Walkable Streets – Above Green

Required

Intent

To promote transportation efficiency, including reduced vehicle distance traveled.To promote walking by providing safe, appealing, and comfortable street environments that support public health by reducing pedestrian injuries and encouraging daily physical activity.

Requirements

Design and build the project to achieve all of the following:

a. 90% of new buildings have a functional entry onto the circulation network or other public space, such as a park or plaza, but not a parking lot. Whether opening to the circulation network or other public space, the functional entry must be connected to a sidewalk or equivalent provision for walking. If the public space is a square, park, or plaza, it must be at least 50 feet (15 meters) deep, measured at a point perpendicular to each entry.
At least 15% of the block length of the existing and new circulation networks within and bordering the project has a minimum building-height-to-street-centerline ratio of 1:1.5 (i.e., a minimum of 1 foot [300 millimeters] of building height for every 1.5 feet [450 millimeters] of width from street centerline to building façade). Alleys may be omitted from the calculations.
- Projects that border a part of the circulation network must meet only their proportional share of the height-to-width ratio (i.e., only on the project side of the circulation network).
- Building height is measured to eaves or, for a flat-roof structure, to the rooftop. For buildings with multiple heights or widths, use average heights or widths weighted by each portion’s share of the total height or width.
Continuous sidewalks or equivalent all-weather routes for walking are provided along both sides of 90% of the circulation network block length within the project, including the project side of circulation network bordering the project. Bicycle- and pedestrian-only paths meet this requirement. New sidewalks must be at least 8 feet (2.5 meters) wide on retail or mixed-use blocks and at least 4 feet (1.2 meters) wide on all other blocks.
No more than 20% of the block length of the circulation network within the project is faced directly by garage and service bay openings. Alleys may be omitted from the calculations.

Portions of projects containing historic buildings or contributing buildings in a designated historic district subject to review by a local historic preservation entity are exempt from (2), (3), and (4) if approval for compliance is not granted. Portions of projects containing historic buildings or contributing buildings in historic districts listed in or eligible for listing in a state provincial, or regional register, or the National Register of Historic Places that are subject to review by a state historic preservation office or the National Park Service (or local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.) are exempt from (2), (3), and (4) if approval for compliance is not granted.