Areas of Practice Flashcards
SmartCode
Type of model Form-Based Code designed to create walkable neighborhoods across a spectrum of settlement patterns (urban - rural) using transect character types.
Design Charrettes are an essential part of the SmartCode process.
Economic Forecasting
Used to determine the growth in jobs in the community, which translates to demand for commercial business land uses.
Scoping Report (as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment)
Most effective methodology for conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment.
Requires descriptions of the proposed activity, any feasible and reasonable alternatives, the property and the environment that might be affected, and the manner in which the biological, social, economic, and cultural aspects of the environment may be impacted by the proposed activity. Also includes the public participation process used.
Purchase of Development Rights (PDR)
When a conservation easement is paid for and traded in an open market between a willing buyer a seller.
Guarantees that agricultural land will be preserved in perpetuity.
Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)
The majority (90%) of affordable housing in the United States was funded by LIHTCs.
The maximum rent that can be charged in a unit funded by LIHTCs is a percentage of an area’s median income.
Unit affordability must be maintained for at least a 15-year compliance period.
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21 Century
MAP-21
Obama-era legislation that provided funding for surface transportation programs.
Land Value Capture
Method for financing public improvements by capturing some of the value that typically accrues to property located near such improvements.
Boston is using Land Value Capture to fund infrastructure projects that counter the impacts of climate change.
1901 New York State Tenement Housing Law
Reform movement led by Lawrence Veiller.
Outlawed dumbbell tenements.
Improved living conditions for New York’s poor.
Most commonly regulated form of renewable energy by local governments
Wind energy.
Typically includes setback regulations as well as zoning districts that either allow or prohibit wind turbines.
Describe a city’s sewage treatment system
Sewage flows from a drain into a pipe and connects to a larger pipe in the ROW, which then carries the sewage to a sewage treatment plant. The sewage is strained to capture large items then sent through a primary, secondary, and tertiary process before treated water is released.
Revenue Bond
Municipal bons that can be used to finance income-producing projects. The bons are secured by a specific revenue source. The bonds can be issued by any government agency that has a revenue source.
How do you solve for Future Value or Present Value?
FV = (1 + r)^y PV or PV = FV / (1 + r)^y
FV = Future Value; r = interest; y = number of years; PV = present value
Wicked Problem
A problem with multiple stakeholders with conflicting interests and now easy, single solution.
EX.: climate change, street design, homelessness
APA’s Infrastructure Principles
- Serve multiple modes of transportation
- Driven by local leadership and strong regional planning
- Address long-term funding sustainability
- Harness public sector support to advance public services
- Consider key factors of location and leverage
- Promote access
- Advance opportunity for all
- Embrace and support innovation
- Make communities safer and more resilient
Telecommunication Act of 1996
Goal: Ensure universal telecommunications (cell tower) service.
FCC and States responsible for implementing the law.
Law preempted local regulations against cell towers (cities can require colocation and apply zoning standards, but can’t say no outright).
Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO)
Ensures new development does not negatively impact a community by overburdening public services. An APFO allows local governments to deny or delay a development if existing government services (water, sewer, fire, police, roads, school) cannot support it.
Daylighting
The process of converting a closed system to a more open, natural system.
The process of providing windows, glass, or reflective materials so that natural light provides internal illumination during the day.
The process of removing parking near intersections to improve visibility.
Blue and Green Infrastructure
Blue infrastructure = water-based infrastructure (constructed wetlands, swales, retention ponds, waterways).
Green infrastructure = using the natural environment to convert gray infrastructure to more sustainable practices and reduce the amount of water being treated by municipalities.
How to measure solar energy
Energy = kilowatt-hours per square kilometer (kWh/m^2)
Heat = British thermal units per square foot (Btu/ft^2)
Passive Solar Design
Orient streets and front-lot lines along the east-west axis.
In cold climates, south-facing windows capture sunlight for daytime heating.
Insulation Ratings
The higher the R-value, the greater the insulation (and thermal resistance). Minimum R-value of 20 recommended for residential uses.
Well-insulated buildings use less energy.
