Are Spd - Terms

Front 1

zoning
(origins and purview)

Back 1

*originated in NYC, 1916
*regulates use of land, light, air, and open space

Front 2

incentive zoning

Back 2

encourages private developers to provide public amenity in exchange for extra height and/or area

Front 3

nonconforming use

Back 3

existing building is no longer permitted in current zoning code

Front 4

conditional use

Back 4

a land use is permitted in an area it isn't zoned for, usually because it is providing a public benefit

Front 5

variance

Back 5

deviation from an ordinance to avoid hardship as a result from an owner's application

Front 6

spot zoning

Back 6

a change in the zoning ordinance for a particular area

Front 7

ordinance

Back 7

a municipal law

Front 8

setback

Back 8

required open space measured between property line and face of building used to preserve light/air/spaciousness

Front 9

building line

Back 9

help achieve planned street patterns by ensuring that buildings are not erected in the bed of projected streets/potential street widening

Front 10

easement

Back 10

legal right of government/another land owner to use another property for a specific purpose

Front 11

scenic easement

Back 11

prevents development that'd compromise a public scenic feature

Front 12

assessment

Back 12

valuation of property for tax purposes

Front 13

business improvement district

Back 13

funds public space improvements through increased taxes on business owners in the district to enhance an area's appeal

Front 14

eminent domain

Back 14

power of the state to take private property at fair market value without the owner's consent; must be used government/public development, economic development, or a mandated easement for access (public utilities, ROW)

Front 15

deed restriction

Back 15

limitation on the use of the property based on the intent of the original owners and not to be changed by future owners

Front 16

restrictive covenant

Back 16

limitation/stipulation in a residential community (ex: there may be guidelines for aesthetics, maintenance, storage, etc.)

Front 17

affirmative covenant

Back 17

for buyers, the obligation to perform certain duties in the future (ex: payments for common charges in a condo)

Front 18

conditional covenant

Back 18

if restrictions are violated/disregarded, land ownership passes back to the original owners or their heirs

Front 19

ROW

Back 19

right-of-way; right for people to cross land of others

Front 20

deed of trust

Back 20

written document describing the owner of the property and from whom it was purchased

Front 21

metes and bounds description

Back 21

written description of the boundaries of a parcel of land, defining the perimeter by using a starting point and describing each boundary in terms of angle of bearing and length

Front 22

plat

Back 22

legal description of a subdivided piece of property, including information on lots, streets, right-of-way, easements, etc.

Front 23

invert

Back 23

the bottom of drains, catch basins, manholes, and sewer lines

Front 24

grade beam on pier foundation

Back 24

*beams transfer building weight to piers, which usually bear down to bedrock; voids underneath beams allow soil to expand/contract without destabilizing the foundation
*used where expansive soil (like bentonite) is present

Front 25

retention pond AKA holding pond AKA catch basin

Back 25

temporary holds excessive stormwater runoff and releases it at a controlled rate into the storm sewer system

Front 26

bioswale

Back 26

slows stormwater runoff, allowing sediments to settle while water seeps into the ground

Front 27

infiltration basin

Back 27

retains stormwater until it can seep into the ground

Front 28

runoff coefficient

Back 28

fraction of total precipitation falling on a surface that runs off the surface or is not absorbed into the ground

(= amount runoff / total precipitation)

Front 29

node

Back 29

center of interest that people can enter, like a plaza, public square, or intersection of paths

(The Image of the City, Kevin Lynch)

Front 30

landmark

Back 30

point reference that serves for wayfinding and symbolic identification of an area

(The Image of the City, Kevin Lynch)

Front 31

district

Back 31

area that people perceive to have a common, identifying character which is critical to the sense of neighborhood

(The Image of the City, Kevin Lynch)

Front 32

edge

Back 32

linear element (not a path) which forms a boundary between two districts or breaks continuity

(The Image of the City, Kevin Lynch)

Front 33

catchment area

Back 33

the area surrounding a land development site, encompassing the population base that the development is meant to serve

Front 34

contextualism

Back 34

the belief that new buildings should be designed to harmonize with other buildings and elements in the vicinity

Front 35

demographics

Back 35

statistical data of a population (age, income, etc.)

