LARE Section 2 Flashcards
Main Terms and Concepts
3 primary determinants of fire danger:
Existing fuel load
Weather
Topography
5 major wetland types:
Marine (open ocean and its associated coastline)
Estuarine (tidal waters of coastal rivers, salty tidal marshes)
Riverine (river, streams)
Lacustrine (lakes, reservoirs, ponds)
Palustrine (marshes, wet meadows, fens, bogs, swamps)
A letter of Map Revision (LOMR)
A LOMR is an official revision to the currently effective FEMA map. It is used to change flood elevations, flood zones, floodplains, floodway delineation, and planimetric features.
A mangrove wetland
A wetland that is associated with saltwater
A riparian forested wetland
A wetland that is associated with the river or stream
ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act
A walkway> 5% is considered to be a ramp
The max ramp run 30’ long with a max vertical rise of 30’’
The max accessible walkways without handrails - 8.33% with a max cross slope of 2%
Aggradation
is the term used in geology for the increase in land elevation, typically in a river system, due to the deposition of sediment.
Albedo
the measurement of the object’s reflectivity (between 0 and 1)
Angle of incidence
is the angle at which ray of light hits the surface
Angle of repose
the max slope at which loose material can be piled while remaining stable
Arterial roadway
include interstatesand expressways, as well as roads that carry most of the traffic that entering and leaving urban areas
Azimuth
is the direction of a celestial object from the observer, expressed as the angular distance from the north or south point of the horizon to the point at which a vertical circle passing through the object intersects the horizon.
Backsight
a point used to determine elevation or angular orientation of surveying instrument
Bearing capacity
the measure of soil to decrease in volume under the pressure of a given weight
Public Land Survey System (PLSS)
Quadrangle is the largest unit of the PLSS system, 24 by 24 miles (composed of 16 townships)
Townships 6x6 miles square, subdivided into 36 sections
Sections 1x1 mile or 640 acres
Black spot
fungal disease that causes black, round spots that form on the upper sides of leaves (particularly on highly ornamental plants like roses). Black spot is a problem during extended periods of wet weather/ when leaves are wet for 6 hours or more.
Bog
type of wetland found in northern climates, characterized by acidic soils, rich deposits of organic material, diversity of vegetation types
Brownfield Site
any previously developed land that is not currently in use, potentially but not necessarily contaminated
Building Code
regulation related to construction of individual structures.
Canker
identified by an open wound that has been infected by fungal/ bacterial pathogens. Occurs primarily on woody plants/trees.
Capital Improvement Services
outlines city services that are to be repaired, expanded, and upgraded (4-10 year period), provides a planning schedule, and identify options for financing capital improvements.
Carrying capacity
is the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and other resources available
Chaining
type of basic surveying where only linear measurements are made and is suitable for the survey of small, relatively flat areas
Channel
the portion of the floodplain where stream/river flows under normal conditions
Chlorosis
condition typically caused by iron deficiency, manifested by yellowed leaves with green veins. This could be produced by overly alkaline soils, overwatering, lack of soil aeration.
Citizens’ advisory committees
are formed to represent the local community. They provide feedback to decision-makers, including the planning commissions, city, council, public agency.
Climate composed of
Temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation, solar radiation
Collector roadway
collector roads carry trips to and from arterials into residential, commercial and industrial areas
Comprehensive Plans = Master Plan
planning document that establishes a gov. policy for the long-term future development of the land under their control (20-30 years). Establish a series of a non-binding policy goal
Conditional Use
exception to a zoning, allow for nonconforming uses to be permitted withing a specific zone
Covenants
(deed restrictions) are consensual agreements that restrict what can be done with private property. Example: can’t hang a laundry outside to dry, can’t own roosters.
Design Guidelines
establish standards for architecture and landscape architecture features of new development. Promote aesthetic continuity and outline a vision of acceptable development in a given community.
Desire lines
the movement of site users across the shortest or most easily navigated route between 2 points.
Drainage wind
wind that blows from higher elevation to lower elevation
Easement
is the purchase of the partial right to a piece of land, and it requires establishing an agreement between 2 parties for the purchase of a specific use. (Example: a property owner allows a utility company to cross their land with a service line)
Easement Typologies:
Access Easement (allows physical access)
Utility Easement (provides physical access to a utility company to install, replace, and maintain utility)
Conservation Easement (restricts development to preserve important environmental features)
Scenic Easement (restricts development in areas that would block/degrade a scenic view)
Solar Easement (protects solar access to the adjacent property)
Ecological footprint
is the impact of a person/community or use on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources
EIS include:
Descriptions of the areas to be affected by a proposed development
An inventory and analysis of the site’s resources
Detailed studies of the env. consequences of development.
