4 Flashcards
handicapped parking
One or more spaces designated for physically handicapped persons, requiring special design and dimensions.
sanitary sewer
An underground pipe or drain used to carry off waste matter.
metropolitan area or region
The area over which a city exerts a dominant economic influence.
macroclimate
The general climate of a large geographical area.
parameter
A determining factor or characteristic.
covenant
A deed restriction which regulates land use, construction materials, appearance, or aesthetic qualities of an area.
alley
Any public way or thoroughfare 10 to 16 feet in width which has been dedicated or deeded to the public for public use.
atrium
An inner court open to the sky, but surrounded by a roof.
duomo
A dome, hence often called a cathedral.
loop street
A minor street which starts at a major street, extends in a curvilinear fashion for a short distance, and then returns to the major street.
edges
Lynch’s term for linear elements which separate regions and which are not paths.
site planning
Designing the external physical environment in which buildings and structures are placed.
archetype
An original model after which something is patterned; a prototype.
proxemics
The study of human perception of space and environment, including how the use of space relates to environmental and cultural factors.
congruity
The quality in a design of being appropriate, harmonious, or exhibiting an agreeable arrangement of parts.
behavior setting
The unique characteristics of a place which relate to a specific behavior or a particular activity.
voussoirs
Wedge-shaped blocks used to form an arch or vault.
eclectic
Referring to a design that derives from a wide range of diverse sources or influences.
linkages
Relationships between activities characterized by frequent interaction.
sector theory
A theory of urban development which assumes that land uses tend to be arranged in sectors or pie-shaped wedges radiating from the center of the city.
encroachment
The extension of a building into the property of another.
subsoil
The soil layer beneath the topsoil.
GNMA
Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), an agency which functions in the secondary mortgage market.
Byzantine
An architectural style of the Byzantine Empire in the 5th century, which employed masonry arches and domes on pendentives.
naos
The principal inner chamber of a Greek temple.
algorithm
A set of rules for solving a problem in a finite number of steps.
pendentive
A spherical triangle forming a transition between a circular dome and its square or polygonal support.
cant
To set a slant from the horizontal or vertical.
cognitive mapping
The process by which a person acquires, codes, stores, recalls, and decodes information about his or her spatial environment.
macadam
Paving using crushed stone.
territorial group
A social group with which an individual has a territorial identification, such as a family, a school, or an entire town.
narthex
The entrance vestibule of a church.
topology
The study of the properties of geometric forms that remain constant when the forms change. A topological relation exists, for example, in considering inside and outside.
granolith
Concrete used for paving which uses crushed granite as the coarse aggregate.
dais
A platform raised above floor level.
bench
An excavated, level terrace in a slope used to collect running water.
scientific method
A method of research consisting of the identification of a problem, the collection of relevant data, the formulation of a hypothesis, and the testing of that hypothesis.
metes and bounds
A description of property boundaries expressed by directions (bearings) and distances, starting from a known reference point.
pediment
The triangular face of a roof gable.
vomitorium
An entrance (or exit) passage in a large amphitheater.
agora
An open-air market or meeting place in a Greek town.
rotary
A device used at an intersection of streets in which all vehicles merge and then diverge at relatively low speeds.
inductive reasoning
A logical process in which a conclusion contains more information than the premises on which it is based, as opposed to deductive reasoning.
viaduct
A bridge for carrying a road across a valley.
mannerism
A transitional style in architecture in the late 16th century, particularly in Italy, characterized by the unconventional use of classical elements.
art nouveau
A late-19th century style characterized by curvilinear motifs derived from natural forms.
jalousie
A window or door blind made of fixed or moveable horizontal slats.
sociopetal
An arrangement which tends to bring people together, such as the arrangement of tables and chairs at a sidewalk cafe.
frieze
A horizontal band on a vertical surface, located beneath a cornice, sometimes decorated with relief sculpture.
rococo
A type of architecture and decoration which evolved from the baroque style, using a variety of materials to achieve a lavish, very ornamental effect.
hippodrome
A race course bordered by tiered seating.
baroque
A style of European architecture developed in the late Renaissance in reaction to classical forms, characterized by elaborate curves, scrolls, and ornamentation.
rectilinear pattern
A typical pattern of urban development formed by a grid street system with two or more corridors of intense development intersecting at a central core.