Front 36

personal space AKA personal distance

Back 36

*subjective distance or area surrounding a person's body into which a person feels comfortable allowing others to intrude depending on the situation
*Robert Sommer (psychologist) says there are four distances which vary by culture and situation--
1) intimate distance
2) personal distance
3) social distance
4) public distance

Front 37

PUD

Back 37

(planned unit development)

a large parcel of land, typically with a mix of uses, that has been designed and laid out according to principles approved by the local planning authority and often with citizen input; used to develop land in a way that wouldn't usually be allowed based on normal planning/zoning restrictions of that jurisdiction

Front 38

proxemics

Back 38

the study of the spatial requirements of humans and the effects of population density on behavior, communication, and social interaction; coined by Edward T. Hall (anthropologist)

Front 39

superblock

Back 39

large parcel of land designed to minimize the impact of the automobile on residential development in which access to interior lots is provided by cul-de-sacs branching from surrounding streets and providing one or more open spaces

Front 40

tax base

Back 40

the object on which a tax is calculated (ex: property is the tax base of a property tax)

Front 41

local streets

Back 41

*low-capacity
*provide direct access to building sites
*often curvilinear

Front 42

collector streets

Back 42

connect local streets and arterials

Front 43

arterial

Back 43

*wide
*high-capacity
*usually connect to expressways

Front 44

expressway

Back 44

*limited-access
*high-speed, high-volume circulation

Front 45

street

Back 45

*small-scale, low-speed connector
*ROW = about 80 ft

Front 46

avenue

Back 46

*short-distance, medium-speed road
*ROW = about 80 ft

Front 47

boulevard

Back 47

*consists of multi-lane roads in each direction, parking lanes, and, usually, a planted median or wide planting strips on both sides
*ROW = 100 ft - 130 ft

Front 48

1 acre = ________ sf

Back 48

1 acre = 43,560 sf

Front 49

albedo

Back 49

the fraction of radiant energy reflected from a surface relative to the total radiant energy received by the surface

(reflected radiant energy / total received radiant energy; albedo of 0.0 = perfect black matte surface; albedo of 1.0 = a perfect mirror)

Front 50

conductivity

Back 50

rate at which heat flows through a material

Front 51

insolation

Back 51

total solar radiation on a horizontal surface

Front 52

township (unit of land)

Back 52

6 mi x 6 mi unit of land

1 township = 36 sections
16 townships = 1 check

Front 53

check (unit of land)

Back 53

24 mi x 24 mi unit of land

1 check = 16 townships

Front 54

section (unit of land)

Back 54

1 mi x 1 mi unit of land

36 sections = 1 township

Front 55

standoff distance

Back 55

the space between a building and the potential location of a blast threat

Front 56

contour area method of estimating cut/fill volume

Back 56

*based on a contour drawing showing the areas to be cut/filled
*volume of earth to be moved is proportional to sums of cut/fill areas
*good for a quick visual representation and a detailed, calculated analysis

Front 57

end area method of estimating cut/fill volume

Back 57

*similar to contour method, but individual volumes have parallel vertical faces (instead of horizontal faces)
*most often used for roadways

Front 58

calculation by grid method of estimating cut/fill volume

Back 58

*draw a square grid over the site, then determine existing and new elevations at each grid intersection

Front 59

cardo and decumanus

Back 59

two major streets in a Roman town (perpendicular)

Front 60

golden section

Back 60

Renaissance concept where the whole is divided such that

smaller part : largerpart :: larger part : whole

Front 61

angle of repose

Back 61

greatest angle at which soil will lay without sliding

examples:
loose, wet clay or silt = 30%
compact dry clay = 100%
wet sand = 80%
dry sand = 65%

Front 62

mothballing

Back 62

in historic preservation, the designation of certain areas to be repaired/restored at a later date/under a later contract

Front 63

proctor compaction test

Back 63

geotech test to determine maximum achievable soil/aggregate density

Front 64

percolation test

Back 64

test to determine rate at which soil absorbs effluent by measuring amount of time necessary for water to drop 1" in a test hole (test suitability of soil for a leach field)

Front 65

baseline + standard parallels

Back 65

*follow latitudes of earth
*basis for east-west layout in US Survey

Front 66

principal meridian + guide meridians

Back 66

*follows longitudes of earth
*basis for north-south grid layout in US Survey

Front 67

swamp

Back 67

wetland with large areas permanently inundated by shallow bodies of water

Front 68

hummock

Back 68

dry-land protrusions in a swamp

Front 69

swale

Back 69

elongated depression that is at least seasonally wet without flowing water; usually vegetated

Front 70

detention pond

Back 70

temporarily holds a set amount of water while slowly draining to another location

Front 71

retention pond

Back 71

holds a specific amount of water indefinitely, with excess drained to another location

Front 72

riparian rights

Back 72

rights/duties determining the reasonable use/duty/allocation of water to owners of waterfront property

Front 73

potability test

Back 73

evaluates drinking water for bacteria, pH, color, odor, turbidity, hardness, etc.

Front 74

french drain aka subdrain

Back 74

perimeter foundation subsurface drainage system involving a continuous perforated pipe near the foundation footing in a ditch lined with filter fabric and filled with gravel

Front 75

leader line

Back 75

comes off a gutter

Front 76

trench drain

Back 76

continuous drain placed at ground level to catch runoff and divert it to a storm sewer, retention pond, or other collection system

Front 77

heat island effect

Back 77

tendency for paving/architectural materials to increase the temperature of their immediate environment