Description of development alternatives and/or mitigation, including impacts of those alternatives
Eminent Domain
right of the government or its agent to take private property for public use with payment or compensation.
Environment Site Assessment aka ESA
a report prepared for a real estate holding that identifies potential or existing environmental contamination liabilities on a site. They often entail historical research to determine if past site uses would have caused a release of hazardous substances.
Environmental determinism
site’s pre-exisitng biophysical conditions drive development decisions
Environmental Impact Studies
EIA, generally addresses the extent of the impact that a proposed development will have on a site and its environmental resources. (include strategies for monitoring and mitigation)
EIA is NOT the same as ESA
Estuary
a semi-enclosed coastal body of water connected wih the open sea with brackish water.
Fascination
genetic mutation of a plant’s growing tip. It affects the stem, flowers or fruits by inducing malformed growth.
Feasibility Studies include:
Market Analysis
Assessment of site and context-specific constrains and opportunities
Pro forma financial statements (private projects) or capital budget/funding (public projects)
Design concepts
Feasibility Studies provide critical info:
Market Analysis
Development Yield of a site
Regulatory permits and approvals required for project approval
Estimated project timeline
Budget/ funding mechanisms available for project funding
Initial design concepts (could include inventory and analysis materials)
FEMA (ICLR) stands for:
Federal Emergency Management, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
FEMA maps
definitive resource for the floodplain information. When they need to be updated the Letter of Map Revision is issued (LOMP)
Fen
Wetland that receives nutrients from groundwater and has non acidic peats
Flood fringe
the portion of the floodplain outside of the floodway that does not convey floodwaters and usually contains slow-moving or standing water
Flood hazards could be mitigated by
expanding opportunities for stormwater infiltration
minimizing the uses of impervious surfaces
decreasing the volume of runoff during storm events
through restricting development to areas outside of floodplains
Floodplains
the area of land adjoining a body of water that has been or may be covered by floodwater
Floodway
the portion of the floodplain that is used to convey floodwaters during a 100 year flood
Floor Area Ratio
FAR, the ratio between the gross square footage of the building and the size of a lot
Friable soil
soil with a texture in which large clumps are easily broken apart by hand, but which cannot easily be broken apart into undesirably small particles.
Gap-graded soil
a soil that contains a various particle sizes, but in which gradation between sizes is broken by the absence of some particle sizes
Geomorphology
the study of the physical features of the earth and their relation to its geological structures
Glacial Erratic
a glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rick native to the area in which it rests
Goals
universal principles that do not change from project to project
Grandfathered
refers to a feature on the site that no longer meets zoning or building code requirements and is not required to meet newer, stricter code requirements
Greenfield Site
land that is undeveloped or is currently in use for agriculture
Gully erosion
the widening, deepening and headcutting of small channels and waterways due to erosion
Historic research should use:
Historic photographs
Historic aerial photographs
Sanborn maps
Local newspaper archives
Historical census data
Hydric soils
being heavily saturated with water for prolonged periods of time (bluish in color due to anaerobic)
Hydrophytes
plants that adapted to live in aquatic or in wetland conditions with a surplus of available water
Infiltration rate
the rate of speed at which water flows in to soil through small pores
Infrared Aerial
typically used to track the growth of vegetation over time. It also could be used to track tree diseases, insect damage
Karst
landscape underline by limestone which has been eroded by dissolution, producing ridges, towers, fissures, sinkholes and other characteristic landforms
Key elements of charettes:
Identification of a specific community problem to study
Participation of interested citizens, particularly those who are experiencing the problem
Involvement of professional experts from within and outside the community.
Commitment from the relevant power structure to put into effect the plans and recommendations of the charette.
Levelling
a process of determining the height of one level relative to another. It is used to establish the elevation of a point relative to a datum
LIDAR
Light Detection and Ranging. LIDAR sensors can see through vegetation to detect topography
Liquid limit
the minimum moisture content at which a soil flow under its own weight
Marsh
wetland characterized by herbaceous vegetation no taller than 6’
Mass/Void Diagrams illustrate:
Various things, but usually not drainage. It could be used to represent: paving, vegetation, structures, roads and streets.
