LARE 2 Flashcards
floor area ratio (FAR)
total building area / parcel area; area of all floors of a building compared to total site area
promontory
point of high land that juts out into a large body of water
hydrosphere
combined mass of water on, under, or above Earth’s surface
fen
peat-forming, groundwater-fed wetland; less acidic than bogs, higher nutrient levels; not forested
set-aside
type of public-project contracting process or requirement for small or disadvantaged businesses (not real estate)
variance
used to formally acknowledge and address lot size or shape variation in relation to other, similarly-designed lots; modification or waiving of provisions of code as applied to a specific property
hydric soil
highly saturated soil where little to no usable oxygen is present (anaerobic)
traversing
survey technique that describes area of land by means of a series of connected lines; may be open or closed (e.g. roads = open, property bounds = closed)
stadia measurements
way of determining distance based on height observation of a 6ft object; technique of distance measurement where the observer reads the intercept subtended on a graduated rod between two marks on the reticle of the telescope, based on the height observation of a 6’ object
leveling
surveying process of determining the difference in elevation between two or more points by measuring the vertical distance between two points; typically used to determine the topography of a site
chaining
process for taking vertical measurements; typically done on extremely hilly sites; one Gunter’s chain (surveying tape) = 66’ long; convenient in cadastral surveys bc 10 sq chains = 1 ac
fasciation
plant growth disorder causing single stem to appear as if it were several stems fused together; caused by frost, insect, or physical damage to a stem early in development
plasticity (soil)
ability of a soil to become deformed without breaking apart
elasticity (soil)
ability of a soil to return to original shape after being subjected to a load condition
liquid limit (soil)
minimum moisture content at which soil will flow under its own weight
USGS quadrangle map
shows structures, topo, water, roadways; township, range, and section information; new construction since last printing generally shown in purple; 1 degree of latitude and 1 degree-30min to 1 degree-35min longitude
assessor’s map
used to locate buildings and land in order to establish or determine their worth
ADA walkway slopes (no handrails)
cross slope < 2%; overall slope < 5%
geodetic survey
when surveys are of such a wide extent that curvature of the earth is important; makes use of a coordinate system to locate points on earth
metes and bounds
legal description of a parcel; starts from point of beginning then traces outline of the property’s boundary lines until there is closure in the legal description. Natural and artificial monuments can both be used as metes and bounds (e.g. rivers, roads, trees, etc.)
cadastral survey
made to resurvey or retrace the boundaries of municipalities and of state, federal jurisdictions and other public lands within the Public Land Survey Systems of the US
boundary survey
made by traversing; process of locating property lines by establishing property corners of a parcel for building permit purposes, locating easement lines, or resolving property disputes
abatement
removal or elimination of a problem, usually significant to public health and safety
arterial (street type)
generally have 2 or more moving lanes, traffic signals, may be truck or bus routes; intended to move traffic through an area; major has network for inter- and intra-city traffic, minor is secondary and moves traffic intra-city
collector (street type)
connect residential and local streets and neighborhoods to each other, bringing traffic out of neighborhoods and onto arterial streets
building intensity standards
consider bulk and concentration of physical development uses permitted in a district. e.g. lot coverage (LC), floor area ratio (FAR), open space ratio (OSR), height landscape volume ratio (LVR), building volume ratio (BVR)
chicanes
midblock curb extensions on alternating sides of the street to create s-curves and calm traffic
boulevard
street lined with trees or constructed with a landscaped middle
cluster development
pattern of development in which industrial/commercial facilities and homes are grouped on parcels to leave other parts of land undeveloped. ZOs often allow smaller lot sizes if structures are part of cluster development where some land is left as open space
covenant
written agreement between two or more parties in which a party or parties pledge to perform or not perform specified acts on a property, usually found in real estate documents
restrictive covenant
agreement included in a deed that restricts/limits a property buyer’s future use of that property
conveyance
written instrument used to transfer or convey title of a property i.e. a deed
deed
document that transfers ownership of real estate, containing names of old and new owners, a legal description of the property, and signed by the seller
deed of trust
legal document that conveys title to a real property to a 3rd party, who holds the title until the owner has paid the debt in full (i.e. mortgage)
quit claim deed
Used for transfers between family members, gifts, to eliminate clouds on a title, or other unusual circumstances
open space ratio (OSR)
proportion of the site required to remain as open space used for rec, ag, or resource protection
ordinance
formal legislative enactment by a governing body; can’t be in conflict with any higher form of law
planned unit development (PUD)
project or subdivision that consists of common property and improvements that are maintained by an owner’s association for the benefit and use of individual units within
