Presidents Chapter

Question 1

Ordinance of 1785

Answer 1

Ordinance of 1785 provided for the rectangular land survey of the Old Northwest. Daniel
Elazar called the rectangular survey has been called “the largest single act of national planning in
our history and the most significant in terms of continuing impact on the body politic”.

Question 2

When was the first “model tenement” built in manhattan?

Answer 2

1855

Question 3

1862 Homestead Act

Answer 3

Homestead Act opened lands of the Public Domain to settlers for a nominal fee and five years
residence.

Question 4

1864 New York Council of Hygiene of the Citizens Association

Answer 4

1864 New York Council of Hygiene of the Citizens Association mounts a campaign to raise housing
and sanitary standards.

Question 5

Saul Alinsky

Answer 5

Born in 1909, Alinsky is best known for his work as a community organizer and
writer. His organizing started when he worked part time with the Congress of Industrial
Organizations. Eventually, he moved from labor organizing to community organizing where he
focused on improving the living conditions and city services for those in poor communities.
Alinsky is the author of Rules for Radicals, published in 1971.

Question 6

Ernest Burgess

Answer 6

Burgess was an urban sociologist with the University of Chicago. With his
colleague, Robert Park, he developed the concentric zone model in 1925 which depicts land use in
a series of rings including the central business district, residential zone, and others. This model
was discussed in the 1925 book he authored, The City.

Question 7

Peter Calthorpe

Answer 7

Calthorpe, born in 1949, is an urban planner, urban designer and architect.
He is known for developing the concept of Transit Oriented Development in The Next American
Metropolis, as well as for focusing on sustainability. He was the founder and first president of the
Congress for New Urbanism.

Question 8

Rachel Carson

Answer 8

Carson (1907-1964), was a marine biologist, a conservationist, and author. She started her career at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and later, she transitioned to writing full time. In
1962, Silent Spring, was published which focused on pesticides and the environment. The book is
credited to helping to launch the environmental movement.

Question 9

Walter Christaller

Answer 9

A German geographer, born in 1893, Christaller developed the Central Place
Theory after studying settlement patterns in southern Germany. The Central Place Theory,
published in 1933, attempts to explain the size and distribution of cities.

Question 10

Andres Duany

Answer 10

Born in 1949, Duany is an architect and planner. He is known for his work on
sustainable urban development and new urbanism. Duany is recognized as the designer for
Seaside, Florida and the Traditional Neighborhood Development zoning ordinance. He founded
the Congress for New Urbanism

Question 11

Joel Garreau

Answer 11

Garreau is a journalist and author born in 1948. He wrote the book, Edge City: Life on the New Frontier, which was published in 1991, and where the term Edge City was the made
popular. Garreau was also a reporter and editor with The Washington Post.

Question 12

Patrick Geddes

Answer 12

Geddes was a Scottish biologist and planner born in 1854. He is known for his innovative thinking and coined two key ideas—the concept of “region” to the architectural and planning fields and the term conurbation (an extended urban area consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of one or more cities). Because of this, Geddes is known as the “Father of Regional Planning”. He authored Cities in Evolution (1915).

Question 13

Jean Gottmann

Answer 13

A French geographer born in 1915, Gottmann spent time in France and the
United States. In 1961, he published the book Megalopolis, where he described the northeastern
United States from Boston to Washington D.C. as one metropolitan area.

Question 14

Ebenezer Howard

Answer 14

Howard was born in London in 1850. He founded the Garden City
movement where he felt that people should be exposed to both the city and the countryside. This
came in response to how cities were being developed at the time—industrial, sprawling, pollution
and no green space. Two garden cities, Welwyn and Letchworth were built by Howard in England
in the early 1900’s based upon the principles of the Garden City. He is the author of Tomorrow: A
Peaceful Path to Real Reform, which is now known as Garden Cities of Tomorrow.

Question 15

Jane Jacobs

Answer 15

Born in 1916, Jacobs is known for her work as a journalist and author. In 1961, her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, was published. The book, based upon Jacobs’
own experiences and observations, looked at urban planning and principles happening in the 1950’s
which she felt led to the decline of cities.

Question 16

Norman Krumholz

Answer 16

Krumholz is a professor at Cleveland State University, and prior to that
time he practiced planning in Ithaca, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. He also served as President of the
American Planning Association. Krumholz is known for his work and publications around equity
planning.

Question 17

Le Corbusier

Answer 17

A pioneer of modern architecture, Le Corbusier was born in 1887 in Switzerland. He was also influential in urban planning, in particular with his vision of an ideal city—the Radiant
City. The Radiant City envisioned superblocks and delineated between different uses such as
housing, factories, and businesses.

Question 18

George Pullman

Answer 18

Known for his work designing and manufacturing the Pullman railroad car,
Pullman who was born in 1831, created the town of Pullman. Located just south of Chicago, the
town of Pullman was built for factory employees and contained housing, churches shopping and
parks. In the end, the town of Pullman did not succeed because of the desire of the town to make
money like a private business. The town is now incorporated into the City of Chicago.

Question 19

Edward Ullman

Answer 19

Ullman was an American geographer born in 1912. In 1945, with Chauncy
Harris, Ullman created the Multiple Nuclei Model. The model said that outside of the central
business district, there are other smaller nodes of economic activity which then acts as a growth
point.

Question 20

William Whyte

Answer 20

Born in 1917, Whyte spent time studying behavior of people in urban spaces. The observations led to the “Street Life Project” which looked at pedestrians and city dynamics. The
Project for Public Places, a nonprofit organization, is based upon Whyte’s work.

Question 21

Frank Lloyd Wright

Answer 21

Best known as an architect, Wright also contributed to the planning
industry with his Broadacre City vision. Wright’s Broadacre City vision was introduced in 1932 and
focused on low density cities away from urban areas. Technological changes such as the automobile
and telephone, made such a vision possible.

Question 22

Catherine Wurster

Answer 22

Wurster, a member of the “housers”, was an advocate for affordable
housing and improving housing for low income households. She wrote Modern Housing in 1934,
and later was an author of the Housing Act of 1937 and advisor for five presidents. Later she went
on to become an educator.

Question 23

Hippodamus

Answer 23

Hippodamus is known as the Father of urban planning. As an ancient Greek urban planner, he developed the Hippodamian Plan or grid plan.