Meadow
Periodically inundated wetland that may or may not have water present
Mesophytes
plants that are adapted to neither dry nor wet environments and grow best with a moderate use of water
Microclimate
differences in weather-related phenomena over a relatively small geographical area
Moraine
a mass rocks and sediment carried down and deposited by a glacier, typically as ridges at its edges extremity
Noise barrier is affected by
distance, height, continuity, length, mass
Non-point source
pollution caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground, during which it absorbs and/or assimilates natural and human-made pollutants and deposits them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, groundwater, ocean
Objectives
project-specific outcomes
Percolation
the downward movement of water in a soil
Permeability
the rate at which water moves through soil
Planned Unit Developments
PUD, is often framed as a variation of traditional zoning practices. PUDs are a tract of land that is controlled by one entity and planned and developed as a single development.
Point source
singly identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged
Powderly mildew
fungal disease in which infected plants will display a white powdery substance that is most visible on upper leaf surfaces. This fungus thrives during low soil moisture conditions + high humidity levels of the upper parts of the plants surface.
Project program outlines:
Political, Personal, Financial, Social components
Purchase of Development Rights
is a mechanism used to control development on a given property. A property owner is essentially selling their development potential (but not the property/land itself) to another party.
Rational Equation
rate of runoff, where Q=ciA
Q = the peak discharge measured as cubic feet per second ft3/sec
c = the runoff coefficient, a measure of how permeable the surface is.
i = rainfall intensity measured as inches per hour in/hour
A = drainage area measured in acres
Ridges
are identified by contour lines that point downhill
Rill erosion
the removal of soil by running water with formation of shallow channels that can be smoothed out completely by normal cultivation
(ручейковая эрозия)
Riparian zone
the interface between land and a river/stream and these areas generally provide the following benefits:
Riparian zone benefits:
Groundwater recharge
Sediment stabilization
Flood attenuation
Water quality maintenance
Wildlife habitat
Climate moderation
Shoreline protection
Sediment can cause
Decline in water quality
Negative impacts to aquatic vegetation and animals
Negative impacts to aquatic recreation
Unwanted biological growth
Increased turbidity
Decreased flow capacity in streams
Flooding in areas that never/rarely flooded in the past
Sensory Data:
Character (location, scale, mix, time, movement)
Noise (intensity, frequency, source, type, direction, duration)
Odor
Visibility
Visual Quality
Sheet erosion
the removal of a fairly uniform layer of soil materials from the land surface by the action of rainfall and runoff water
Sight distance studies
are used to determine the location of vehicular access points and take into account visibility, location of the proposed access point, its relationship to other existing access points and the speed and volume of traffic.
Site Analysis
follows site inventory and requires landscape architect to interpret site inventory data to make conclusions relevant to the design process
Site Inventory
the process of documenting various site data
Slope aspect and microclimate:
Southern slopes receive the most sun in winter
Southeastern slopes - the most desirable microclimate
North-facing slopes are colder than south-facing
Northwestern slopes receive cold winter winds
Western slopes are hottest in the summer
Soil elasticity
the ability of soil to return to its original shape after being subjected to a load condition
Soil Fertility is defined by:
NPK values: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K)
Soil horizon
is a layes parallel to the soil surface whose physical, chemical and biological characteristics differ from the layers above and beneath.(defined by color, texture)
Soil plasticity
the ability of soil to be deformed under pressure without breaking apart
Soil Porosity
describes void size between particles within a soil, % of void space in a soil
Soil profile
is a vertical section of the soil through all its horizons
Soil series
group of soils originating from the same parent material and having similar horizons in the soil profile, with the primary difference between then being the soil texture.
To document specimen tree:
Tree location and size
Tree species
Tree condition, health and/or tolerance to potential disturbance
Contour Lines
Are lines on a topographic map that establish the elevation at any point along that line.
Stadia Measurement
is a survey technique that uses the observed height of 6’ tall object to infer horizontal distance
Successful focus group exercises will include:
Invitations to focus group participants
Transportation to the meeting site
Audio, video recording equipment
Facilitator with script and core themes
Presentation materials
Refreshments
Release forms
Transcript of focus group discussion
Suitability Analysis
Analogous to the site inventory and analysis process.
3 steps of suitability analysis:
- Identify suitability criteria for each anticipated land use.
- Collect and map relevant site data.
- Identify and map site locations with attribute values that meet the suitability criteria for the targeted land uses.
