Montgomery County began operating a Bus Rapid Transit system at the end of the pandemic. The BRT system was initiated in the 2013 countywide master plan. Till this year, the Flash BRT program has established 100 stops, 8 routes, and reached more than 11,000 people, helping them to reach their destination faster and less expensively. Reading Flash's Fall 2025 newsletter reminded me of this quote from Enrique Penalosa. Enrique Peñalosa, a former mayor of Bogotá, once said this inspiring quote:

Why is it inspiring? Because, as a follower of the happiness economy, he understood the urban happiness cycle: only a city that respects human beings can expect its residents to cherish the city in return.

During his terms, he worked on Bogotá Alameda El Porvenir-- the paved promenade that was reserved for pedestrians and cyclists, while cars were assigned to the edge. This strategy may not seem feasible in other parts of the world where car ownership prevails. However, most studies have shown that 68% of the world population will live in urban areas by 2050. Integrating our Land Use and Transit becomes an inevitable topic for growing our cities smartly.

How could LEED ND help?

As a city grows, ample public transportation choices not only increase land value but also make sustainable growth. These choices include public bike-sharing, public-run shuttles, buses, metro rails, etc. But the most effective way to let more people use public transit is to locate a project close to quality transit. Several metrics in LEED ND are standardized to help projects reach sustainable goals.

LT Credit: Access to Quality Transit

What is considered a "Quality Transit"? In LEED ND, a quality transit is measured by its minimum daily service. A project served by multiple transit types (bus, streetcar, rail, or ferry) with a certain number of weekday trips and weekend trips are considered to be quality transits.

**Table 1. Minimum daily transit service for projects with multipletransit types.** Source: USGBC/LEED-Credit Library

**Table 2. Minimum daily transit service with commuter rail or ferry service only.** Source: USGBC/LEED-Credit Library

These transit options also need to be accessible to the project. Some requirements are as follows.

Locate at least 50% of dwelling units and non-residential use entrances within a 1/4 mile walking distance of at least one bus or streetcar stop.
Locate a project within a 1/2 mile walking distance of at least one bus, streetcar, or rideshare stops.
Locate a project within a 1/2 mile walking distance of a bus rapid transit stop, light rail, metro rail station, or commuter ferry terminals.

By the way…