Question 24

Sanitary Reform & Public Health Movement

Answer 24

The Sanitary Reform and Public Health
Movement began in the mid 1800’s as urbanization was happening at a rapid rate. The goal was to
prevent the spread of infectious diseases and epidemics.

Question 25

Settlement Housing Movement

Answer 25

A social movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Settlement Housing Movement’s goal was to create a connectedness between the rich and the poor. Settlement Workers, often from the middle class, would live and volunteer their time in settlement houses. The most famous Settlement House in the United States was Chicago’s Hull House founded by Jane Addams in 1889.

Question 26

Garden Cities

Answer 26

The Garden City movement was an idea from Sir Ebenezer Howard in the late 1800s. The concept of this planned community of 32,000 people was that it would be self-contained with residential, industry and agriculture and then surrounded by green space. The cities would then be linked by roads and railways back to a center city. Letchworth, England was the first Garden City constructed beginning in 1903.

Question 27

City Beautiful

Answer 27

Introduced on a large scale for the first time at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 by Daniel Burnham, the City Beautiful movement’s intent was to beautify cities, promote social order and encourage civic pride. The McMillan Plan of 1902 updated L’Enfant’s Plan for Washington D.C. and designed the parks and monuments in the city. Other successes of the City Beautiful movement include Chicago and Cleveland.

Question 28

City Efficient

Answer 28

The City Efficient movement focused on brining technical details of city planning (such as engineers, attorneys and others) forward rather than focusing on architects. The City Efficient movement also replaced the City Beautiful movement when resources needed to go to public works projects to support the automobile rather than civic buildings.

Question 29

City formation theories

Answer 29

In the early 1900s, urbanists and others were observing cities and explaining their patterns in different theories. Theories such as the concentric ring, sector, and multiple nuclei attempt to explain how cities were organized in a simplied way.

Question 30

Broadacre City

Answer 30

The Broadacre City is a Frank Lloyd Wright concept presented in his 1932 book The Disappearing City. The concept in this low density community is that each family would be given one acre of land, and the surrounding community would have some office and apartments, as well as a train station. The automobile would be the dominant form of transportation.

Question 31

City Humane & the New Deal

Answer 31

The City Humane movement arose in the 1930s following The Great Depression. The purpose of the City Humane movement was to focus on jobs and housing.

Question 32

City Functional

Answer 32

The City Functional movement was prominent in the 1940s. It focused on functionalism and administrative efficiency.

Question 33

Urban Renewal & Housing Acts

Answer 33

From the 1930s until the 1960s, Congress enacted a series of housing acts that aimed at accomplishing a variety of things including funding to build more public housing and financing for slum clearance and urban renewal programs.

Question 34

Post War Suburbia

Answer 34

Prior to World War II, only about 13% of Americans lived in suburbs, which jumped to approximately 50% by 2010. A lot of the migration came just after World War II, when there was a shortage of housing and when people wanted to live outside of the city. While residential development was migrating to the suburbs, jobs, retailers and others began to follow.

Question 35

The Great Society

Answer 35

Led by President Lyndon Johnson in the mid 1960s, The Great Society focused on programs that help eliminate poverty and racial injustice. Programs developed during this time addressed issues on education, poverty and transportation.

Question 36

Image of the City

Answer 36

A 1960 book by Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City, studied how people observe the city and then make mental maps based upon it. Lynch then concludes that mental maps are based on five elements including paths, edges, district, nodes and landmarks.

Question 37

Advocacy and Equity Planning

Answer 37

Advocacy and equity planning began in the 1960’s with Paul Davidoff as a key contributor. The model discusses the inequities in the political system and that the goal was to make sure all people are represented in the planning process.

Question 38

New Towns

Answer 38

Developed from the Garden City Movement, New Towns were planned communities developed after World War II with a focus on moving the population away from the city into a new town. Examples of New Towns in the United States include Reston, Virginia and Columbia, Maryland. Other examples exist throughout Europe and Asia.

Question 39

Smart Growth

Answer 39

Smart growth theory focuses on development that is compact and has a mix of uses to prevent sprawl and encourage sustainability. Some of the earliest discussions on smart growth were in the early 1970s.

Question 40

Edge Cities

Answer 40

Edge cities are a phenomenon of the growth of the automobile. Edge cities were primarily residential or agricultural areas before, but have developed into areas with more businesses and jobs than residents. Tysons Corner, Virginia is one example of an edge city. The term edge cities was coined in 1991 by Joel Garreau in Edge City: Life on the New Frontier.

Question 41

Environmental Justice

Answer 41

Dating back to the 1980s, environmental justice focuses on making sure that environmental burdens, as well as benefits are equally distributed. Environmental justice relates to laws, regulations and policies and ensures that all people are treated fairly.

Question 42

Back to the City Movement

Answer 42

In the 1950s and 1960s, many urban areas began to see population decline as people, mainly the middle class, moved to the suburbs; however, since about 2000, the number of upper income people moving back into the city or core areas have increased rapidly.

Question 43

Sustainability

Answer 43

Sustainability is a broad term, but generally, most look at it as programs, processes or other that are not being harmful to the environment. According to a 1987 United Nations report, sustainability when thinking about urban planning is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Question 44

New Urbanism

Answer 44

Arising in the 1980’s, the New Urbanism movement focused on walkable neighborhoods, interconnected land uses, sustainability, and creating a sense of place. Seaside, Florida was constructed in 1981 as the first New Urbanist town.

Question 45

When was the first major tenement law?

Answer 45

1867 First major tenement house law (New York) restricting physical conditions.

Question 46

When and where did land use zoning begin in the US?

Answer 46

1867 San Francisco prohibits specific obnoxious uses in certain districts--beginning of land-use zoning in U.S.

Question 47

When was the "dumbbell tenement" debuted?

Answer 47

1879 A form of multifamily housing widely built in New York, and notorious for poor living conditions (lack of light, air, space).

Question 48

Pullman Illinois

Answer 48

1880-84 Building of Pullman, Illinois, a model industrial town by George Pullman.

Question 49

How the Other Half Lives

Answer 49

1890, by Jacob Riis is published; a powerful stimulus to housing and neighborhood reform.

Question 50

World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago

Answer 50

1893 . A source of the City Beautiful Movement and of the urban planning profession.

Question 51

Tomorrow A Peaceful Path to Real Reform

Answer 51

1898 Ebenezer Howard publishes Tomorrow A Peaceful Path to Real Reform, start of the Garden City movement. Reissued in 1902 as Garden Cities of Tomorrow.

