRODUCTS

• LEED-NC LEED for New Construction and Major
  Renovations/Additions (for commercial and
  institutional buildings, released in 2000)
• LEED-EB LEED for Existing Buildings (released
  2004)
• LEED-CI LEED for Commercial Interiors (released
  2004)
• LEED-CS LEED for Core and Shell (public release
  2005)
• LEED-H LEED for Homes (public release 2006)
• LEED-ND LEED for Neighborhood Developments
  (public release 2006)

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WHAT IS LEED-ND?

• ND Neighborhood Developments
• A LEED rating system being developed through a
  partnership between
• US Green Building Council
• Natural Resources Defense Council (Smart Growth)
• Congress for the New Urbanism
• A rating system that combines elements of smart
  growth, urbanism, and green building

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LEED-ND TIMELINE

• 2003 - Partnership began
• 2004 - Core Committee formed
• May 2005 Draft Public Health Indicators Report
• Sept 2005 Public Comment Period on Draft Rating
  System
• Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Revisions to Rating
  System Based on Public Comments
• Pilot-Test Projects (2007)
• Refine Rating System (2008)
• LEED-ND Launch (2009)

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HOW GREEN ARE THESE PROJECTS?
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WHY IS LEED-ND NEEDED?

• Land Use Patterns Impacts
• Natural Environment
• Natural Resources
• Energy Use
• Transportation Patterns and Choices
• Public Health
• Social Networks

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LAND CONSUMPTION

• Increase in developed land from 1982 1997 34
• Average annual increase in developed land 2.3 to
  2.6
• Increase in urbanized land relative to population
  growth 2.65 times

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LAND CONSUMPTION

• California Paves or Builds on over 400 acres
  daily

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DRIVING
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DRIVING

• Annual growth in VMT 3.1
• Average time commuters spend in traffic 36 hours
  per year
• Total pavement in US 34,500 square miles (think
  Illinois!)
• Miles of public roadways 4 million

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CLIMATE CHANGE

• Air temperature has risen 0.5 to 1.1 degrees
  since the late 19th Century
• 20th Century was warmest on record since 1400
• Sea level has risen 10 cm in last 100 years

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WILDLIFE

• Number of species of plants and animals native to
  US 20,500
• Plants and animals threatened with extinction 32
  
• Development encroaching on wildlife

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CHARACTER-LESS PLACES
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PUBLIC HEALTH - OBESITY TRENDS IN ADULTS
(BMI ?30, or about 30 lbs overweight for 54
person)
1996
2004
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UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC
HEALTH AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
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RESEARCH OVERVIEW

• Public Health Areas Studied
• Physical Fitness
• Cardiovascular and Respiratory Health
• Traffic Accidents
• Social Capital
• Mental Health

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERISTICS

• Regional location
• Population and employment density
• Mix of land uses
• More types of land uses
• More retail land uses
• Transit access and availability
• Connectivity

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERISTICS

• Access to parks and trails
• Slower speeds on roads
• Sidewalks, crosswalks
• Attractive and interesting streets
• Bike lanes, bike trails and safe bike storage

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LEED-ND RATING SYSTEM SUMMARY
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ORGANIZATION

• 3 Categories
• Smart Location and Linkage
• Neighborhood Pattern and Design
• Green Construction and Technology
• Prerequisites and Credits
• 9 Prerequisites
• 47 Credits
• 100 Points Total

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PREREQUISITES

• Smart Location
• Water and Wastewater Infrastructure
• Imperiled Species and Ecological Communities
• Wetland and Water Body Conservation
• Agricultural Land Conservation
• Floodplain Avoidance
• Open Community
• Compact Development
• Construction Activity Pollution Prevention

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SMART LOCATION

• Locate on an Infill site.
• OR
• Locate near transit - 50 of DUs or building
  entrances within ¼ mile walk of bus or ½ mile
  walk of BRT, light rail, heavy rail or ferry.
• OR
• Locate near mix of uses - ¼ mile walk distance of
  4 uses or ½ mile walk distance of 6 uses
• OR
• Lower VMT Rates - Prove that the average rate of
  VMT per occupant of the project is lower (or will
  be lower) than the average rate for the metro
  region as a whole

