Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

"A community’s physical form, rather than its land uses, is its most intrinsic and enduring characteristic." [Katz, EPA] This blog focuses on place and placemaking and all that makes it work--historic preservation, urban design, transportation, asset-based community development, arts & cultural development, commercial district revitalization, tourism & destination development, and quality of life advocacy--along with doses of civic engagement and good governance watchdogging.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Thursday: LEED/Transportation Symposium (Arlington County, Virginia)

Thursday, November 29, 2012, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
George Mason University Founders Hall, 3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington. (At Virginia Square Metro.)
Registration required


Mobility Lab’s LEED/TDM Symposium will provide real estate developers with options to incorporate “transportation demand management” into their strategies for achieving energy and environmental design standards for both new and refurbished buildings. Hosted by Arlington Transportation Partners and Arlington Economic Development.

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Note that I argue, at least with LEED-ND, that there are problems with the bike parking requirements.  The requirements are very good for the provision of bike parking for residents, basically one space per unit.  (Although in places like Berlin, the requirements are two spaces per unit.)

The failure is with other bike parking requirements in places where the potential/opportunity for a high level of transportation mode split for biking is high.  LEED-ND requirements aren't weighted to treat places like Downtown DC differently, with higher requirements, from far suburban locations, where the likelihood of significant biking mode split capture is minimal.

Although, if by "occupant" they mean "employee," 10% parking requirements are definitely pretty good compared to current practice.

Although, 

-- LEED for Neighborhood Development webpage, US Green Building Council

LEED-ND Bicycle Storage Guidelines (pp. 29-30)


Provide bicycle parking and storage capacity to new buildings as follows:
 

a. Multiunit residential. Provide at least one secure, enclosed bicycle storage space per occupant for 30% of the planned occupancy but no fewer than one per unit. Provide secure visitor bicycle racks on-site, with at least one bicycle space per ten dwelling units but no fewer than four spaces per project site.

b. Retail. Provide at least one secure, enclosed bicycle storage space per new retail worker for 10% of retail worker planned occupancy. Provide visitor or customer bicycle racks on-site, with at least one bicycle space per 5,000 square feet of retail space, but no fewer than one bicycle space per business or four bicycle spaces per project site, whichever is greater. Provide at least one on-site shower with changing facility for any development with 100 or more new workers and at least one additional on-site shower with changing facility for every 150 new workers thereafter.


c. Nonresidential other than retail. Provide at least one secure, enclosed bicycle storage space per new occupant for 10% of planned occupancy. Provide visitor bicycle racks on-site with at least one bicycle space per 10,000 square feet of new commercial nonretail space but not fewer than four bicycle spaces per building. Provide at least one on-site shower with changing facility for any development with 100 or more new workers and at least one additional on-site shower with changing facility for every 150 new workers thereafter.  


Secure, enclosed bicycle storage areas must be locked and easily accessible to residents and/or workers. Provide informational signage on using the storage facilities.

Visitors’ and customers’ bicycle racks must be clearly visible from a main entry, located within 100 feet of the door, served with night lighting, and protected from damage from nearby vehicles. If the building has multiple main entries, bicycle racks must be proportionally dispersed within 100 feet of each.

Shower and changing facility requirements may be met by providing the equivalent of free access to on-site health club shower facilities, if the health club can be accessed without going outside. Provide informational signage on using the shower facilities.

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