Question 52

When was the first law restricting the height of buildings?

Answer 52

1899 First state court support of ordinance/act restricting heights of buildings. District of Columbia

Question 53

1901 New York State Tenement House Law

Answer 53

which is the legislative basis for the revision of city codes that outlawed tenements such as the "Dumbbell Tenement."

Question 54

Letchworth

Answer 54

1903 Letchworth, the first English Garden City, is constructed. This is a stimulus to the New Town movement in America.

Question 55

Cleveland Plan of 1903

Answer 55

First local "civic center" plan developed for Cleveland, by Daniel H. Burnham.

Question 56

Where and when was the first application of City Beautiful to a major US city?

Answer 56

1906 Daniel Burnham’s Plan for San Francisco and the first application of "City Beautiful" principles to a major American city.

Question 57

First comprehensive city survey

Answer 57

1907, Pittsburgh.

Question 58

First official, local, and permanent planning board

Answer 58

1907, Hartford, Connecticut.

Question 59

First National Conference on City Planning

Answer 59

1909, Washington, D.C.

Question 60

First American use of zoning to restrict future development

Answer 60

1909, Los Angeles

Question 61

First State Enabling Act

Answer 61

1909, Wisconsin

Question 62

First metropolitan regional plan in the U.S.

Answer 62

1909 Plan of Chicago by Daniel Burnham

Question 63

First major American textbook on planning

Answer 63

Carrying Out the City Plan, 1913 Flavel Shurtleff

Question 64

First private planning consulting firm

Answer 64

Technical Advisory Corporation, 1913, located in New York City and created by George B. Ford and Earnest P. Goodrich.

Question 65

First state to institute mandatory referral of subdivision plats

Answer 65

1913, New Jersey

Question 66

First state to make planning mandatory for local governments

Answer 66

1913, Massachusetts

Question 67

First full-time municipally employed planner

Answer 67

Harland Bartholomew, 1914, hired in Newark, NJ

Question 68

First state to institute extraterritorial mandatory referral of subdivision plats.

Answer 68

1915, California

Question 69

Cities in Evolution

Answer 69

1915 Patrick Geddes, a foundation for regional planning theory.

Question 70

When was the The National Park Service established

Answer 70

1916

Question 71

The nation's first comprehensive zoning resolution adopted

Answer 71

1916, by New York City Board of Estimates under the leadership of George McAneny and Edward Bassett.

Question 72

Planning of the Modern City

Answer 72

1916 Nelson P. Lewis

Question 73

First federal-aid highway act

Answer 73

1916

Question 74

First regional functional authority plan adopted

Answer 74

by the Miami Conservancy District, Ohio, 1916

Question 75

When was American City Planning Institute founded?

Answer 75

1917

Question 76

Who was the first president of the American City Planning Institute, forerunner of the American Institute of Planners and the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Answer 76

1917, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.

Question 77

Boston Metropolitan District Commission

Answer 77

1919 Three regional authorities-Metropolitan Sewerage Commission, Metropolitan Water Board and Metropolitan Park Commission combine to form the Boston Metropolitan District Commission.

Question 78

First parkway in America completed

Answer 78

1919, Bronx River Parkway, New York

Question 79

first statewide citizens organization in support of planning

Answer 79

1919 Ohio Planning Conference

Question 80

first historic preservation commission in the U.S.

Answer 80

1921 New Orleans designates the Vieux Carre Commission

Question 81

first bi-state functional authority

Answer 81

1921 The Port of New York Authority

Question 82

Inauguration of Regional Plan of New York

Answer 82

1922, Thomas Adams

Question 83

When was the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission is created?

Answer 83

1922

Question 84

First suburban auto-oriented shopping center

Answer 84

1922, "County Club Plaza" in Kansas City, Missouri is constructed.

Question 85

Standard State Zoning Enabling Act

Answer 85

1924 U.S. Department of Commerce issued

Question 86

first major American city to endorse a comprehensive plan.

Answer 86

1925 Cincinnati, Ohio, becomes first major American city to endorse a comprehensive plan. Later it was adopted by the planning board.

Question 87

"Concentric Zone" model

Answer 87

1925 Ernest Burgess

Question 88

First public subsidy for housing

Answer 88

1926, developed in the state of New York

Question 89

Village of Euclid v. Amber Realty Co.

Answer 89

1926 Supreme Court upholds constitutionality of comprehensive zoning

Question 90

Standard City Planning Enabling Act

Answer 90

1928 U.S. Department of Commerce

Question 91

The Regional Survey of New York and Its Environs

Answer 91

1929, by Clarence Perry is published.

Question 92

National Land Utilization Conference

Answer 92

1931, is convened in Chicago where three hundred agricultural experts deliberate on rural recovery programs and natural resource conservation.

Question 93

When did the New Deal begin

Answer 93

1933

Question 94

Federal Emergency Relief Administration

Answer 94

1933 Federal Emergency Relief Administration is set up under Harry Hopkins.

Question 95

Home Owners Loan Corporation

Answer 95

1933 The Home Owners Loan Corporation is established to help homeowners facing loss through foreclosure.

Question 96

The Tennessee Valley Authority

Answer 96

1933 The Tennessee Valley Authority is created for unified and multipurpose rehabilitation and redevelopment of the Tennessee valley. It was the first large-scale regional program in integrated economic, social, and physical development planning by the federal government.

Question 97

First U.S. National Planning Board

Answer 97

1933 First U.S. National Planning Board created. It was later abolished as the National Resources Planning Board in 1943.

Question 98

The National Housing Act of 1934

Answer 98

established Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (FSLIC) for insuring savings deposits and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) for insuring individual home mortgages.

Question 99

When was American Society of Planning Officials (ASPO) founded and who was the first president?

Answer 99

1934, Alfred Bettman

Question 100

First U.S. federally built housing for the general population.

Answer 100

1934

Question 101

Resettlement Administration

Answer 101

1935 Resettlement Administration established under Rexford Tugwell to carry out experiments in land reform and population resettlement.

Question 102

First U.S. federally built new towns in peacetime

Answer 102

1935-37, the "greenbelt" towns.

Question 103

Housing Act of 1937

Answer 103

the first major federal legislative commitment to public housing.