Sources of electricity in the US
Fossil fuels = 60%
Nuclear = 18%
Renewables = 22% (mostly wind and hydro)
Distributed wind energy systems (residential wind turbines) can produce 100kW
Micromobility as a Service (MaaS)
Integrating various transportation options (public, ride hailing, e-scooters, car sharing, etc.) into a single app. Meant to reduce use of single-occupancy vehicles. Levels of integration include:
0 - no integration
1 - integration of information (google maps)
2 - integration of booking and paying (uber)
3 - integration of service offer (bundled services)
4 - integration of policy
Coupon Rate
Annual rate of interest paid on a bond, note, or other securities.
Average size of different types of development
Restaurant = 5,000sf
Grocery store = 48,000-60,000sf
Department store = 150,000sf
Discount store = 175,000sf (like big box store)
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST, 2015)
Long-term funding bill; allows planners to establish street design standards for federally funded projects but did not raise the gas tax.
Traffic calming interventions
Bulb-out/curb extension: curb extension at intersection narrows path/inhibits fast turns.
Chicane: series of fixed objects that create a serpentine path to slow cars.
Choker: narrowing a street mid-block using curbs, landscaping, etc. to slow vehicles.
Transportation/Travel Demand Model
- Trip generations (from home to work, etc.)
- Trip distribution (across TAZs)
- Modal split (driving, walking, biking, etc.)
- Trip assignment (pathway used each trip)
Effluent
Discharge of pollutants into the environment in an untreated, partially treated, or completely treated state.
Enterprise Fund
An account that manages the revenues and expenditures of self-sufficient activity.
Ex.: Minor league baseball park, parking garage, zoo, etc.
Right to Farm
All 50 states have Right to Farm laws which attempt to preserve AG practices and make farming more viable. Right to Farm laws deny nuisance lawsuits against farmers. Laws aim to minimize threats to farming practices, NOT preserve farmland.
Special District
Form of government that serves a specific purpose to provide a specific and limited number of functions within a defined geographic area.
Ex.: utility district, school district, etc.
Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (1990)
Created the HOME program, which provides block grants to local governments to increase the supply of affordable housing. Funds can be used to provide:
1. Down payment assistance
2. Construct/remodel affordable housing
3. Acquire sites for AH development
4. Support community housing development organizations in providing affordable housing
Smart Growth
APA’s approach to planning for greater sustainability. 10 principles of Smart Growth:
1. Create housing choice
2. Create walkable neighborhoods
3. Encourage collaboration
4. Foster attractive places
5. Make development decisions predictable
6. Mix land uses
7. Preserve open space
8. Provide transportation options
9. Direct development toward existing communities
10. Compact building design
Sustainable development
Balancing the fulfillment of human needs with the protection of the natural environment to meet the needs of present and future generations.
Types of pollution
Point source - coming from an identifiable location (e.g., leaking pipe)
Non-point source - diffuse contamination not from a single, discrete source
Noise - 70 db is loud (noise disturbance)
CERCLA (superfund)
1980
Gives the EPA the ability to intervene in managing land contaminated with high levels of hazardous materials. Includes a trust fund for cleaning contaminated sites and requires polluters to pay in.
National Flood Insurance Program
1968
Established through the National Flood Insurance Act; managed by FEMA. Includes a voluntary community rating system that encourages local floodplain management.
The Disaster Mitigation Act (2000)
Amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
Encouraged emergency managers to shift towards proactive planning processes (rather than just focusing on disaster response).
Stafford Act (1988)
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
Gives FEMA authority to respond to disasters. Outlines components of state hazard mitigation plans:
1. Evaluate hazard(s)
2. Analyze state policies
3. Propose goals and policies
4. Implement and monitor
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)
Theory of crime prevention that places a major emphasis on the design of the physical environment as the primary focus for addressing public safety.
Key principles:
1. Natural access control
2. Natural surveillance
3. Territoriality
General Obligation Bond
“full faith and credit” of government, full taxing power is behind repayment. The entire municipality has to pay off the bond regardless if a project succeeds or not.
Revenue Bond
Municipal bond distinguished by its guarantee of repayment solely from revenues generated by a specific project associated with the purpose of the bonds, rather than from a tax.