sight-line triangle
a setback at a street-driveway intersection that restricts anyone from placing view obstructions at the height of the driver’s line of sight, at a specified horizontal distance related to street design speed
specific area plan (SAP)
legal tool for detailed design/implementation of a defined portion of an area in a master plan; may include all detailed regulations, conditions, programs, and/or proposed legislation that may be necessary or convenient for the systematic implementation of any masterplan element(s)
work plan
defines work to be completed; includes deadlines, cost per task, parties responsible for work
thematic map
single attribute is mapped in ranges usually graphically represented in colors (e.g. plant hardiness zones)
chloropleth map
illustrates elevation changes by creating a few elevation changes, usually represented by color; or, type of statistical thematic map that uses pseudocolor, i.e., color corresponding with an aggregate summary of a geographic characteristic within spatial enumeration units, such as population density or per-capita income
true north
directional line between any position on earth to the True North Pole; longitude/meridian lines are all True North
magnetic north
direction to the Magnetic North Pole (southern pole of earth’s central magnet); shown by a needle on a compass
grid north
established by vertical grid lines during map making; symbolized with GN or Y
hard corner
center of a 15-minute map of an area; corner where both lat and long end in 30-degree seconds; only one hard corner per 7.5-minute map
declination chart
shown at the bottom of a topo map to show differences between true, magnetic, and grid North
base plan
plan done first to move forward with grading, utilities, site analysis; includes topo, property lines, building locations
function diagram
e.g. program or bubble diagram; comes before a site plan, considers connections and program relationships but not scale or location
Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA)
applies to superfund sites with hazardous materials. Per ASTM: it requires a more thorough review of records, a site visit, an interview with owner/operator of property, and report documentation
soil inventory
includes pH, permeability, erosion potential, depth to bedrock, depth to seasonal high water table
angle of repose
Max angle of a stable slope for a given soil, determined by friction, cohesion, and shapes of particles
bearing capacity (soil)
measure of a soil to decrease in volume under the pressure of a given weight (use for sizing footings)
compressive strength
Max load a material can sustain before crushing or buckling
liquefaction (soil)
when soil begins to act like liquid (earthquakes)
loam
mix of 2 or more soil ingredients; loam soils typically have good balance between sand and silt, little clay; 40% sand, 40% silt, 20% clay
mineral soil
properties determined mostly by mineral matter; usually <20% organic matter
shear strength
Soil’s resistance to the pressure of a downhill force
unified soil classification system (USCS)
most widely used; classifies soil according to properties that affect use as construction material; grain size distribution, plasticity index, liquid limit, organic matter content…low liquid limit > high, narrow range between plastic to liquid better
AASHTO classification system
soil classification system of the American Association of State Highway Officials; defines soil by suitability for highway sub-grade use; groups A-D: A = sand/gravel, high infiltration rate > D = slow infiltration, clays
friable
soil that is easily broken into smaller pieces with little effort
common plant pH range preference
5.5-7
soil type erodability
silt > clay > loam > sand
igneous rock
formed from solidification of molten rock material; e.g. granite, basalt, pumice
sedimentary rock
formed when sediments are deposited by wind, water, gravity, etc. and pressure forces them together into rock layers; e.g. limestone, sandstone, shale, most common rocks
shrinkage limit
water content expressed as a percent of weight of oven dried soil - can’t get any drier
Atterberg limits
soil changes from solid -> semi-solid -> plastic -> liquid as water is added to dry soil
proctor test
used to determine max density of soil needed for project; tests effects of moisture on density; expressed as % of density
modified proctor method (soil testing)
uses equivalent energy or comparative effort; requires 4.5x more effort than standard proctor method; used where foundations will go and where no settlement can be tolerated
sand cone test
used to determine density of natural or compacted soil and used mainly for stability analysis
static compaction (soil)
deadweight of machine applying downward force; only gets upper layers; add more weight to compact more
vibratory compaction (soil)
uses an engine to make downward force in addition to static weight
nuclear density (soil testing)
uses radioactive isotope source at soil surface from a probe placed into soil, gives off photons/gamma rays, radiate back to meter detectors; dense soil absorbs radiation more than loose soil
soil modulus
elastic soil parameter most commonly used in the estimation of settlement from static loads; lower values for clay, higher values for silt
erosion factor k
susceptibility of soil to sheet and rill erosion by water. 0.05-0.69. higher more susceptible
erosion factor T
estimate of average annual rate of erosion (by wind or water) that can happen without affecting soil productivity over an amount of time; tons per acre per year
What can cause a slide or slump on a site with sloping clay and shale layers?
