Roads and paths are among the most ecologically impactful elements of a development. They fragment habitats, compact soils, concentrate runoff, and consume land area. Regenerative community planning minimizes road length and impervious surface while maintaining safe, practical access for residents and emergency vehicles.

The key principles for movement system design in regenerative communities include: use loop roads rather than dead ends (allowing water to drain naturally off both sides), design roads to follow contours (minimizing cut and fill, allowing roadside drainage swales to function), minimize road width to the minimum required for safety (12-14 feet for private internal roads), use gravel or compacted aggregate surfaces rather than asphalt where traffic volumes are low, and design shared use paths for pedestrians and cyclists that connect building clusters directly without requiring road use.