APPROPRIATE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Buildings that have a scale appropriate to their neighborhood are complementary to and have proportions comparable to existing buildings and spaces. They needn’t be exact replicas of what is already there, but they shouldn’t overwhelm or radically depart from the existing scale. As an example, neither a block-sized box store nor a 10-story apartment complex in the middle of a neighborhood dominated by single-family homes would be considered appropriate to the neighborhood.
BEST-PRACTICE OPTIONS
With regards to vehicle trips, one of the compliance pathways requires project teams to implement at least four best practices. Project teams may choose from the six best practices listed in the Imperative requirements (clarified below), or they may propose alternative best practices if these alternatives encourage human-powered transportation over fossil fuel-based single-occupancy vehicle travel. Proposals for alternative best practices must be submitted for pre-approval through a Request for Ruling.
All Typologies must comply with the requirements related to reducing SOV trips and fostering human-powered transport.
Advocacy
Advocacy strategies to facilitate the uptake of human-powered and public transportation will vary depending upon the anticipated demand for various forms of human-powered vehicles and the local issues identified by the project team. For example, project teams might request that a municipality match a project’s investment in bicycle-friendly infrastructure, address safety issues at bus stops, install traffic-calming devices to make streets more pedestrian friendly, or otherwise improve uptake of human-powered or public transportation in the project’s community.
Where a project team is using a qualifying Walk/Bike/Transit Score as a best practice, it may not also count advocacy on that topic as an additional best practice unless it is on behalf of improving deficiencies in regional or connecting networks. The advocacy needs to be based on a regional assessment of regional transit, biking, or pedestrian conditions, as applicable, and advocate to fill in gaps in connections and/or enhance safety.
Carpool Coordination Assistance
Carpool coordination assistance might be in the form of a notice board, website, or other means of facilitating the carpooling between building occupants.
Car Sharing
Qualifying car sharing services are any on-demand mode that offers transport to more than one passenger at a time or that facilitates independence from SOV transport, and may include employer fleet vehicles or shuttle service, pay-as-you-go car sharing programs such as Zipcar, or shared scooter or bike services. This access to car sharing must be subsidized by the project owner to be counted toward Imperative compliance. Car sharing can take many forms throughout the world, but the intention is to support safe, reliable alternatives to single passengers in fossil fuel–based vehicles. Single–occupancy ride–hailing services are not considered car sharing.
Consideration and Enhancement of Pedestrian Routes
Any action that adds to or alters current pedestrian routes to the benefit of those walking, such as the addition of seating, way-finding, or biophilic elements; or protection from weather, intense car noise, or exhaust, would qualify.
Occupant Survey
This strategy requires project teams to conduct a baseline survey of building occupants and repeated surveys at least once per year to identify initial fossil fuel-based SOV use and any changes to usage patterns over time. There is no specific survey method required, but the approach should be suited to the building use and type of occupancy, and should address the modes of transport used by all those the building will serve. In all cases, commute patterns for employees should be covered, but other regular occupants and visitors should also be included. For example, in the case of a university campus building, the survey should also reach students; in the case of a nature center, the survey should also be addressed to visitors. The intent is to look for ways to further reduce SOV trips and fossil fuel-based vehicle trips based on the data gathered.
Transit Subsidy
Transit subsidies may only be applied toward public transit or human-powered transportation, such as bike maintenance or rentals.
The transit subsidy must equal at least the cost of 10 one-way transit rides per month (as determined by the rates of the locale) during the performance period, and must be offered to regular occupants of the building, including employees and residents. Though not required, the subsidy would preferably be in a form that enables the user to choose which mode of transit is subsidized. These criteria apply to all ownership structures and building types, except single-family residential.
Both formal and informal multi-rider services that travel between regular, designated stops are considered transit. As with car sharing, transit can take many forms throughout the world; the intention is to support safe, reliable alternatives to single passengers in fossil fuel-based vehicles. Single-occupancy ride-hailing services are not considered transit.
Walk/Bike/Transit Score
Siting the project in a ZIP/postal code that has a Walk Score, Bike Score, or Transit Score score of 90 or higher is an acceptable best practice. Each compliant score is considered one best practice, so a project in a location that has scores of 90 or greater in all three areas may use those scores to count toward three of the required best practices.
Note that scores may have been developed at multiple scales for a given region; for example, there may be a score for a whole city and one for a specific neighborhood. The project must use the most granular score that applies.
Walk Score system ratings (including Bike and Transit Scores), may only be used for countries that are supported by Walk Score, which are currently the United States and Canada.
Teams may propose other rating systems applicable to their project region through a Request for Ruling. The submission must document that the system rates at a comparable or more specific area scale, is publicly accessible, and has a published methodology clearly explaining the sources and process of developing the rating.
EV CHARGING STATIONS
The number of EV charging stations should be rounded up to the nearest whole number when it is calculated per 30 spaces. Where the project has only one parking spot, it is required to have only one EV charging station. Projects with two parking spots must have two EV charging stations.
Projects with no parking may use Exception PL-014, Projects with No Parking.