Loading with structures, adding irrigation, or adding a septic system
rough grade
slope of the land before adding plantings or hardscape; different from natural grade (original grade of land)
effect of weathered concrete on adjacent soils
makes them overly alkaline (basic) with CaCO3; add sulphur to neutralize
grading around houses/structures
1” per 1’ (8.33%) for first 6’ from structure
permeability
number of inches per hour that water can infiltrate saturated soil
5 wetland categories
marine, estuarine, riverine, palustrine (marshes, bogs, swamps; salinity >0.5%), lacustrine (lakes, reservoirs/in a depression)
What factors affect runoff?
topography, length of storm, overall size of watershed, amount of veg in watershed; NOT size of catch basin
hub (surveying)
surveying marker that is magnetized for easy detection and zinc plated to resist corrosion; large center point and looks like standard survey marker
marking whiskers
alternative marking choice for survey and construction sites, underground locating and many other uses; spring back up when run over by equipment
link
aka Gunter’s link; surveying measurement; 7.92”
pole
5.5 yds, 16.5’, one rod
acreage of square mile
640 acres; same as standard section diagram
acreage of standard section diagram
640 acres (one square mile)
rod types
Philadelphia: feet and hundredths of a foot; California: feet, inches, eighths of inches
mortgage survey
shows property bounds and buildings but no topo
plot plan survey
shows ext/prop items, contours, site boundaries
point of beginning
origination and destination of a metes and bounds legal description
principal meridian
longitudinal starting line from which range is measured to the East and West
quadrangle map (quad)
map with a roughly rectangular extent, defined by the four angles of its corners, which are often regularly spaced based on latitude and longitude. Often simply refers to a 7.5-minute map. Most show contours and elevations, highways, roads and other man-made structures, water features, woodland areas, bench marks, triangulation stations (some), geographic names, section lines, etc.
rational method
Q=ciA
Where…
Q=rate of runoff (peak discharge in cfs)
c=runoff coefficient
i=rainfall intensity (in/hr)
A=drainage area (acres)
conceptual design
iterative process involving the spatial organization of the project’s basic components
ALTA survey
American Land Title Association; type of survey done during sale of property or for title issues that shows property boundaries, easements, rights of way/other access info, topography, building locations, flood zone classification
Acreage of a Section of land (US Public Land Survey System map)
640 sq acres (1 sq mi)
three fundamental precepts of site planning
design with nature, design places for people, design with culture
ratio scale
divides one attribute by another; e.g. topo slope maps divide slope’s change in elevation by its length
key performance indicator
measurable value used to evaluate success of a particular building or landscape
site analysis
a diagnostic process that identifies opportunities and constraints for a specific land use program
min drop for which guardrail is required
30”
azimuth
angle between North, measured clockwise around the observer’s horizon, and a celestial body like the sun
aspect
the compass direction that a terrain surface faces
Geographic Coordinate System
spherical or ellipsoid coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on the Earth
Sanborn map
19th-20th century detailed maps of cities made for fire insurance purposes
site inventory categories
biological, cultural, physical
NRCS maps
rank soils by the limitations they present using ordinal scale
ordinal scale
displays a gradation or ranking
five factors to consider when preparing to communicate project info graphically
1) message 2) medium 3) audience 4) setting 5) time
aliquot
equal portion of land subdivided that can be described by the cardinal direction of the section
square miles in a township
36 sq mi
square miles in a section
1 sq mi
environmental site assessment (ESA)
summarizes site’s ownership and land use history, in addition to current soil and groundwater conditions
Metes and bounds
Survey that describes land by boundary dimensions and shapes
Ordinance benchmarks
Permanent reference points of known height, established by the Ordinance Survey at a known height above the Ordinance datum
Foresighting
Process to determine elevation of object; vertical distance from line of sight to the object
Backsighting
Vertical distance from line of sight to the benchmark; helps check for accuracy during leveling process
Plat
Prepared to legally document and record information about a parcel of land; shows property ownership, ext utilities, property dimensions, reference points, bearings, ext buildings and services in and around parcel
Proffer
Guarantee made by developer or owner to provide a service or amenity in exchange for municipal approval of a plan
Take down
Portion of the subdivided parcel of land that is bought at a given time
Clean Water Act
1977, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act law became known as the Clean Water Act; made point source pollution into waterways illegal; funded sewage treatment plants; gave EPA authority to control pollution; set water quality standards
National pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES)
Controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into WOTUS
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
1970; requires federal agencies to consider environmental impacts in their decision making processes
Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (PL 83-566)
1954; NRCS; provides for cooperation between the Federal government and the States and their political subdivisions to address resource concerns due to erosion, floodwater, and sediment and provide for improved utilization of the land and water resources
CSI
Construction Specification Institute; national association for creating standards and formats to improve construction documents and project delivery; cross-professional
Bond
three party instrument that protects one party from another party defaulting; in the event of default, 3rd party is legally bound to offset resulting damages
Topo survey contours are considered accurate to…
One half the contour interval
Comfortable landscape steps: two risers + one tread = X inches
X = 27 inches
Min distance between two local streets intersecting perpendicularly with a collector street
150 feet
Rec facilities will increasingly depend on funding from…
Special interest groups
Min pavement width for one-lane bike path
5’6” (66”)
How many seats for informal gathering and conversation?