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COMPACT DEVELOPMENT

• Average residential density of 7 DUs per acre or
  greater
• AND
• Average non-residential FAR of 0.50 or greater

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SMART LOCATION AND LINKAGE CREDITS

• Brownfields Redevelopment
• Preferred Locations
• Reduced Automobile Dependence
• Bicycle Network
• Housing and Jobs Proximity
• School Proximity
• Steep Slope Preservation
• Site Design for Habitat or Wetland Conservation
• Restoration of Wetlands or Habitat
• Conservation Management of Habitat or Wetlands

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PREFERRED LOCATIONS (10 points)

• Project Location
• Infill and previously developed
• Infill only
• Adjacent and previously developed
• Previously developed only
• Adjacent only
• AND
• Street Network Grid Density (street centerline
  miles per square mile)
• 40
• 30-39
• 20-29
• 10-19

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PREFERRED LOCATIONS (10 points)
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REDUCED AUTO DEPENDENCE (7 points)

• Locate near transit
• OR
• Locate in area with lower
• than average VMT
• AND car sharing (1 point)

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NEIGHBORHOOD PATTERN AND DESIGN CREDITS

• Compact Development
• Diversity of Uses
• Diversity of Housing Types
• Affordable Rental and For Sale Housing
• Reduced Parking Footprint
• Walkable Streets
• Street Network

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NEIGHBORHOOD PATTERN AND DESIGN CREDITS

• Transit Facilities
• Transportation Demand Management
• Access to Surrounding Vicinity
• Access to Public Spaces
• Universal Accessibility
• Local Food Production
• Community Outreach and Involvement

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WALKABLE STREETS (8 points)

• Entry location
• Building height-to-width ratio
• Sidewalks
• Street design speed
• Building setback
• Street-level building facades
• On-street parking
• Ground floor retail
• Street trees

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COMPACT DEVELOPMENT (7points)
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AFFORDABLE HOUSING

• Affordable Rental Housing
• 15 of rental units at 50 area median income
  (AMI)
• 30 at up to 80 AMI
• 1 point each 2 for both
• Affordable For-Sale Housing
• 10 of for-sale housing at up to 80 AMI
• 20 at up to 120 AMI
• 1 point each 2 for both

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LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION

• Allow food-producing gardens
• AND
• Option 1 Dedicate space to neighborhood farms
  and gardens
• Option 2 Purchase shares in a local Community
  Supported Agriculture Program
• Option 3 Locate within ¼ mile of an existing
  farmers market.

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DIVERSITY OF USES (4 points)

• Locate project within a 1/2 mile walk distance of
• 2 uses (1 point)
• 4 uses (2 points)
• 7 uses (3 points)
• 10 uses (4 points)
• List of uses are defined as those that reduce
  auto use and increase walking

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GREEN CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY CREDITS

• Certified Green Buildings
• Energy Efficiency in Buildings
• Reduced Water Use
• Building Reuse and Adaptive Reuse
• Reuse of Historic Buildings
• Minimize Site Disturbance Through Site Design
• Minimize Site Disturbance During Construction

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GREEN CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY CREDITS

• Contaminant Reduction in Brownfield Remediation
• Stormwater Management
• Heat Island Reduction
• Solar Orientation
• On-Site Power Generation
• On-Site Renewable Energy Sources
• District Heating and Cooling
• Infrastructure Energy Efficiency

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GREEN CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY CREDITS

• Wastewater Management
• Recycled Content and Reused Materials
• Construction Waste Management
• Comprehensive Waste Management
• Light Pollution Reduction

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CASE STUDIES

• Dockside Green, Victoria, BC
• 11-acre brownfield site located in the heart of
  the City of Victoria
• Four distinct character areas for a comprehensive
  mix of uses