Charging spots that are exclusively for the use of fleet vehicles do not count towards meeting the requirement for parking spots with EV charging. The intent of providing EV charging in the building’s parking area is to encourage travel to the site by electric vehicle, rather than supporting building operational functions.
HUMAN SCALE
Human scale is about the experience of a space as a pedestrian, rather than as a motorist. A built environment at human scale is “legible” when one is up close, and detail and texture can be perceived by sight or touch.
Characteristics of human-scaled environments include, but are not limited to:
- Walking routes that are sufficiently narrow or articulated to provide a feeling of comfort and safety, rather than exposed, wide-open roads aimed at efficient movement of cars;
- Façades that have articulation such as pass-throughs, recessed entryways, ground-level windows, or other design elements intended to break up the scale of the building;
- Façade articulation that relates to human size and proportions; and
- Some degree of protection from weather.
MAINTAIN OR INCREASE DENSITY
All projects should demonstrate that the project’s density is being maintained or increased. This is typically shown through a comparison of the project’s floor area ratio (FAR) both before and after the project is developed. See Calculations. Other methodologies for documenting an increase in density, such as an increase in units, must be submitted for preapproval through a Request for Ruling.
Residential projects on sites with existing buildings may demonstrate either that the FAR has not decreased or that the number of dwelling units has not decreased. This allows owners and project teams to make decisions about the appropriate size dwelling unit(s) for the program, acknowledging that sometimes bigger is not better.
PLACES TO GATHER
The strategies and scale used to meet this requirement will vary according to Transect and site context. Project teams are encouraged to creatively find ways of fostering community interaction through placemaking. Examples include creation of pocket parks, plazas, or seating areas accessible to the public. Note that the assessment of community cultural and social equity factors, assets, and needs required under Imperative 01, Ecology of Place may reveal specific opportunities that can inform the design of these community gathering spaces.
SCOPE-DEPENDENCE FOR EXISTING AND INTERIOR TYPOLOGIES
In general, scope-dependence is governed by what the project is assumed to have control over.
All projects under the Existing Building and Interior Typologies, except for single-family residential, must comply with the requirement to either reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips by 30% or implement four best practices related to mass transit and human-scale transportation.
All Existing Building projects must provide secure, weather-protected storage for human-powered vehicles and other facilities to encourage their use, and to the extent that Interior projects have control over space that would accommodate such facilities, they must be provided. If the project does not include parking, or may exclude a parking area from the Project Area as provided under the Surface Parking Clarification under this Imperative, it is not required to install EV charging stations.
Where the scope of an Existing Building project would allow compliance with the requirements in this Imperative that are not specifically aimed at reducing single-occupancy vehicle trips, those requirements must be met. For example, if the shape of an existing building will be modified, the modifications must present a human scale appropriate to the neighborhood and not result in a decreased FAR. Where new parking area is created, the requirements related to EV charging and impervious surface area must be met. If feasible, given the site and new building configuration, the project should also accommodate places for occupants to gather and connect with the community.
Projects under the Interior Typology do not involve changes to the envelope, by definition, so any requirements related to the exterior structure do not apply. Further, the project is assumed to have no control over parking, so unless the project does have control, requirements related to EV charging and impervious surface area do not apply.
SINGLE-OCCUPANCY-VEHICLE (SOV) TRIP REDUCTION
To establish a baseline against which to measure single-occupancy-vehicle trip reduction, project teams should reference the most recent data collected by a regional or local transit or other authority, where available. See Resources for some example data sources.
If no such data are available, the project team may propose a baseline based on a survey of occupants or other available sources. Project teams must submit proposals for preapproval through a Request for Ruling.
STORAGE AND FACILITIES TO ENCOURAGE HUMAN-POWERED TRANSPORT
Bicycle Friendly Business
Project proponents that earn Bicycle Friendly Business or University designation by the League of American Bicyclists, at the bronze level or higher, with a strong rating for the Engineering section are considered to have met the requirements for both sufficient secure weather-protected storage and facilities to encourage biking.
Project teams outside the U.S. may propose equivalent rating systems applicable to their project region through a Request for Ruling.
Secure Weather-Protected Storage for Human-Powered Vehicles
Default Minimum
Storage for human-powered vehicles for at least 15% of building occupants, including anticipated visitors, is considered sufficient. Predominantly, this means storage for bicycles, but other human-powered vehicles, including those with an electric option, can be included. The amount of storage is rounded up to the nearest whole number for all Project Boundary-based requirements.
The amount of appropriate storage for human-powered vehicles will vary, however, depending upon the context and occupancy type. For example, a hospital may not require storage for 15% of its patient population, but will want to include sufficient bike storage for staff and visitors. A local gym will likely need to provide storage for more than 15% of the building occupants and visitors. In addition, most residential projects will benefit from having bike storage for more than 15% of occupants.
Any proposed decrease from 15% not already approved in these Clarifications must be submitted for preapproval through a Request for Ruling. Requests must justify how the proposed amount of parking meets the intent of encouraging increased use of human-powered transport.