Question 104

"sector theory"

Answer 104

1939 Homer Hoyt, described in "The Structure and Growth of Residential Neighborhoods in American Cities."

Question 105

ACPI (American City Planning Institute) renamed American Institute of Planners (AIP)

Answer 105

1939

Question 106

Serviceman's Readjustment Act

Answer 106

1944, ("GI Bill") guarantees loans for homes to veterans under favorable terms.

Question 107

The first state redevelopment act

Answer 107

1945, in Pennsylvania

Question 108

Construction of Park Forest, Illinois, and Levittown, New York, begin

Answer 108

1947

Question 109

first city to adopt a new comprehensive plan following World War II

Answer 109

1948 Cincinnati

Question 110

1949 Housing Act (Wagner-Ellender-Taft Bill)

Answer 110

the first U.S. comprehensive housing legislation and also provided funding for urban redevelopment.

Question 111

When was The National Trust for Historic Preservation is created and chartered by Congress?

Answer 111

1949

Question 112

Berman v. Parker

Answer 112

1954, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the right of the Washington, D.C. Redevelopment Land Agency to condemn properties that are unsightly, though non-deteriorated, if required to achieve objectives of duly established area redevelopment plan.

Question 113

The Council of Government movement

Answer 113

1954 begins in the Detroit area, and spreads nationwide.

Question 114

The Housing Act of 1954

Answer 114

creates the Urban Renewal program

Question 115

Image of the City

Answer 115

1960, Kevin Lynch, defines basic elements of a city's "imageability".

Question 116

first state to institute statewide zoning

Answer 116

1961 Hawaii

Question 117

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Answer 117

1961, Jane Jacobs is published.

Question 118

First U.S. federal housing subsidy program.

Answer 118

1961

Question 119

first major American city to introduce "flexible" controls in their zoning ordinance.

Answer 119

1961, New York City

Question 120

Columbia, Maryland

Answer 120

1963, a new town between Washington D.C. and Baltimore is constructed.

Question 121

Civil Rights Act outlaws discrimination based on race, creed, and national origin in places of public accommodation.

Answer 121

1964

Question 122

The Urban General Plan

Answer 122

1964 T.J. Kent

Question 123

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) created

Answer 123

1965

Question 124

Who was the first secretary of HUD in 1965?

Answer 124

Robert Weaver

Question 125

The National Historic Preservation Act

Answer 125

1966, establishes the National Register of Historic Places and provides, through its Section 106, for the protection of preservation-worthy sites and properties threatened by federal activities. It also creates the national Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and directs states appoint a State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO).

Question 126

1966 Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act

Answer 126

1966, launched the "model cities" program.

Question 127

Design with Nature

Answer 127

1969 Ian McHarg, linking planning to the natural environment.

Question 128

1969 National Environmental Policy Act

Answer 128

requires an environmental impact statement for every federal or federally aided state or major local action that may harm the environment.

Question 129

Federal Environmental Protection Agency

Answer 129

1970, established to administer the Clean Air Act also adopted in 1970.

Question 130

First major introduction of the transfer of development rights (TDR) concept

Answer 130

1971, Chicago

Question 131

Golden v. Planning Board of Ramapo

Answer 131

1972, New York high court allows use of performance criteria as a means of slowing community growth.

Question 132

First rapid transit system built in San Francisco Bay area

Answer 132

1972

Question 133

1974 Housing and Community Development Act

Answer 133

Replaces the categorical grant with the block grant as the principal form of federal aid for local community development.

Question 134

When was American Planning Association (APA) founded?

Answer 134

1978 American Institute of Planners (AIP) and American Society of Planning Officials (ASPO) merged

Question 135

Penn Central Transportation Co. v. City of New York

Answer 135

1978, The U.S. Supreme Court upholds New York City's landmark preservation law as applied to Grand Central Terminal.

Question 136

Mount Laurel II

Answer 136

1983, The New Jersey Supreme Court rules that all 567 municipalities in the state must build their "fair share" of affordable housing.

Question 137

Nollan v. California Coastal Commission

Answer 137

1987, land-use restrictions, to be valid, must be tied directly to a specific public purpose.

Question 138

Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)

Answer 138

1991 Passage of ISTEA by Congress. This is the first federal transportation law to mandate planning.

Question 139

Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council

Answer 139

1992, the U.S. Supreme Court limits local and state government's ability to restrict private property without compensation.

Question 140

Dolan v. City of Tigard

Answer 140

1994, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that a jurisdiction must show that there is a "rough proportionality" between the adverse impacts of a proposed development and the exactions it wishes to impose on the developer.

Question 141

Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA)

Answer 141

2000, protect individuals, houses of worship, and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and landmarking laws

Question 142

Disaster Mitigation Act

Answer 142

2000, the first time a proactive approach to disaster relief had been taken, including requirements for state and local entities to coordinate mitigation planning and implementation.

Question 143

Kelo V. City of New London

Answer 143

2005, Supreme Court of the United States. Eminent domain for economic development.

Question 144

Synoptic Rationality (Rational Comprehensive Approach)

Answer 144

four classical elements: (1) goal setting; (2) identification of policy alternatives; (3) evaluation of means against ends: and, (4) implementation of the preferred alternative For example, evaluation can consist of procedures such as benefit cost analysis, decision trees, PERT, linear programming, operations research, systems analysis, etc. Synoptic planning uses conceptual or mathematical models to relate the ends (objectives) to the means (resources and constraints).

Question 145

Incremental Planning.

Answer 145

Charles Lindbloom described decision making as a series of small, incremental steps in this article, "The Science of Muddling Through.” He provided a realistic picture of what usually happens with decision and policy making bodies: Legislators and their advisers (including planners) are continuously confronted with a barrage of information, demands, crises and short term problems and have very little time, money or expertise to resolve them.

Question 146

Transactive Planning

Answer 146

The transactive planning approach relies on the experience of people's lives to examine policy issues. This type of planning is often performed in face to face contact with people affected by decisions and policy. interpersonal dialogue and a process of mutual learning. The transactive approach also supports the idea of decentralized planning institutions that help people take increasing control over the social processes that govern their welfare. In contrast to incremental planning, more emphasis is given to the process of personal and organizational development, and not just the achievement of specific community objectives. Plans are evaluated not in terms of what they do for people through the delivery of goods and services, but in terms of the plan's effect on people, including their values, behavior and capacity for growth through cooperation.

Question 147

Advocacy Planning.

