Walkability
Project sited where occupants can reach daily destinations on foot, bike, or transit.
Description
The Walkability badge recognizes projects sited where occupants can reach daily destinations — groceries, schools, parks, transit, medical care — without a car. Transportation is typically the largest emissions footprint of a U.S. household after the home itself; siting matters as much as construction for a project's real-world carbon profile.
The badge uses an objective scoring threshold (Walk Score, Bike Score, Transit Score) plus a site-level evaluation of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure connecting the project to those destinations. Both the location AND the connection have to work — a high-Walk-Score address that requires walking a state highway with no sidewalk doesn't qualify.
Required standard requirements
To earn this badge, the project must meet all of the following existing GreenStar requirements:
Additional badge criteria
Beyond the required standard requirements above, the project must also satisfy:
Location score (one path required)
- 01.
Walk Score ≥ 70 ("very walkable") — most errands can be accomplished on foot.
- 02.
OR Transit Score ≥ 70 ("excellent transit") — frequent service to many destinations.
- 03.
OR Bike Score ≥ 70 ("very bikeable") — infrastructure makes biking practical for most trips.
- 04.
OR ≥ 5 of the following daily-destination categories are within 1/2 mile walking distance: grocery store, pharmacy, school, daycare, park, public library, restaurant, café, post office, medical/dental, place of worship.
Pedestrian connection from site to destinations
- 01.
Continuous sidewalk or shared-use path from the project parcel to the nearest neighborhood collector road — no required walking on the shoulder of a road > 25 mph.
- 02.
Crosswalks at any required street crossings on the routes used to reach destinations counted toward the location score.
- 03.
Lit pedestrian path from the project to the nearest transit stop, where transit is being claimed.
On-site bike infrastructure
- 01.
Secure, weather-protected bike storage on-site sized for at least one bike per bedroom (e.g. garage rack, dedicated bike shed, in-unit hooks).
- 02.
For multifamily: secure shared bike room at street level with 24-hour access OR per-unit storage at this density.
- 03.
Where the project has a driveway curb cut, the cut design accommodates rolling bike access (no curb step).
Reduced parking (encouraged, not required)
- 01.
Where local code permits, reduce on-site car parking below the typical 2-space-per-unit baseline (this is a reduction in surface area and embodied carbon, not a hard requirement).
- 02.
EV charger (required at Platinum tier) and bike storage are credited regardless of car-parking count.
Documentation
- 01.
Walk Score / Transit Score / Bike Score report from walkscore.com (or equivalent) showing the qualifying score at the project address.
- 02.
Map (Google Maps screenshot or equivalent) showing 1/2-mile walking radius around the project with daily-destination categories marked.
- 03.
Photos of pedestrian connections — sidewalk continuity from parcel to nearest collector road and the route to any claimed transit stop.
- 04.
Site plan showing bike-storage location, capacity, and access path.
Verification by tier
Evidence the project team submits at each certification tier. Cumulative — higher tiers include everything below unless noted otherwise.
-
Certified
Self-attestation- 01.
Walk Score / Transit Score / Bike Score report from walkscore.com (or equivalent) showing the qualifying score at the project address.
- 01.
-
Silver
Documents + photos- 01.
Map (Google Maps screenshot or equivalent) showing the 1/2-mile walking radius with daily-destination categories marked.
- 02.
Site plan showing on-site bike-storage location, capacity, and access path.
- 01.
-
Gold
Third-party test- 01.
Field-verified photos of pedestrian connections from parcel to nearest collector road and to any claimed transit stop (continuous sidewalk, crosswalks, lit path).
- 01.
-
Platinum
Post-occupancy verification- 01.
Post-occupancy travel-mode survey at 12 months: occupant self-report of weekly trips by mode (car / walk / bike / transit). Used as evidence the location is in fact being used as walkable.
- 01.