Infrastructure Planning Flashcards
Infrastructure
a broad-ranging topic including water, sewers, telecommunications, and solid waste, among others.
Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO)
Allows local governments to deny or delay new developments if the existing government services (water and sewer, roads, schools, fire, and police) cannot support it. THe APFO ensures that new development does not negatively impact a community’s quality of life by overburdening public services. Instead, the APFO places this burden on developers to ensure that there will be adequate services for the proposed developments, and will delay the developments until such services are in place. The APFO alone is not the solution to poorly planned growth, but it is an important tool for local government to manage the pace of growth. For instance, a local government can determine that a development is only possible if it provides a service level of C or higher. The APFO should not stand alone; it should be done in partnership with an effective capital improvements program that adds infrastructure as it is demanded.
Concurrency
The practice of requiring that infrastructure be in place and available at a specified level of service prior to allowing new development to occur. For example, the city of Tallahassee’s concurrency requirement, required by the state of Florida, tracks new development permits to ensure sufficient infrastructure capacity to serve new development.
Daylighting
The practice of placing windows, or other transparent media, and reflective surfaces so that natural light provides effective internal illumination during the day. Daylighting is also used to describe the conversion of an enclosed drainage system to a more open and natural system.
Blue Infrastructure
refers to water-based infrastructure. this can include stormater management, such as bioretention systems, swales, reservoirs, rain gardens, constructed wetlands, and other waterways.
Stormwater runoff and pollution is generated from rain and snowmelt events that flow over land or impervious surfaces, such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, and does not soak into the ground. The runoff picks up pollutants like trash, chemicals, oils, dirt, and sediment that can harm rivers, streams, lakes and coastal waters. To protect these resources, communities use stormwater controls, known as best management practices (BMPs). Theses BMPs filter out pollutants and prevent pollution by controlling it at its source.
Green Infrastructure
emphasizes the role of the natural environment in land use planning, placing significant emphasis on converting single-purpose gray stormwater infrastructure (piped drainage and water treatment systems) and reducing and treating stormwater at its source. Green infrastructure has environmental, social and economic benefits.
Telecommunications Planning
encompasss a range of topics related to access to telecommunications infrastructure. For example, the Virginia Telecommunication Planning Initiative is focused on ensuring communities have access to broadband.
Types of Energy Sources
Planners should be familiar with the types of energy sources and their pros and cons. According to one government site, the source of electricity in the US is 62.7% fossil fuels (split by coal and natural gas), 20% nuclear, and 17.1% renewables (mostly wind and hydropower).
All fossil fuels are non-renewable. Coal, crude oil, and natural gas are all considered fossil fuels (formed from the buried remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.). Natural gas and methane gas (a naturally occurring byproduct of decaying plant and animal matter) are burned to produce electricity. Not all non-renewable energy sources are fossil fuels. Uranium, which is used for nuclear power, is not a fossil fuel but is classified as a nonrenewable fuel.
Renewable Energy
cannot be exhausted and is constantly renewed. This includes sunlight, geothermal heat, wind, tides, water and various forms of biomass.
Biomass energy
burns renewable organic material, such as wood or ethanol (corn) to create energy
Hydroelectric Power
typically associated with large dams. It uses falling water- the water falls through a turbine, causing it to spin- to produce power. The spinning turbine is coupled with a generator, which produces energy.
Solar Energy
can be used to heat homes through solar panels. Solar power uses photovoltaic panels to convert sunlight directly to electricity. The panels can be added together to create larger systems. Solar energy is measured in kilowatt-hours per square meter (kwh/m2) when relating to electricity production and in British thermal units per square foot (Btu/ft2) when relating to heat production. With the proper site and building design, solar can be utilized in most locations.
Zoning controls the location of solar resources on a site, through setbacks, height, and lot coverage restrictions. Most communities do not allow solar panels as an accessory structure in the front yard. Development regulations are structured to allow solar by right where appropriate and to have the appropriate development controls where needed. There may be competing interest between tree preservation and solar energy production.
Passive Solar Design
Mitigates the building’s energy needs. The goal of passive design is to maximize the amount of direct sunlight available to each building- for example, orienting streets and front lot lines along the east-west axis. In colder climates, windows facing south can capture solar energy for daytime heating.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems
use photovoltaic cell technology to capture radiant energy from the sun and create electricity. Photovoltaic cells are placed on panels that are then placed on rooftops or mounted on the ground. Cells can operate at the residential to the utility scale.
Wind Power
is growing in popularity. Wind turbines are tall (100 feet plus) to catch the wind more efficiently. Distributed wind energy systems are small residential wind turbines with capacities of up to 100kw and are designed for on site consumption. utility scale turbines are designed to generate power which can be contributed to the energy grid. Offshore wind energy is a subset of utility scale turbines. The cost of developing offshore is higher due to complexity and material requirements to operate offshore.
A planners role in wind energy includes regulations and land-use plans that can impact the ability to develop wind energy. For example, wind farms need to comply with land use districts, setback requirements, and height limitations. Ordinances regulating wind energy should address setbacks, tower height, visual appearance, sound and design review for turbine design.