Answer 147

1960s, Paul Davidoff applied to defending the interest of weak or poorly represented groups, such as low income, environmental activists, minorities, the disenfranchised successful as a means of blocking insensitive plans and challenging the traditional view of the "public interest." In practice, however, advocacy planning has been criticized for posing stumbling blocks without being able to mobilize equally effective support for constructive alternatives. One of the effects of the advocacy movement has been to shift the formulation of social policy from backroom negotiations out into the open. In working through the courts, it has injected a strong dose of values and principles into planning and greater sensitivity to unintended side effects of public decisions. A

Question 148

Radical Planning.

Answer 148

Radical planning is an ambiguous tradition that is usually associated with spontaneous activism guided by an idealistic vision of personal, self reliance. It stresses the importance of personal growth, cooperative spirit and freedom from manipulation by force. Minimum amount of intervention by bureaucracies and maximum participation of people in defining, controlling and experimenting with solutions to their own problems. An example of a radical approach to planning would be to allow neighborhood committees to take over the planning functions that are usually found in centralized community development departments.

Question 149

Utopianism

Answer 149

Utopian planning seeks to fire the public's imagination by proposing sweeping new approaches to traditional urban problems. goals are clearly and powerfully stated, usually by a single person recognized by his supporters as a "visionary." Examples abound, including Le Corbusier's Contemporary City, Ebenezer Howard's Garden City, Daniel Burnham's White City and Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City

Question 150

Methodism

Answer 150

describes a planning activity for which the method to be employed is clear but the ends to be achieved are largely undefined or unknown.

Question 151

Seven Step Process for Research

Answer 151

1. Initially defining the research problem 2. Specifying the limits of the research problem 3. Analyzing the research problem by developing its fact base 4. Listing goals and objectives of the research 5. Identifying all solutions (alternatives) to the research problem 6. Defining potential costs and benefits of carrying out the research 7. Reviewing the problem statement and refining it, as appropriate

Question 152

Qualitative data

Answer 152

information about qualities that cannot be easily expressed numerically as counts or measures, such as: - Opinions, perspectives, visual preference 􀁸 Political party affiliation 􀁸 Colors, names, urban form 􀁸 Male/Female sex 􀁸 Symbols Nominal or Ordinal data

Question 153

Nominal

Answer 153

discrete characteristics that do not overlap (e.g. sex, political party affiliation)

Question 154

Ordinal

Answer 154

numbers or symbols depicting an ordered relationships of a characteristic having unspecified intervals (order of people arranged by height, rank of top ten most populous cities)

Question 155

Quantitative data

Answer 155

information about measures of values or counts that can be easily expressed numerically, such as interval or ratio variables

Question 156

Interval

Answer 156

(e.g. temperature, year) – arbitrary zero starting place with a number twice as large not equating to a value twice as great (e.g. 20 degrees Fahrenheit is not twice as warm as 10 degrees Fahrenheit). Negative values are possible.

Question 157

Ratio

Answer 157

(e.g. distance, area) – true zero starting place with a number twice as large equating to a value twice as great (e.g. 20 miles is twice as great a distance as 10 miles). Negative values are not possible.

Question 158

independent variable

Answer 158

is the variable that changes, or is controlled by a researcher, to test the effects on a dependent variable. The independent variable is always on the “X axis”

Question 159

dependent variable

Answer 159

is typically the focus of the research and depends upon, or varies according to the value of, the independent variable. The dependent variable is on the “Y-axis

Question 160

Descriptive statistics

Answer 160

report on the data from a total population that is measured, recorded or found to occur. They are statistics that describe and summarize the data, but do not generalize beyond the data analyzed. Descriptive statistics include four major types of data analysis - measures of: - frequency - position - central tendency - dispersion or variation

Question 161

Measures of Frequency

Answer 161

how often a datum occurs (Count, Percent, Frequency)

Question 162

Measures of Position

Answer 162

the relative location of a particular datum in a data set Percentile Ranks, Quartile Ranks

Question 163

Measures of Central Tendency

Answer 163

the center of the data mean, median, mode

Question 164

Mean

Answer 164

simple arithmetic average of the numbers, calculated by adding up all the data numbers in the data set and then dividing the total number of data in the data set.

Question 165

Median

Answer 165

the middle number of a data set; when the set has an even number of data points, then the median is the average of the two middle-most numbers

Question 166

Mode

Answer 166

the most frequent number in the data set; if there are two most frequent numbers in the set, the data set is bi-modal; if more than two, it is multimodal

Question 167

Measures of Dispersion or Variation

Answer 167

the spread of the data about a central value Range, variance, standard deviation

Question 168

Range

Answer 168

the difference between the highest number and lowest number in a data set

Question 169

Variance

Answer 169

a measure of how spread out a data set is; it is computed as the average squared deviation of each number from the data set’s mean.

Question 170

Standard deviation

Answer 170

a measure of how close the numbers in the data set are to the mean; it is computed as the square root of the variance

Question 171

Normal Curve / Standard Distribution

Answer 171

About 68% of the data will lie within one standard deviation (􀊍) of the mean (plus or minus) 95% of the data will lie within two standard deviations (2􀊍) of the mean (plus or minus) 99% of the data will lie within three standard deviations (3􀊍) of the mean (plus or minus)

Question 172

Inferential statistics

Answer 172

inferential statistics are used to make predictions or inferences from a data sample of the entire population (e.g. survey). Inferential statistics are used when the examination of the entire population is not possible or convenient, and you desire to make generalizations or conclusions about a population from the data sample you’ve obtained. Inferential statistics include the following common types of data analysis: - linear regression - correlation analysis (Pearson's r, Spearson, Chi Square) - Statistical Significance (t-test) - Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Question 173

Linear Regression

Answer 173

Used to understand the linear relationship between a dependent variable (y) and an independent variable (x) in a data set (i.e. how the change in one variable can be used to estimate the change in another variable, and provides a “best fit” line to that relationship, based on the simple formula y=a+bx).

Question 174

Correlation Analysis (Pearson’s r, Spearson, Chi Square)

Answer 174

Used to understand the degree to which two variables are dependent on each other (i.e. measure of the strength of the linear relationship between two variables). The correlation can be negative (one variable decreases while the value of the other increases) or positive (both variables decrease or increase together).

Question 175

Statistical Significance (t-test)

Answer 175

Used to compare two separate, non-overlapping groups or data sets. It compares the means of the two groups (e.g. test scores for boys, girls). With more groups, use ANOVA.

