Fitwel Community for human health - wellness real estate

24 Nov

The Fitwel Community certification program for wellness communities and real estate developments with an interest in human health as a way to counteract today's immense health challenges, emphasizes the following key concepts:

site composition
public realm access
connectivity
proximity to open spaces and community destinations
environmental policies
food environments
social resilience
safety, and emergency preparedness

The program applies to both privately and publicly owned/managed real estate sites that are contiguous and incorporate at least one residential building.

In terms of the wellness real estate certification process, it involves finalized site, circulation, and landscaping plans to demonstrate future site uses, particularly for new real estate construction projects.

The real estate project boundary may include owner-controlled areas only, or it may be expanded to encompass areas outside of owner-control.

However, expanding the project boundary will simultaneously require greater connectivity and maximum allowable distances.

What are the wellness lifestyle real estate categories in this standard?

Fitwel Community certification has the following categories for communities to meet if they are to achieve final certification:

community composition and location
site access
community open space: design
community open space: entrances
community open space: management
outdoor environment
building certification
community assets
water and restroom access
healthy food environment
community resiliency
emergency preparedness

Walkability and physical activity

Across these categories, Fitwel sees several general themes that make a city sustainable. First, there is a focus on creating a walkable environment that promotes physical activity and community engagement for their positive health outcomes.

This includes having comprehensive pedestrian networks and safe street infrastructure that includes traffic controls and pedestrian visibility.

Universal accessibility, outdoor lighting, bike lanes, bike share programs, and transit stops are also rewarded with points as hey explicitly puts people's wellness front and centre.

Access to green spaces and nature

Second, there is a focus on promoting green spaces and natural elements in communities. Fitwel encourages the incorporation of street trees, parks, and plazas that are close to where occupants work or live as a way to enhance mental health and personal wellness.

These spaces should ideally have features like living walls, water features, multi-use trails, and playgrounds that include cooperative, imaginative, and physical play.

Community assets open to public

Third, the program emphasizes the importance of community assets such as libraries, restaurants, and community gardens that are free and accessible to the general public within the context of a residential real estate development, or mixed-use development.

Fitwel also encourages healthy food environments, including regularly maintained community gardens that grow fruits and vegetables as a way to proactively pursuing wellness outdoors through nutritional ingredients.

Resilience and emergency preparedness

Fourth, there is a focus on promoting community resiliency and emergency preparedness. This includes having brownfield remediation to improve air and water quality, a maintenance plan that includes regular litter removal, cleaning, and landscaping, and an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan that reduces exposure to dangerous toxins.

Summary

Overall, the Fitwel certification program promotes the wellness movement in general and sustainable communities in particular by emphasizing the importance of creating walkable environments, incorporating green spaces and natural elements, promoting community assets and healthy food environments, and promoting community resiliency and emergency preparedness.

These general themes are present across all twelve categories and are essential for creating sustainable and healthy communities.

FITWEL wellness communities category summaries

Community Composition and Location in wellness real estate:

Aims to create a walkable and sustainable community. This category suggests having multiple non-residential uses, a comprehensive pedestrian network, and walkable access to local amenities.

It also emphasizes the importance of open space access, transit access, efficient parking, infill development, brownfield remediation, and project location.

The aim is to increase physical activity, community engagement, and perceptions of safety while reducing crime and improving air and water quality.

Site Access in wellness real estate:

This category aims to improve the safety, accessibility, and connectivity of streets and outdoor spaces in communities.

It includes measures such as safe street infrastructure, universal accessibility, street lighting, bike lanes, bike share programs, transit stops, street trees, and wayfinding signage.

The goal is to create a more walkable, bikeable, and accessible community environment that promotes active transportation and enhances overall quality of life.

Wellness Community Open Space - Design:

This category aims to improve communities by designing open spaces incorporating various natural elements such as living walls, lawns, water features, and multi-use trails.

It also includes playgrounds that offer different types of play, outdoor fitness areas, community gardens, and restorative gardens for relaxation.

Additionally, flexible seating and noise mitigation measures are included along with pedestrian-scale lighting for parks and plazas.

Wellness Community Open Space - Entrances:

To maximize visibility in open spaces, walls and fences can be removed or their height can be restricted. Additionally, navigational signage can be placed in heavily trafficked areas to guide pedestrians towards community destinations.