1-3
Number of seating spaces for urban plaza (Wm Whyte)
1 lf per 30 sf of plaza
Width and slope of comfortable 2-way outdoor wheelchair ramp
5’ min width, 8.33% max slope (1:12)
mass wasting
movement of rock or soil down slopes under the force of gravity; e.g. rock falls, slumps, and debris flows
All but the MOST flood-tolerant development should be excluded from the ____-year floodplain
50 year floodplain
_____ texture may overrule or dominate qualities of form & color
coarse
Hall’s (1966) social distances
Public zone 12’+
Social zone 4-12’
Personal zone 1.5-4’
Intimate zone <1.5’
Well-graded soil
Wide range and even distribution of particle sizes; best for roads
Poorly graded soil
All particles approximately the same size
greenfield
Land that is undeveloped or used for agricultural purposes
-can be in city, suburbs, or rural;
-least expensive for development
community resource inventory
Maps ecological and cultural resources such as forests, floodplains, wetlands, farmland, aquifers, significant wildlife habitat, scenic views, archaeological sites, historic structures
Objective of the inventory and analysis process
Ensure compatibility between proposed land use and existing site resources
ratio method slope
Rise:run
e.g. 8.33% slope = 1:12
albedo
Measurement of an object’s reflectivity; measures fraction of solar energy reflected from a surface back into space
aquifer
Water-bearing layer of permeable rock, sand, or gravel
drainage wind
Wind that blows from higher to lower elevation
Min slope for proper site drainage
2%
chlorosis
yellowish leaves with green veins; caused by iron deficiency from overwatering and/or lack of aeration
marsh
Wetland characterized by herbaceous veg no taller than 6’
100-year floodplain components
Channel, floodway, flood fringe
project program
Includes list of goals & objectives, elements to be included in the design, special requirements for the design to fulfill
functional use diagram
Drawing that illustrates the relationship between project elements without being drawn to scale or in relationship to the site
frequency seen map
Characterizes the visibility of locations from two or more viewing points
most important, productive, diverse ecosystem type
Salt marsh
sight distance study
Used to determine location of vehicular access points and take into account: visibility, location of proposed access point, its relationship to other existing access points and the speed and volume of traffic flowing along the prop point of access
CPTED
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
Which slope aspect offers most desirable microclimates?
Southeastern slopes
Gap graded soil
Contains various particle sizes but gradation between sizes is broken by absence of some particle sizes
Uniformly graded soil
Single range of particle size
exaction
payment to the local or county government to mitigate development impacts
pro forma financial statement
financial statements forecasted for future periods
tennis court dimensions
78’ x 27 or 36’ (doubles)
max comfortable grade for parking lot
~6%
line of sight
3 degrees up or down from viewer’s eyes
5 elements of urban form
edges, paths (most important role in giving order to the city), districts, nodes, landmarks
military crest
point on a hill from which the entire slope can be seen
biological oxygen demand (BOD)
amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria/microorganisms while they decompose
bench terrace
conservation measure on sloped lands; cut/fill; promotes infiltration
When to conduct shade studies?
9am, 12pm, 3pm, and 5pm at the summer and winter solstices, (6/21, 12/21) and spring and fall equinox (3/21, 9/21)
What is the best plant material for noise reduction?
broadleaf evergreen
level at which ear pro is recommended
85 decibels
for noise inventory/analysis, consider:
● Intensity
● Source
● Duration
● Direction
● Type