Question 176

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Answer 176

Used to compare two or more separate, non-overlapping groups or data sets. It compares the means of the groups (e.g. a particular political position for Democrats, Independents, Republicans, Libertarians).

Question 177

Simple Random sampling

Answer 177

Every individual has an equal chance of being selected from the list. Use when the population members are similar to one another on important variables Advantages: Ensures a high degree of representativeness Disadvantages: Time consuming and tedious

Question 178

Systematic sampling

Answer 178

Starting at a randomly chosen point, choosing every “x” (e.g. 10th) individual from a list. Use when the population members are similar to one another on important variables Advantages: Ensures a high degree of representativeness, and no need to use a table of random numbers Disadvantages: Less random than simple random sampling

Question 179

Stratified random sampling

Answer 179

Prior to sampling, the population is divided into characteristics of importance for the research, such as by gender, political party, age, etc. The population is then randomly sampled within each category or stratum at the same proportion that they exist in the full population. For example, if 45% of the overall population are Democratic party registered, then 45% of the sample is randomly selected from the Democratic party category/stratum. Use when the population is heterogeneous and contains several different groups, some of which are related to the topic of the study Advantages: Ensures a high degree of representativeness. of all the strata or layers in the population Disadvantages: Time consuming and tedious

Question 180

Cluster sampling

Answer 180

Often used when stratified or simple random sampling would be difficult or expensive. Cluster elements should be as heterogeneous as possible, with each cluster a small representation of the entire population. Cluster sampling if often used for market studies or research into characteristics of geographic entities like cities, counties, regions. Use when the population consists of units rather than individuals Advantages: Easy and convenient Disadvantages: Possibly, members of units are different from one another, decreasing the techniques effectiveness

Question 181

Non-probability survey sampling

Answer 181

Quota sampling Convenience sampling Snowball sampling

Question 182

Probability survey sampling

Answer 182

Simple random sampling Systematic sampling Stratified random sampling Cluster sampling

Question 183

Quota sampling

Answer 183

Like stratified sampling, quota sampling identifies population strata (e.g. religious affiliation), but uses a non-random sampling approach to choose the necessary number of participants per stratum (e.g. ten from each religious affiliation independent of actual population occurrence). This is often done to ensure the inclusion of a particular segment of the population, and the proportions used may or may represent the actual proportion in the population. Use when strata are present and stratified sampling is not possible Advantages: Insures some degree of representativeness of all the strata in the population Disadvantages: Degree of data generalization is questionable

Question 184

Convenience sampling

Answer 184

The sample is taken from a group of people who are easy (convenient) to contact or reach (e.g. volunteers stopping by a booth to answer a survey). The only criteria is whether the participants agree to participate in the survey. Use when the members of the population are convenient to sample Advantages: Convenience and inexpensive Disadvantages: Degree of data generalization is questionable

Question 185

Snowball sampling

Answer 185

Existing study subjects who are hard to find or to identify (e.g. drug users) recruit future study subjects from among their acquaintances – so that the number of study subjects grows like a rolling snowball. Use when the members of the population are difficult to identify or find Advantages: It allows studies for difficult to reach populations and may identify unknown issues Disadvantages: Unable to identify sampling error and statistical validity

Question 186

Margin of Error

Answer 186

This sampling error, calculated as Margin of Error, represents the amount of random “sampling error” in the survey's results (i.e. the smaller the margin of error, the more confidence that the survey's reported results accurately reflect the actual population being sampled). Sampling error is therefore dependent on sample size, and can be decreased by increasing the sample size. In determining the appropriate sampling size for a survey, one of the important concerns is the resultant sampling error based on the sample size utilized.

Question 187

Survey Bias (and Total Error)

Answer 187

The Total Error in a survey is a combination of the sampling error and bias. Unlike sampling error, bias is not dependent on the sample size and is a systematic, non-sampling error that leads to results greater or less than the true value of the population being surveyed due to faulty survey design or sampling process problems. There are many types of bias, but the two that planners are most interested in are generally identified as: - selection bias - measurement bias

Question 188

Selection bias

Answer 188

Selection bias arises from the use of a sample that underrepresents the actual population being surveyed. For example, utilizing only social media to survey a city’s population will result in some segments of society not be fully represented in the sample (i.e. those without access to/not using social media, etc.). Some types of selection bias include: - Survey undercoverage of a portion of the population - Survey nonresponsive portion of a population (i.e. either a group unwilling or unable to respond) - Voluntary response only surveying

Question 189

Measurement bias

Answer 189

Measurement bias can occur during the survey’s implementation generally from three basic sources: - Errors occurring while recording the data – e.g. recording device or computer malfunction - Leading questions – Often intentional bias, utilizing survey questions intended to solicit a particular response - Inadvertent false responses given by respondents – often from the elderly who may be confused or forgetful

Question 190

surveys fall within two types of categories:

Answer 190

Questionnaires or interviews. Questionnaires allow for more anonymity and usually more time to respond Interviews allow for better clarifications of answers and follow-up questions.

Question 191

Mailed surveys

Answer 191

best practice; mail with prepaid return envelope and ask closed-ended questions to get faster higher response rate. use when: the population being. sampled is highly spread out geographically, costs are a significant issue, but the population’s mail addresses are readily available. They tend to be a better method to obtain more confidential or sensitive information, especially if they can be returned anonymously. advantages: - Generally inexpensive. - Provides input from individuals who may be unlikely to attend meetings, and, if properly sampled, can provide statistically valid results. - Recipients have the opportunity of doing the survey at their leisure, so using a longer questionnaire is often a feasible option, as well as survey interviewer time is not required -They can also reach individuals who do not have internet or smart phone access. disadvantages: - Typically low response rates (~15%) - don’t work well to sample the elderly or poorly educated - no opportunity to ask follow-up questions or clarify information. - take a longer time to obtain results - Because the returned data is self-selected by the whim of the survey takers, mail surveys can introduce a nonresponse bias unless the survey is constructed to recognize when this is occurring (e.g. conducting follow-up telephone calls to a subset of nonrespondents to check for unintended bias).