Double the Documented Rate
Where there are recent data showing the rate of bicycle travel to a site, bike parking to accommodate double that documented rate can be considered sufficient, with a minimum floor of five spots. That is, if the data show a rate that when doubled would result in fewer than five spots, at least five spots must be provided. On the other hand, using this pathway, bicycle parking need not exceed 15% of the design occupancy. For example, if the data show a bicycle commute rate of 2.5%, then the project would need to provide parking for double that rate, which is 5% of the design occupancy. If the commute rate were 8%, double that would be 16%, but the project is permitted to cap the parking at 15% of the design occupancy.
Data must be publicly available and come from a local land use or transportation authority, a bicycle advocacy organization or other public interest group, or government census data specific to the project location. A new or existing project on an existing campus may use documented data on bicycle use for the campus. Regardless of the source, the data must reflect bicycle use within three years of the start of design.
Facilities to Encourage Human-Powered Transport
In addition to safe, secure, weather-protected bike storage, the most important end-of-trip facilities are generally a place to clean up and a place to safely store gear. Additional amenities, such as a designated place for doing minor repairs or charging an e-bike are also helpful.
Note that residential projects or residential portions of mixed-use projects are naturally compliant with these requirements. All other uses must demonstrate compliance with the thresholds below.
For purposes of this Imperative, sufficient facilities to encourage biking means at a minimum two facilities from the lists below according to Typology.
New Building and Existing Building: the two facilities in the First Priority list
Interior and Landscape + Infrastructure: any two facilities from the First Priority or Second Priority lists
First Priority
- No-cost access to a shower, including a private changing space with places to set or hang clothing.
- Lockable storage lockers equal in number to at least the number of bike racks accommodating regular occupants, such as employees. Lockable storage is not required for visitors.
Second Priority
- No-cost access to a facility for post-ride clean-up, which must include access to soap and warm water and a private changing space with places to set or hang clothing.
- Access to a shower facility for a minimal fee, which must include access to soap and warm water and a private changing space with places to set or hang clothing.
- Accessible location for charging an e-bike.
- Designated bicycle work stand or repair station.
- Bike wash station.
- A bike share station within 100m of an entrance to the project.
SURFACE PARKING
Existing
If existing parking will not be disturbed or altered by the project, it may be excluded from the Project Area and therefore does not need to meet the parking-related requirements outlined in this Imperative.
If existing parking is disturbed or altered during construction (e.g., subject to conveyance trenching, repaving, additional signs, or lights), it must be included in the Project Area and as such must meet the parking-related requirements of this Imperative, including the size limits. Re-striping after construction is complete is allowed without triggering the inclusion of an existing parking area in the Project Area.
Existing parking used for construction staging does not need to be included in the Project Area. If the existing parking is damaged and requires repair as a result of use for construction staging, the repair work needs to be done in compliance with all other Imperatives being pursued, but the area of repair does not need to be included in the Project Area for purposes of area-based calculations.
Projects with existing shared parking lots that serve multiple buildings may, instead of including the entire parking lot, include the larger of either the project’s allocated parking (proportional to the building’s size) or the actual area disturbed. The project team must show, through calculations, that the amount of parking included in the Project Area is prorated or attributed appropriately to the project and the other buildings using the parking.
Existing parking that does not need to be included in the Project Area based on the above conditions may be improved in order to enhance the human scale characteristics related to the intent of this Imperative (e.g., adding landscaping, walking or biking trails, or gathering areas) without triggering inclusion of the parking in the Project Area. Improvements not related to the intent and requirements of this Imperative (e.g., new lighting or paving) would trigger inclusion of the parking in the Project Area
Surface Cover
The total area of impervious surface parking allowed is dependent upon a project’s Transect and Project Area (see Figure 4-1). If project parking needs exceed the allowable surface cover, the additional parking must be structured or underground.
Impervious surface between or alongside parking spaces that is necessary for maneuvering into and out of parking spots should be included in the calculation of surface parking. The driveway to access a parking lot or areas needed for vehicle maneuvering that are not associated with and will not be used for parking, such as might be associated with a municipal operation and maintenance shops, do not need to be counted in the calculation. All impervious parking surface added as a result of the project should be considered part of the Project Area and is subject to all other requirements of the Imperatives being pursued.
Separation with Plantings
The 20m x 30m (65ft x 98ft) maximum surface parking area before separation with plantings establishes a maximum area of 600sm (6370sf), which can be configured in a different aspect ratio if desired (see Figure 4-2).
The intent of the requirement is to achieve a human scale by dividing up large expanses of paving with plantings to provide physical and visual relief, but also to provide opportunities for other benefits such as shading, plantings that support wildlife, and stormwater filtering and/or retention. Project teams are also encouraged to separate pedestrian walkways from vehicle traffic.
Structured Parking
For the purposes of the Living Building Challenge, in order to be considered structured, a parking facility must accommodate at least one level of vehicles not at grade (either elevated or underground) or, if at grade, the parking must have building area directly above it. PV panels, overhangs, or other non-occupiable structures covering a single-level parking lot do not qualify.