Community Open Space - Management:

This section focuses on establishing and maintaining free, accessible, and safe open spaces for the public to use and enjoy. It includes plans for regular maintenance, pest management, programming, and public art as a way to foster wellness communities.

Outdoor Environment in wellness real estate:

Aimed at creating a healthy and safe outdoor environment, including smoke-free spaces, construction safety, air and water quality, and mitigation of urban heat islands with a view to promoting holistic health.

Building Certification for wellness real estate:

This category outlines the goal of having at least 20% of buildings certified by an approved accredited system.

Community Assets in wellness real estate:

Highlights the importance of community assets, such as arts and culture venues, healthcare facilities, childcare facilities, civic resources, community information, and streetscape events.

Water and Restroom Access in wellness real estate:

Emphasizes the need for universally accessible water supply and restroom access in all common areas.

Healthy Food Environment in wellness real estate:

Promote healthy food options through grocery and food markets, local produce, and food equity programs.

Community Resiliency in wellness real estate:

Emphasizes the importance of mixed-income housing, sustainable community development, community engagement, and occupant satisfaction surveys to promote community resilience.

Emergency Preparedness in wellness real estate:

This section includes plans for emergency preparedness, safe shelter, and emergency volunteer programs.

Categories
- Community Composition and Location
  - Land Use
    - Create a walkable environment by having multiple non-residential uses: office buildings, libraries, restaurants…
  - Pedestrian Network
    - Having comprehensive pedestrian network like sidewalks and crossings. No cul-de-sacs!
  - Community Destinations
    - Ensuring walkable access of local amenities to promote physical activity and community engagement
  - Open Space Access
    - Parks and plazas should be close to where occupants work or live
  - Transit Access
    - At least one public transit stop has to be near at least 51% of the buildings
  - Efficient Parking
    - Efficient parking could mean limiting parking areas to incentivize other forms of transit, including landscaping in the parking lot, creating a green buffer around the lot, designate spcaes as priotity for carpooling, etc.
  - Infill Development
    - Maximimzing underutilized space to increase perceptions of safety and reduce crime.
  - Brownfield Remediation
    - Remediate contaminated brownfields to improve air and water quality
  - Open Space
    - Having playgrounds, gardens, recreation areas, walking trails, bike paths, etc.
  - Project Location
    - Project should be far from noxious hazards such as landfills, waste sites, arterial roads of 6+ lanes, gas stations, chemical or nuclear power plants, etc.
- Site Access
  - Safe Street Infrastructure
    - Safe street infrastructure includes traffic controls (such as signs and road markers), road design calming elements (narrower streets while widening sidewalks, incorporating traffic circles, adding diagonal parking spots), and pedestrian visibility (raised crosswalks, curb extensions, signalized crosswalks)
  - Universal Accessibility
    - Promote connectivity of sidewalks, streets crossings, outdoor spaces by making sure pathways are free of obstacles, include appropriate ramps, and curb cuts.
  - Street lighting
    - Provide outdoor lighting that avoids glare (low street lamps that eliminate shadows, uplighting directed at pedestrians) at transit stops and pathways
  - Bike Lanes
    - Color code and separate bike lanes from traffic
  - Bike Share Program
  - Bike Parking
  - Transit Stops
    - Transit stops should be nearby and have shading, lighting, seating, or real-time information
  - Street Trees
    - Various landscaping on the sidewalks that is maintained
  - Wayfinding
    - Amenities should have signage pointing them out
- Community Open Space: Design
  - Natural Elements
    - Features like living walls, lawns, water features should be included in parks and plazas
  - Trails and Greenways
    - Multi-use trails which are free of use and free from vehicles should be available nearby
  - Playgrounds
    - Should include cooperative play (sand boxes, building blocks) imaginative play (colorful ground markings, moving elements) and/or physical play (monkey bars, climbing walls)
  - Outdoor Fitness Area
    - Can be sports fields, courts, outdoor equipment, pull up bars, free-weights, stationary bikes
  - Community Gardens
    - Free of access gardens with fruits and or veggies which are maintained regularly