Question 192

Phone surveys

Answer 192

Telephone surveys often provide a more accurate result than mail surveys due to the random dialing feature. Can use either close-ended or open ended survey methods. use when : to obtain information from a general or specifically identifiable population. You have sufficient time and budget to carry one out, when your surveyed population is available and willing to participate, and you have no visuals involved. advantages: - Fast. - Cheaper than in person, yet involve a real interviewer that can response to questions about the survey or clarify issues. - Provides input from individuals, including the elderly, who may be unlikely to attend meetings. - Provides input from cross-section of public, not just those on a mailing list. - Historically had higher response rates than mail-in surveys, but that may be changing - Usually provides valid samples - often provide a more accurate result than mail surveys due to the random dialing feature and the absence of self-selection that can sometimes happen in mail surveys, thereby avoiding some biases. disadvantages: - Requires training and a good, concise survey instrument. - Interviewers must be monitored to ensure non-bias. - land line only telephone method misses those without house phones - problems associated with unlisted numbers - cell phone only surveys that may not reach those with only land-lines, - May encounter unwilling subjects. - Can be more expensive and labor intensive than mail surveys and internet questionnaires. - due to phone survey fatigue and the rise in automated telemarketers considered to be “spam”, telephone survey response rates in one study have been reported to have dramatically fallen over the last two decades to below 10%

Question 193

Person-to-person surveys

Answer 193

A personal interview, using either closed-ended, or, more commonly, an open-ended questionnaire. Also known as in-person or face-to-face interview/survey. use when: a specific population needs to be highly accurately surveyed, with more in-depth information collected than usual, or there is a need to use visuals, do market research with specific products, or address highly sensitive information. also useful to sample a population unlikely to respond to written surveys. advantages: - high response rate - allows for longer surveys and the use of open-ended questionnaires. - Allows for interviewer clarifications and the capture of verbal and non-verbal ques. - Provides for highly traceable data from a known survey sample and can reach a broad, highly representative population. disadvantages; - Can be expensive (travel, training, data entry) - time-consuming - sample size and geographically limiting - if not well sampled (e.g. man on the street interviews), may provide neither a valid sample nor reliable results. - can introduce verbal and non-verbal interviewer bias, with the quality of information captured often depending on the training and ability of the interviewer.

Question 194

Internet and Social media surveys

Answer 194

Questionnaire designs can vary greatly and may include images, videos, and audio. use when; to inexpensively reach a much larger sample than mail, phone or person-to-person surveys, or when the use of images, videos, or audio is desired. - to reach a particular online community. Advantages - Can provide input from individuals who might be unlikely to attend meetings - provides higher response rate than other communication forms. - Typically, no interviewer bias - surveys can often be started and completed at a later date or even be interactive. - Inexpensive - data collection is usually quickly captured, easily analyzed and available in real- time online. disadvantage - generally does not provide statistically valid results when surveys are open to all online users, due to self-selection and internet access issues - Typically, an online survey does not control the geographic reach of the survey, and the results can be easily skewed or biased. - Selection bias is of particular concern from social media surveys which have less universal availability than general online access

Question 195

Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD)

Answer 195

a system utilizing computer software and tools to create, modify, analyze and optimize a design. It can be used to depict a two or three dimensional physical object or location (building site), engineer drawing, blueprint, or site drawing.

Question 196

Management Information System (MIS)

Answer 196

a system utilized for decision-making, and for the coordination, control, analysis, and visualization of management information in an organization. It can be used to produce regular reports on the ongoing operations and performance in an organization, including its strategic, tactical, financial and operational conditions.

Question 197

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Answer 197

a system utilized to capture, store, analyze, model and display data associated with its geographic position (x, y, z) on the Earth’s surface (i.e. “spatial” data). Among many other planning uses, GIS can be used to track and analyze land use data, monitor land use trends, model and display future hurricane paths, carry out land use suitability analyses, determine and show buffer areas for environmentally sensitive areas, and track and analyze real-time traffic flow and other “Smart City” information. It generally does this by allowing large amounts of spatial data to be stored and displayed in separate layers.

Question 198

Roger Tomlinson

Answer 198

Is generally acknowledged as the "Father of GIS" following the publication of his paper entitled “A Geographic Information System for Regional Planning”, and his role helping direct the development of the Canadian Geographic Information System that many consider as laying down the roots of today’s GIS.

Question 199

land suitability analysis

Answer 199

a method used to identify suitable locations for placing land uses to minimize adverse environmental impacts.

Question 200

Ian McHarg

Answer 200

In his 1969 book Design with Nature, Ian McHarg (sometimes referred to as the “Father of Ecological Planning”) described an overlay procedure involving paper maps, pens, and multiple same-scale transparent mylar sheets, used over a light table, to depict individual shaded layers of concern, such as wetlands, soils, vegetation, slope, floodplains, and aquifer recharge areas. Once all the individual mylar layers were put atop one another for a proposed development location, the area with the lightest or absence of shaded areas would be considered as potentially the most suitable development site. This composite suitability map “layering concept” is fundamental to the analysis and visualization of geographical data layers used in today’s GIS.

Question 201

Raster data

Answer 201

is a digital image comprised of pixels (i.e. a matrix grid of cells), like the image produced in your digital camera, but whose edges have been given a geographic location. One commonly used form of GIS raster data is digitized aerial photographs, typically created from a uniform scale USGS Orthophoto map, that often form the underlying basemap used in many GIS systems. Raster data can also be used to display elevation, satellite images, or other types of paper maps that have been scanned into a digital format with a geospatial context. They are particularly suited to representing data that is continually changing across the landscape, like temperature, rainfall or population density.

Question 202

Vector data

Answer 202

is not made up of pixels, but is comprised of points, lines, or polygons with separate geospatial coordinates and computer stored attributes (i.e. information related to the geographic feature, such as its name, length, elevation, soil type, landuse, ownership, etc.). Vector data is typically the main source of geospatial data that is analyzed in a GIS. Point data may be used for information like customer addresses, fire hydrants, water quality data points, public museums, well locations, emergency shelters, etc. Line data represents linear features, such as roads, water and sewer lines, rivers, walking trails, or power lines. Polygon data can represent features such as census tracts, development lots, county boundaries, school boundaries, or tribal lands.

Question 203

Basemap

Answer 203

A basemap is a background orthorectified (georeferenced) image that provides a point of reference map displaying aerial location. Typically a raster image, basemaps are non-editable and often consist of aerial photographs or USGS quad maps that display local topography, houses, streets, etc, as the bottom (base) GIS layer.

