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LOCATION AND TRANSPORTATION (LT)
OVERVIEW
The Location and Transportation (LT) credit category empowers facility managers to promote sustainable mobility solutions for building occupants. It focuses on promoting alternative mobility solutions and transportation options that help reduce carbon emissions. Managers can help alleviate congestion and improve air quality by encouraging these choices. The strategies outlined are aligned with performance benchmarks and are designed to provide options for various Operations and Maintenance (O+M) projects.
Decarbonization Transportation accounts for nearly one-quarter of global energy-related carbon emissions. [24] Recognizing the momentum in the transportation sector to reduce carbon emissions, LEED v5 introduces measures aimed at fostering a decarbonized future. These measures include enhanced incentives for electric vehicles (EV), discouraging the use of parking, and promoting low-carbon and micromobility alternatives like scooters, bicycles, and bike shares ( LTc2: Transportation Demand Management, LTc3: Electric Vehicles ). Projects are encouraged to reconsider the dominance of traditional transportation methods and to support a fundamental shift away from single-occupancy vehicles to low-carbon alternatives.
Quality of life Active and shared modes of transportation contribute to occupants’ quality of life by promoting efficient transportation alternatives that increase equitable access to the site ( LTc2: Transportation Demand Management, LTc1: Sustainable Transportation Performance ). These strategies promote healthier communities through increased exercise from active travel and improvements in air quality from reduced vehicle miles traveled and associated emissions.
Ecological conservation and restoration Implementing low-carbon transportation and compact development options helps reduce emissions and mitigates urban sprawl, which disrupts ecosystems and natural habitats. [25] If global urbanization continues at its current rate through 2050, it is estimated that about one-third of all terrestrial species will experience habitat loss, with some losing at least a tenth of their remaining habitat. [26] Projects can lessen the likelihood of these outcomes through their transportation decisions. By offering low-carbon transportation options, these projects contribute to communities where people and ecosystems can thrive.
24 Transport - Energy System – IEA, IEA, n.d., www.iea.org/energy-system/transport. 25 Catlyne Haddaoui, “Cities Can Save $17 Trillion by Preventing Urban Sprawl,” World Resources Institute, n.d., www.wri.org/insights/cities-can-save-17-trillion-preventing-urban-sprawl. 26 William F. Laurance, and Jayden Engert, “Sprawling Cities Are Rapidly Encroaching on Earth’s Biodiversity,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119, no. 16 (2022a), https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2202244119.
U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Operations and Maintenance, April 2025 Launch Edition 57