LARE SECTION 2 EXAM - SITE SELECTION AND INVENTORY Flashcards
Site Inventory (Physical Attributes)
- Topography (elevation, slope, aspect);
- Hydrology (drainage patterns, wetlands, aquifer recharge areas);
- Soils (stability, erodibility, bearing capacity);
- Geology (landforms, seismic hazards, depth to bedrock);
- Microclimate (solar access, winds, fog, precipitation, frost)
Site Inventory (Biological Attributes)
- Ecological Communities (green infrastructure, habitats, patches & corridors);
- Vegetation (specimen trees, exotic invasive species, endangered or threatened species); Wildlife (exotic invasive species habitat, endangered or threatened species)
Site Inventory (Cultural Attributes)
- Land Use (districts, sites, buildings);
- Open Space (parks, greenways);
- Regulations (easements, zoning, design guidelines);
- Property (ownership, value);
- Sensory Perception (visibility, visual quality, noise, odors);
- Infrastructure (transportation, utilities)
Main Phases of a Site Analysis
- Proposal Phase - Will be what the proposal is based on and sometimes preliminary design and costs as well. As this is usually done prior to having a contract in place, it is usually performed out-of-pocket.
- Post Contract (a.k.a. Site Characterisation) - a more detailed investigation that is usually undertaken after some portion of site planning. Usually includes a geotechnical analysis of subsurface conditions (depth to bedrock, depth to groundwater, seasonal high water table, soil tests, and more recently environmental impacts).
Slope Inventory and Analysis Map
- Light colour values or tones represent higher elevations
- Dark colour values or tones represent lower elevations.
Slope (factor in creating microclimatic conditions)
What slopes are hottest in summer?
Western Slopes
Slope (factor in creating microclimatic conditions)
What slopes receive the most sun in winter?
Southern Slopes
Slope (factor in creating microclimatic conditions)
What slopes offer the most desirable microclimates?
Southeastern Slopes
Slope (factor in creating microclimatic conditions)
What slopes receive cold winter winds?
Northwestern Slopes
What are the three basic map types?
Reference Maps
Thematic Maps
Charts
Reference maps include
Topography
Flooding Hazards
Bathymetry
Thematic maps include
Elevation Ranges
Land Use Types
Vegetation Communities
Soil Suitability
Charts include
Aeronautical Routes
Nautical Routes
Streets and Highways
Cloropleth maps (Type of Thematic Map)
Expresses attribute data as discrete classes or categories.
Each of these intervals, or classes, is represented on the chloropleth map by a single colour or texture.
Effective ways of visually expressing important site attributes,
such as soil type, slope gradient, and land use suitability
Isopleth Map (Type of Thematic Map)
Displays the locations and
numerical values of a single attribute.
An isopleth map of elevation might show several elevation classes, each of which represents the locations where elevations fall within equal increments.
7 maximum classes to avoid confusion
Programming (4 Basic Steps)
- Initiate the project,
- Develop the projects’ mission and objectives
- Determine the project’s operational and physical requirements,
- Document and present the program to the client
Sanborn map
A field survey map providing detailed historical info on building heights, footprints, past and present uses, and construction materials
Comprehensive Masterplan
Offers Guidance for Future Development
Choropleth Map (Aspect)
Typically the colder colours (darker) would be used on the northern (colder) slopes while warm (light) colours would be on the southern slopes.
Comprehensive Plans
Community-level plans that show how a community intends to grow and develop, physically and economically, typically over a 20- to 30-year period.
LIDAR - LIght Detection and Ranging
Because LIDAR can ‘‘see’’ through vegetation to detect subtle topographic variation
below tree and shrub canopies, these data can provide more accurate topographic
information than aerial photography and at a lower cost and within a shorter period than
a field survey
Advantages of GIS Mapping
- Ease and speed of map revision and map scale changes
- Inexpensive production of short-run special purpose maps
- Potentially greater mapping accuracy
- Changes in the database are immediately reflected in digital maps
- Spatial analysis
Space (in hectares) requirements for Single Use Commercial Projects
.04 ha
Space (in hectares) requirements for Large Scale and Mixed Use Residential Projects
4.05 ha
Physical Attributes are best shown on what map?
Cloropleth Map
What is useful in Site Inventory and Site Analyses for characterising scenic beauty, sense of place, and landscape character?
Landform Classification
How are Geological Units expressed on a geological map?
With colours and letter symbols
Physical Attributes
Categories for mapping Hydrology
- Water Movement
- Water Infiltration
- Storage
- Discharge
Estuarine Subcategories
- Tidal waters of coastal rivers and embayments
- Salty tidal marshes
- Mangrove swamps and
- Tidal flats
Riverine Subcategories
Rivers and Streams
Lacustrine Subcategories
- Lakes
- Reservoirs
- Large ponds
Palustrine Subcategories
- Marshes
- Wet Meadows
- Fens
- Playas
- Potholes
- Pocosins
- Bogs
- Swamps
- Small, shallow ponds
Common Types of Easements
- Access
- Utility
- Conservation
- Scenic
- Solar
Elements of Straw Bale Dikes
- Intercept and detain small amounts of sediment transported by sheet and rill type runoff
- Trap sediments by ponding water
- Slow runoff velocities
Silt Fence
- Temporary polypropylene sediment barrier placed on the slope contour to trap sediment ponding water behind it and allowing sediment to settle out
Gravel Bag Structures
Temporary structures used along construction perimeters or within flow channels to trap sediments
- Bags are constructed out of burlap or polypropylene
Continuous Berms
- Temporary diversion or sediment barrier constructed with infill material
Rock Check Dams
- Constructed across drainage ways to dissipate the energy of flowing water and reduce gully erosion
- Are used in ephemeral streams
