Location and Transportation

Question 1

American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE)

Answer 1

A nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1980 whose mission is to advance energy efficiency as a fast, cheap and effective means of meeting energy challenges

Question 2

Bicycle network

Answer 2

A path or series of paths in rural, urban or suburban areas that are clearly marked for bicycle travel

Question 3

Brownfield

Answer 3

A property on which redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or possible presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant

Question 4

Buildable land

Answer 4

The portion of a site where construction can occur, including land voluntarily set aside and not constructed on

Question 5

Community connectivity

Answer 5

The amount of connection between a site and the surrounding community, measured by proximity of the site to homes, schools, parks, stores, restaurants, medical facilities and other services and amenities

Question 6

Density

Answer 6

A measure of the total building floor area or dwelling units on a parcel of land relative to the buildable land of that parcel

Question 7

Development density

Answer 7

The total square footage of all buildings within a particular area measured in square feet per acre

Question 8

Diverse use

Answer 8

A distinct, officially recognized business, nonprofit, civic, religious or governmental organization, or dwelling units (residential use), or offices (commercial office use) with a stationary postal address and is publicly available

Question 9

Floodplain

Answer 9

Land that is likely to be flooded by a storm of a given size (such as a 100 year storm)

Question 10

Floor area ratio (FAR)

Answer 10

The density of nonresidential land use, exclusive of structured parking, measured as the total nonresidential building floor area divided by the total buildable land area available for nonresidential structures

Question 11

Footprint

Answer 11

The area of ground that the building sits upon as defined by its perimeter

Question 12

Global warming

Answer 12

The increase in temperature of earth’s atmosphere due primarily to the GHGs released from the burning of fossil fuels such as wood, coal, natural gas and oil

Question 13

Green vehicles

Answer 13

Vehicles that provide less harmful impacts to the environment than conventionally fueled vehicles

Question 14

Greenfield

Answer 14

A site that has never been built on or developed for human use

Question 15

Greenhouse gases

Answer 15

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most abundant and is released through the burning of fossil fuels and cement manufacturing

Question 16

Habitat

Answer 16

A natural environment such as a field, stream or forest that is home to one or more wildlife species and plants

Question 17

Infill development

Answer 17

Building and developing in vacant areas of high density urban centers

Question 18

Infrastructure

Answer 18

Roads, electrical, sewer, phone lines and other public services permanently installed on developed sites

Question 19

Pooled parking

Answer 19

Parking spaces that are shared among two or more buildings

Question 20

Preferred parking

Answer 20

Parking spaces that have the shortest walking distance to the main entrance of the project, exclusive of spaces designated for people with disabilities

Question 21

Previously developed/disturbed site

Answer 21

A site that once had buildings, roadways and parking lots or that was graded or otherwise altered by direct human activities

Question 22

Prime farmland

Answer 22

Previously undeveloped land with soil suitable for cultilvation

Question 23

Redevelopment

Answer 23

Reusing previously developed land

Question 24

Remediation

Answer 24

The process of cleaning up a contaminated site by physical, chemical or biological means

Question 25

Shortest path analysis

Answer 25

A measurement of how far a pedestrian and bicyclist would travel from a point of origin to a destination, reflecting access to amenities, safety, convenience and obstructions to movement

Question 26

Smart growth

Answer 26

An approach that projects open space and farmland by emphasizing development with houses, jobs and services near each other

Question 27

Total parking capacity

Answer 27

The total amount of parking spaces for a site that includes new and existing surface parking spaces, new and existing garage or multilevel parking spaces and any off-street parking spaces outside the project boundary that are available to the building’s users. Not included are on-street (parallel or pull-in parking spaces on public rights of way, parking spaces for fleet and inventory vehicles, or motorbike or bicycle spaces.

Question 28

Walkability

Answer 28

A metric for how amenable an area is to walking

Question 29

Water body

Answer 29

The surface water of a stream, arroyo, river, canal, lake, estuary, bay or ocean; does not include irrigation dishes

Question 30

Wetlands

Answer 30

Land areas saturated by water, such as swamps, marshes and bogs.