Private Activity Bond
Tax-exempt bond in which proceeds are used to finance a private party and payment from that party are used to repay bond principal and interest. Allows the public sector to borrow on behalf of private entities.
Revolving Loan Fund
Pool of capital providing gap financing for applicants whose projects meet the purpose of a public policy goal.
Federal sources include the EDA, Small Business Administration, Dept. of Agriculture, and HUD.
Often run by a Local Development Corporation
Local Development Corporation
Quasi-public organization (may have representation from city staff, political leaders, and business community). Often manage Revolving Loan Fund and think about economic development policies of a place.
Community Development Block Grant
Created by the Nixon administration in 1974 to replace the Model Cities program. Created to get the federal government out of the business of “city building”
Program provides a set amount of funding each year to states and give’s communities authority to spend the money however they see fit (within the constraints of the program).
Ex.) Facade improvement programs, job readiness programs, loans for commercial real estate development projects, etc.
Economic Development Administration
Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce; focused on private job creation through grants to local governments. Regions need to create a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDs) to apply for grant funding.
Tax Increment Financing
Captures and separates tax revenue from a specified district and reinvests the increased revenue in site improvements.
Emerged in the 1970s as an alternative to Urban Renewal programs.
1. Credit enhancement = give developer a break on taxes by only having them pay taxes on the original value of the property in the district.
2. Infrastructure = developer may use the increment of taxes to improve infrastructure in the district.
Most popular in Illinois, California, Minnesota, and Texas
Benefits of Tax Increment Financing
- Dedicated revenue stream based on projected increase in tax base that can be borrowed against.
- Shows commitment to the area
- Acknowledges local impact of some improvements by rededicating taxes to the district.
Drawbacks of Tax Increment Financing
- May cause rest of the municipality to have lower level of services or higher taxes.
- May cause non-infrastructure portion of budget to have lower funding levels (bias towards infrastructure, rather than services).
- Can cause intergovernmental transfers by allowing TIF district to appropriate funds that would otherwise go to other taxing districts (school district, park districts, etc.).
How is a TIF District created?
Requires legislative vote (city council) and often state approval of a plan. May be initiated by a developer or a City (to support public policies or planning goals). District boundaries (the amount of area that can be in a TIF) may be regulated by state law.
“but for…”
Capture Rate
Proportion of increased revenue captured (and set aside) by the TIF fund.
Ex.) A 50% capture fund would allow half of the revenue captured as part of a TIF district to remain in the municipality’s general fund.
Economic Analysis Resources
Census Bureau - tracks county business patterns and employment by sector. Releases economic census every 5 years.
Bureau of Economic Analysis - tracks regional (multi-county) economic data
Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics - micro data (also collected by the Census Bureau).
Economic Base Analysis
Economic base analysis compares employment in the region to national levels of employment in the same industry. Separates economy in Basic (export) and Non-Basic (import) sectors. Basic jobs are associated with a multiplier of non-basic jobs.
This analysis divides industries into two categories. Basic industries are those that can export from a region. For example, automobiles can be exported. Employment data by industry would be used to complete the economic base analysis.
Location Quotient
Measures relative share of a sector in the region compared to relative share of sector in the nation. Identifies “export” activities, or activities where the region has more jobs in the sector than would be expected.
LQ > 1 = export/basic sector (strong)
LQ < 1 = local/non-basic sector (weak)
Shift-Share Analysis
Determines what portions of regional economic growth or decline can be attributed to national (share), economic industry (mix), and regional factors (shift).
Separates national and industry trends.
Criteria used to evaluate urban design
- Degree of conflict between pedestrians and vehicles
- Compatibility of land uses
- Availability of places to rest, observe, and meet (public space)
- Creation of a sense of security (CPTED)
- Protections from rain, noise, wind
- Ease of use
Design speed of LOCAL roads
25-35 mph
What is the best way for a city to protect its drinking water supply?
Separate development from water sources
Separation from a water supply is an effective way to protect water quality. The separation can be 200 or more feet –– depending on soil conditions and water flow.