carrel
A small room in a library.
juxtaposition
The placement of two or more elements close together for comparison or contrast.
ambiguity
The quality in a design that lacks clarity of meaning, is difficult to classify, or has several possible interpretations.
baselines
East-west lines, running perpendicular to meridian lines, from which townships are established on government surveys.
headway
The time interval between the arrival of successive buses or trains.
architrave
The lowest member of an entablature, which extends from column to column.
condemnation
The process by which private property is taken for public use under the right of eminent domain, with reasonable compensation paid to the owner.
inversion
A situation, generally the reverse of normal, in which cold air is close to the ground and a layer of warm air is above it.
campanile
A bell tower.
culvert
A length of pipe, running under a road or other barrier, used to drain or carry water.
baldacchino
A freestanding canopy supported by columns symbolically sheltering an alter, throne, or tomb.
chill factor
A fictitious temperature assigned to a combination of actual temperature and wind velocity high has the same physiological effect as still air at the chill factor temperature. It is also know as the wind chill index.
leasehold
A form of real estate tenancy in which the lessee has the right to use a piece of property under conditions described in the lease.
apse
The eastern or alter end of a church, usually semi-circular in plan.
equisse
A preliminary sketch or plan.
invert
The lowest point of the inside of a drain, pipe, channel, or other liquid-carrying conduit.
Chicago school
The architectural development around 1900, centered in Chicago, that was characterized by tall, steel-framed buildings.
brise-soliel
A sun break, an architectural shading device for blocking unwanted sun rays.
sociofugal
An arrangement which tends to keep people apart, such as back-to-back seating in an airline terminal waiting room.
plat
A plan of a city or subdivision, showing the boundaries of individual properties.
entablature
The upper part of a Greek or Roman order, comprising architrave, frieze, and cornice.
ambulatory
Able to walk.
constellation pattern
A pattern of land use in which several cities of approximately the same size and population are located fairly close to each other, but have no dominating center.
garden city
A concept developed by Ebenezer Howard in which all land would be owned by the community, the city would be economically balanced and self-contained, and a permanent belt of farmland would surround the city.
spot zoning
Zoning a parcel of land different from the surrounding area.
entasis
The slight convexity of a column, used to overcome the optical illusion of concavity that would occur if the column were straight.
ashlar
A building stone which has been shaped and smoothed into a rectangle for use in masonry construction.
lintel
A structural member placed over an opening and supporting construction above it.
albedo
Reflectivity measured as the relative permeability of a surface to radiant energy flowing in either direction.
imageability
A term used by Lynch to describe the ease with which parts of a city can be recognized and organized into a coherent pattern. Also known as legibility.
legibility
A term used by Lynch to describe the ease with which parts of a city can be recognized and organized into a coherent pattern. Also known as imageability.
contour interval
The difference of elevation between adjacent contour lines.
exurbia
The area beyond a city’s suburbs, whose residents are generally upper-income commuters.
HUD
Department of Housing and Urban Development, the federal agency concerned with all phases of housing activities.
romanesque
Describing a style of architecture in Western Europe during the 9th to 12th centuries, characterized by the use of heavy masonry, round arches, and barrel vaults.
arterial street
A continuous, major street, typically 2 or 3 lanes in each direction, that connects with expressways at strategic locations.
demography
The statistical study of human populations, such as births, deaths, marriages, and so on.
empirical
Derived from observation, experience, or experiment, and not based on theory.
modular
Le Corbusier’s system of proportioning based on the male human body.
concentric zone theory
A theory of urban development that perceives the modern American city as a series of concentric rings around the central business district.
contingency allowance
An amount included in a construction budget, normally 5 to 10 percent, to provide for unforeseen or unpredictable costs.
legal description
A written description of the location and boundaries of a parcel of land, in accordance with a system prescribed by law.
arts and crafts
A 19th century English movement, led by William Morris, which attempted to revive the hand crafts, as well as the social responsibility of artists. The movement led to the Gothic Revival.
churrigueresque
Overly lavish, decorated architecture from the baroque period in Spain.
lanai
A Hawaiian terrace or veranda.
articulation
The process of formulating, organizing, or expressing an element clearly with relation to other parts.
fee simple
A form of land ownership in which the owner has absolute title, which can be transferred by sale or bequest.