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CASE STUDIES

• Dockside Green, Victoria, BC
• Carshare program mini-transit
• On-site renewable energy
• Potable water use reduction in buildings
• 100 sewage treatment on-site
• No potable water use for irrigation
• Green roofs
• LEED buildings

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CASE STUDIES

• Dockside Green, Victoria, BC
• Market assisted housing
• Community advisory group
• Large plaza/community amphitheater
• North / south trail connection through the middle
  of the site

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CASE STUDIES

• King Farm, Rockville, MD
• 430 acres near existing development
• Mixed-use, TND with historic architectural
  characteristics of the City of Rockville

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CASE STUDIES

• King Farm, Rockville, MD
• Community shuttle bus
• Locally provided materials
• Adjacent to Shady Grove Metro station
• Tree plantings
• Affordable housing
• Integrated network of sidewalks
• Numerous pocket parks
• Most homes with shallow setbacks and front
  porches

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CASE STUDIES - SCORECARD
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CASE STUDIES - SCORECARD
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POINT ALLOCATION

• 100 Points Total
• Points By Category
• Smart Location and Linkage (30 points)
• Neighborhood Pattern and Design (40 Points)
• Green Construction and Technology (30 Points)

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CREDITS WITH GREATEST IMPACT ON HEALTH

• Preferred Locations (10)
• Walkable Streets (8)
• Compact Development (7)
• Reduce Automobile Dependence (7)
• Diversity of Uses (4)
• Housing and Jobs Proximity (3)
• Street Network (2)
• Bicycle Network (1)
• Access to Surrounding Vicinity (1)
• Access to Public Spaces (1)
• Access to Active Public Spaces (1)

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3-STAGE CERTIFICATION

• Preliminary Review Pre-entitlement
• Plan Certification Post Entitlement
• Certification of Completed Neighborhood
  Development Post Construction

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IMPLICATIONS FOR COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING 6
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE
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REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

• 4 Goals
• Efficient growth
• Multimodal transportation
• Housing choices
• Natural resource protection
• Required Components
• Land Use
• Transportation
• Water Resources
• Parks and Open Space
• Implementation

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1 FOCUS AT A VARIETY OF SCALES

• Region Metropolis, City and Town
• Neighborhood, District and Corridor
• Block, Street, Building

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2 LOCATE DEVELOPMENT IN APPROPRIATE LOCATIONS

• Downtowns
• Corridors
• Mixed use centers
• Transit-oriented development

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3 UNDERSTAND BUILDING BLOCKS OF COMMUNITY

• Divide city into its component parts
• Map land use, design and form characteristics
• Understand differences and similarities
  strengths and issues
• Understand if, how and when areas will change or
  stay the same

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4 REDUCE RELIANCE ON LAND USE MAP

• Map future patterns and structures to better
  represent
• Mixed use
• Transportation and land use integration
• Relationship between urban and rural
• Desired character and function of different parts
  of the city
• Focus on 3 dimensional results of 2 dimensional
  plan

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5 THINK IN NEW WAYS ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE

• Think in new (and old) ways about infrastructure
• Treat streets and transit as shapers of place
• Design networks to support walkability and
  desired block pattern
• Create a foundation for context sensitive design
• Address connectivity
• Plan for transit service

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6 INCORPORATE HEALTH THROUGHOUT PLAN

• Add chapter on public health
• Incorporate health into all components
• Parks and Recreation
• Open Space Protection
• Housing
• Plan for implementation
• Zoning (form-based and conventional)
• Government budgets
• Street standards
• Design guidelines

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CONCLUSIONS

• Built Environment is strongly linked to health
  outcomes
• LEED-ND can be used as a public health tool
• LEED-ND and health report can be used to guide
  planning and budgeting decisions
• Comprehensive plans
• District/neighborhood plans
• Street design standards
• Parks and open space plans
• Indicators for change
• Budget priorities of governments

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FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Matt Raimi
• Raimi Associates, Inc.
• 510-666-1010
• matt_at_raimiassociates.com
• OR
• www.usgbc.org/leed/nd