Swamp
a wetland dominated by woody vegetation
The legal issues that should be investigated for each site include the following during site inventory:
Zoning classification
Easements, covenants, other deed restrictions
Government agencies with jurisdiction over the property
Building placement requirements
Allowable buildable area
Building height, bulk, FAR, footprint restrictions
Parking and driveway requirements
Min. requirements for open space
On-site recreation or environmental requirements
Stormwater management and erosion control requirements
Landscaping requirements
Required special permits, regulations, planning procedures
What should be added if soils are overly alkaline?
Sulfur
The site inventory and analysis should take the following variables into account:
Jurisdiction
Property title/owner
Property value
Easements
Covenants
The Site Selection process includes 7 steps:
- Determining project objectives and requirements
- Establishing the site selection criteria
- Identifying potential sites
- Evaluating each potential site against project requirements
- Ranking each potential site against one another
- Selecting the ideal site
- Testing the project’s feasibility
The slope is calculated as:
Slope = Rise/Run
Time of concentration
the amount of time needed for water to flow from the most remote point in the watershed to the watershed outlet
To acquire data:
Interviews’Focus Groups
Charettes/ Workshops
Surveys
Literature, document research
Participant observation
Topography
The physical features of a surface area, including relative elevations, and the position of natural and artificial features.
Transportation Inventory would address:
Circulation
Street Function
Traffic Volume (3 main road classification - arterial, collector, local)
Connections/Adjacencies
Traversing
is a survey tech. that maps an area of land using a serias of interconnected lines
Uniformly-graded soil
a soil that consists of a single range of particle size
Urban In-Fill
development on unused and underutilized land within urban areas
Valleys
are identified by contour lines that point uphill
Variance
allow certain restricted forms of development to be permitted (change of min setback, building height, floor area limits)
Visibility map
shows the locations that can be seen from am individual viewing point and a frequency seen map characterizes the visibility of locations from 2 or more viewing points. Therefore, visibility is a reflection of how well and ofter a site can be seen by off’site users.
Visual Preference Surveys generally address:
Building scale, massing, and placement
Streetscapes
Building articulation
Open space/parks
Parking and mass transit
Well-graded soil
a soil with a wide range and even distribution of soil particle sizes, in which the small soil particles fill the voids created by the larger grains
Wetlands are defined by:
hydrology, soils, presence of specific vegetation
Wetlands benefits:
Groundwater recharge
Sediment stabilization
Flood attenuation
Water quality maintenance
Wildlife habitat
Climate moderation
Shoreline protection
What is “iron chlorosis”?
A condition that occurs in plants where the pH is overly alkaline (and exacerbated by overwatering and a lack of aeration).
Chlorotic plants typically have yellowed leaves, green veins, browning along the leaf margin.
What should be added if soils are overly acidic?
Lime
Wildfire “defensible space” requirements:
The space should extend at least 100 ft (30.5 m) in all directions
Gravel pathways, shrub beds, rock mulch adjacent to the structure must be maintained
Native woody plants should occur intermittently
Tree limbs should not touch or hang over the structure.
Living plants should be arranged irregularly so that the fuel supply is discontinuous.
Xeriscaping
the use of drought-tolerant plants in a landscape design as a way to reduce water use
Xerophytes
plants that require little moisture to survive (drought tolerant)
Zoning
is a system of land use controls that limits or otherwise delineates development on a specific parcel of land.
Zoning Code
legal document used by public agencies to regulate land use. Usually include a statement of purpose, definitions, description of districts, including a list of permitted uses, development standards.
Zoning Commission (zoning board)
is a regulatory body of public officials that governs planning and development-related issues that may not be approved at a staff level (e.g. conditional use permits)
Zoning Map
illustrates the location and extents of each zone type/district, as well as the location and overlay districts.
Zoning Overlays
special districts established within the zoning code that offer additional protections to specific resources.
Zoning Regulations address the following issues within each zone:
Permitted use of land and buildings
The intensity of the use
Height and other dimensional standards.
The purpose of an As-Built survey:
To document a final work and ensure that a project was constructed according to site plans
Program Development should:
Act as a summary of site inventory and analysis
Take into account the client’s needs
Function as a checklist against which the design proposal can be assessed
Occur before any significant amount of design work has been undertaken
Scope of site inventory and analysis affected by:
Proposed site uses
Existing on-site and off-site conditions
Requirements for permitting and approvals
Costs of data collection and analysis