  - Restorative Garden
    - Quiet gardens for people to relax in, can have water features, paths, shelters, seating
  - Flexible Seating
    - Fully or partially moveable seats and tables outdoors, unique seating such as picnic tables and bar stools
  - Noise Mitigation
    - Being far enough from noise sources like airports, highways, and rails, and also implementing practices like restricting access for heavy vehicles, installing physical barriers, or using landscaping to absorb noise.
  - Park and Plaza Lighting
    - Pedestrian-scale lighting
- Community Open Space: Entrances
  - Visibility
    - Maximize visibility in open spaces by removing or restricting the height of walls and fences
  - Entrance Wayfinding
    - Navigational signage at heavily trafficecked areas to guide pedestrians towards community destinations
- Community Open Space: Management
  - Inclusive Open Spaces
    - Have free and accessible spaces open to the general public
  - Maintenance Plan
    - Establishing regular bi–monthly maintenance for all outdoor spaces (litter removal, cleaning, landscaping, etc.)
  - Integrated Pest Management Plan
    - Reduce exposure to dangerous toxins and allergens associated with pesticides through practices like establishing oof-peak hours for application, improving sanitation, using trapping divides, sealing cracks, target spray/prohibit aerial spraying)
  - Open Space Programming
    - Free and low-cost programming in open spaces (yoga and dance classes, gardening programs, flu shot clinics, food fairs and festivals)
  - Public Art
- Outdoor Environment
  - Tobacco and Smoke Free Outdoor Spaces
  - Tobacco and Smoke Free Signange
  - Construction Safety
    - Incorporate safety, debris and waste management, traffic control plans, tripping hazard clean ups, etc.
  - Air Quality
    - Enhance air quality through practices like emission reduction, greenspaces, clean car infrastructure, improving sanitation.
  - Water Quality
    - Conduct annual quality testing
  - Water Management Plan
    - Controlling and treating stormwater runoff through methods like permeable pavement, cisterns, blue roofs, bioswales, etc.
  - Heat Island Mitigation
    - Implement practices to cool temperatures like green roofs, high albedo surfaces on paths and roofs, using wood or dirt instead of paved walkways, heat-resistant construction materials, etc.
- Building Certification
  - Building Certification 20%
    - Min of 20% of buildings are certified by an accredited cert. system
  - Building Certification 40%
  - Building Certification 60%
  - Building Certification 80%
- Community Assets
  - Arts and Culture Venue
    - Ex: art and music centers, museums, outdoor performance venue
  - Healthcare Facility
    - Ex: local hospital, urgent care, rehab services, Primary Care office
  - Childcare Facility
    - Ex: daycare, childcare, early education
  - Civic Resource
    - Ex: Public school, library, post office, community center
  - Community Information
    - Displays in highly trafficked areas with info like voting dates, community meeting, facilities, training programs
  - Streetscape Events
    - Ex: block parties, sidewalk fairs, festivals
  - Temporary Placemaking Plan
    - Activate underutilized open space with programming such as hosting food trucks, movie nights, clothing drives
- Water and Restroom Access
  - Universally Accessible Water Supply
    - Should be located in all outdoor and indoor common areas
  - Restroom Access
    - Should be close to open spaces and free
- Healthy Food Environment
  - Grocery and Food Markets
  - Healthy Food Retail
    - Market healthy food retail options by developing educational materials promoting health benefits of healthy food and nearby food options providing that
  - Local Produce
    - Ex: farmers markets, food cooperatives
  - Food Equity
    - Ensuring local food options offer EBT, SNAP; establish school nutrition program; subsidize crop share programs
- Community Resiliency
  - Mixed-Income House
    - Have an economically diverse housing mix that includes below-market rental and owned units (ex: rent-stabilized units and units eligible for rental vouchers)
  - Sustainable Community Development
    - Promoting the social, physical, and affective ties of occupants in a community through practices like living wage policies, homeless support services, project impact assessments, parks
  - Community Engagement
    - Supporting community resilience by providing spaces for there to be collaboration between stakeholder groups (online and public meeting) to identify local priorities and wants
  - Occupant Satisfaction Survey
  - Survey Results Implementation
- Emergency Preparedness
  - Emergency Preparedness Plan
  - Safe Shelter
  - Emergency Volunteers

certification

Matt Morley