02. Building Access - Supportive Street Infrastructure

Provide safe street infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists

Rationale: Infrastructure elements that enhance the safety of street crossings, such as raised crosswalks and wider sidewalks, improve walkability and accessibility, support increased physical activity and social interaction and decrease the risk of immediate injury contributing to diminished risk of chronic diseases associated with sedentary lifestyles such as obesity and cardiovascular disease.

For the most accurate strategy and documentation requirements, please refer to the digital scorecard made available on the Fitwel Platform.

Requirements

Requirement Guidance

For buildings with multiple entrances, identify a main building entrance that is used to access a common area within the building such as a lobby, reception area, or main circulation pathway.

Demonstrate compliance with one of the options below:

Option 1 - Safe Street Infrastructure + Pedestrian Network (Full Credit):

Demonstrate compliance with all the following requirements:

Low-Rise Residential with shared interior spaces (LR+), Low-Rise Residential with no shared interior spaces (LR)

1. Ensure 51% of all street intersections within the site and within a ¼-mile or 400-meter walking distance of the project entrance include a minimum of one safe street infrastructure elements.

   Note: For projects with more than nine qualifying intersections within the ¼-mile walking distance, projects may instead demonstrate compliance by documenting a minimum of five intersections that include a safe street infrastructure element, provided that at least one qualifying intersection is located within a ¼-mile (400-meter) walking distance of each main building entrance.

    

2. Ensure that each counted intersection incorporates at least one safe street infrastructure element, and that at least three different element categories are represented across all counted intersections, selected from the following:

    

   • Traffic controls: Pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle signs; road markers; and signaling devices placed along roads, highways, and other public areas.
   • Road design calming elements: Narrowing streets and traffic lanes, widening sidewalks, incorporating traffic circles or roundabouts, adding diagonal parking spaces, or converting one-way streets to two-way streets.
   • High street connectivity: A link-to-node ratio of at least 1.4, calculated by dividing the total number of road segments between intersections by the total number of intersections (including dead ends).
   • Designated bicycle lanes.

   • Pedestrian visibility features: Raised or signalized crosswalks, curb extensions, or pedestrian medians.

     Note that only one safe street infrastructure element is required at each intersection; however, a minimum of three different types of elements must be represented across all intersections.

      

3. Provide a comprehensive pedestrian network within the project that includes:
   • Pedestrian crossings at all street intersections.
   • Sidewalks along all roads within the project (excluding alleyways and service roads).

Option 2 - Safe Street Infrastructure (Partial Credit):

Demonstrate compliance with all the following requirements:

Low-Rise Residential with shared interior spaces (LR+), Low-Rise Residential with no shared interior spaces (LR)

1. Ensure 51% of all street intersections within the site and within a ¼-mile or 400-meter walking distance of the project entrance include a minimum of one safe street infrastructure elements.

   Note: For projects with more than nine qualifying intersections within the ¼-mile walking distance, projects may instead demonstrate compliance by documenting a minimum of five intersections that include a safe street infrastructure element, provided that at least one qualifying intersection is located within a ¼-mile (400-meter) walking distance of each main building entrance.

    

2. Ensure that each counted intersection incorporates at least one safe street infrastructure element, and that at least three different element categories are represented across all intersections, selected from the following:

   • Traffic controls: Pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle signs; road markers; and signaling devices placed along roads, highways, and other public areas.
   • Road design calming elements: Narrowing streets and traffic lanes, widening sidewalks, incorporating traffic circles or roundabouts, adding diagonal parking spaces, or converting one-way streets to two-way streets.
   • High street connectivity: A link-to-node ratio of at least 1.4, calculated by dividing the total number of road segments between intersections by the total number of intersections (including dead ends).
   • Designated bicycle lanes.
   • Pedestrian visibility features: Raised or signalized crosswalks, curb extensions, or pedestrian medians.

   Note that only one safe street infrastructure element is required at each intersection; however, a minimum of three different types of elements must be represented across all intersections.

Compliance Documentation

Design Pathway (LR+, LR)

Option 1: 

• Requirement 1:
  • Upload an annotated site plan or map(s) identifying the following:
    • The location of the qualifying safe street infrastructure elements located within the site and within 1/4-mile or 400-meters walking distance of the project entrance.
    • All street intersections within the site and within 1/4 mile or 400 meters walking distance from the project entrance.
• Requirement 2:
  • Upload an annotated photograph(s) or design drawing(s) of each unique qualifying safe street infrastructure element.
• Requirement 3:
  • Upload an annotated site plan or map(s) identifying the following:
    • All street intersections within the project.
    • All pedestrian crossings within the project.
    • Sidewalks along the roads within the project.

Option 2: 

• Requirement 1:
  • Upload an annotated site plan or map(s) identifying the following:
    • The location of the qualifying safe street infrastructure elements located within the site and within 1/4-mile or 400-meters walking distance of the project entrance.
    • All street intersections within the site and within 1/4 mile or 400 meters walking distance from the project entrance.      
• Requirement 2:
  • Upload an annotated photograph(s) or design drawing(s) of each unique qualifying safe street infrastructure element.

Built Pathway (LR+, LR)

Option 1: 

• Requirement 1:
  • Upload an annotated site plan or map(s) identifying the following:
    • The location of the qualifying safe street infrastructure elements located within the site and within 1/4-mile or 400-meters walking distance of the project entrance.
    • All street intersections within the site and within 1/4 mile or 400 meters walking distance from the project entrance.
• Requirement 2:
  • Upload an annotated photograph(s) or design drawing(s) of each unique qualifying safe street infrastructure element.
• Requirement 3:
  • Upload an annotated site plan or map(s) identifying the following:
    • All street intersections within the project.
    • All pedestrian crossings within the project.
    • Aidewalks along the roads within the project.

Option 2: 

• Requirement 1:
  • Upload an annotated site plan or map(s) identifying the following:
    • The location of the qualifying safe street infrastructure elements located within the site and within 1/4-mile or 400-meters walking distance of the project entrance.
    • All street intersections within the site and within 1/4 mile or 400 meters walking distance from the project entrance.
• Requirement 2:
  • Upload an annotated photograph(s) or design drawing(s) of each unique qualifying safe street infrastructure element.