Question 204

Datum

Answer 204

A datum defines a specific, known point on or in the Earth that is used as a reference location for projections. These can be vertical or horizontal (generally the most referenced). An example of a horizontal datum is NAD27, which stands for North American Datum of 1927. The North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) is the most current datum being used in North America. The World Geodetic System (WGS84) is the reference coordinate system used worldwide by the Global Positioning System. When combining GIS data from different sources, it is important to transform all information to a common datum and common projection.

Question 205

Geocoding

Answer 205

Geocoding is the process of transforming a description of a location to an actual location on the earth's surface. Often this involves converting (i.e. assigning geographic coordinates for) street addresses so that the resulting spatial data can be displayed on a GIS map.

Question 206

Metadata

Answer 206

Metadata is data about data. GIS metadata provides information about the GIS dataset including an abstract describing the dataset, the projection system being used, the information included in the dataset, its origin, creation, when last updated and accuracy.

Question 207

Projection

Answer 207

A way to display the curved surface of the earth on a flat surface. - Azimuthal equidistant - Lambert conformal conic - Miller cylindrical

Question 208

Orthophotograph

Answer 208

An aerial or satellite raster image photograph with a uniform scale, in a given map projection. An orthophotograph can be used to measure distance as it provides an accurate representation of the Earth's surface. Often used as a GIS basemap.

Question 209

Pixels

Answer 209

The grid cells that make up raster images, like in a digital camera. Each cell is the smallest (and identical in size) component of information in an image.

Question 210

Registration

Answer 210

Aligning maps, images and databases in a non-projected coordinate system into a coordinate system with a common datum and projection. Registration is required to connect data to specific geographic points on the Earth’s surface in order to accurately locate the information and allow for valid analysis between different GIS layers.

Question 211

map land use standards

Answer 211

standardized colors to represent various GIS land uses - yellow: residential - red: shopping, business, or trade activities - purple: industrial, manufacturing, waste-related activities - blue: social, institutional, or infrastructure-related activities - gray; travel or movement activities - dark slate gray: Mass assembly of people - light green: leisure activities - forest green; natural resources-related activities - white: no human activity or unclassifiable activity

Question 212

Query

Answer 212

searching or retrieving GIS data without altering the existing data, based on the specifics asked by the operator: - Location query – e.g. asking to display or list all commercial land use parcels less than 1 acre in size - Attribute query – e.g. asking to display or list all commercial parcels owned by John T. Smith - Boolean query (AND, OR, NOT) – combining location and attribute information in a query: e.g. asking to display or list all commercial land use parcels less than 1 acre in size “AND” owned by John T. Smith

Question 213

Buffer

Answer 213

The buffer tool in a GIS is a proximity function that creates a polygon at a set distance surrounding a selected point, line or polygon (e.g. displaying a 200’ buffer around a stream, below).

Question 214

Suitability analysis

Answer 214

The GIS tool version of McHarg’s land use suitability analysis, allowing a user to identify the most suitable geographic site from a set of possible sites, through applying a set of individually weighted criteria to identify the “best location”.

Question 215

A few of the many general planning uses of a GIS include:

Answer 215

􀁸 Visualizing and understanding spatial (geographic) data 􀁸 Assessing environmental impacts and 􀁸 Depicting hazard vulnerabilities 􀁸 Municipal and transportation planning 􀁸 Marketing analyses 􀁸 Modeling and simulations 􀁸 Probability analyses 􀁸 Trend analyses & Scenario planning

Question 216

Metes and bounds

Answer 216

is a legal surveying land description used in the U.S. that has its origins with colonial era England. It is used as the principal means of legally describing land through surveying in the eastern colonial states and Texas. In most other states, the later Public Land Surveying System (PLSS) is the principal means of legally describing land, supplemented by metes and bound descriptions wherever survey areas are irregular in size and shape. Metes and bound legal descriptions utilize natural landmarks, such as streams, trees or big rocks, and man-made structures, such as roads and markers with respect to the magnetic north or south directions. For example, such a bearing might be listed as "N 40°25' E", which means that the bearing is 40°25' clockwise, or east of north. This provides the same degree measure regardless of which direction a particular boundary is being followed; the boundary can be traversed in the opposite direction simply by exchanging N for S and E for W. In other words, "N 40°25' E" describes the same boundary as "S 40°25' W", when surveying in the opposite direction.

Question 217

metes and bound survey system has drawbacks:

Answer 217

1. Both natural and man-made structures change or are lost over time; 2. Irregular property shapes result in complex legal descriptions; 3. Unsurveyed lands to sell, like newly independent America wanted to do for lands in Ohio and west of the Appalachians, couldn’t be accommodated by the system

Question 218

Public Land Survey System (PLSS)

Answer 218

The Public Land Survey System was originally proposed by Thomas Jefferson and created by the Land Ordinance of 1785, shortly after the American Revolutionary War, when the new federal government wanted to both distribute land to Revolutionary War veterans and sell land to raise money. To accomplish this, the new post-Revolutionary War lands would be surveyed with the country’s new rectangular Township, Section, Range surveying system, while the existing colonial states would remain on the metes and bounds British-based system. The PLSS begins with the establishment of north-south meridian line(s), east-west base line(s) and 6 mile-by-six mile square townships within a state that form the structure upon which all subsequent surveying is based (see example below). Some states have only one meridian and base-line, others either share them between states or have multiple sets of meridians and base lines, the number typically reflecting their history and acquisition by the United States.

Question 219

in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) system, what is the size of a Township?

Answer 219

A Township is 6-miles by 6-miles on a side, or a total of 36 square miles.

Question 220

Federal Township and Range System

Answer 220

another name for Public Land Survey System (PLSS)

Question 221

in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), how do the township numbers change in relation to eh base line and Meridian?

Answer 221

Note how Township numbers (e.g. T1N) increase North and South away from the base line; and how Range numbers (R1E) increase East and West away from the Meridian.

Question 222

Meridian Line

Answer 222

In the Public Land Survey system (PLSS) north-south meridian line(s)

Question 223

Base Line

Answer 223

In the Public Land Survey system (PLSS) east-west base line(s)

Question 224

Township sections

Answer 224

In the Public Land Survey system (PLSS), 36 sections within the Township, each section being one mile on a side, or one square mile (640 acres). Note the unique number ordering of sections, with Section 1 of the Township starting the numbering system in the upper right. The numbering system of sections then moves to the west to Section 6, then drops south for Section 7, and so on.

Question 225

Township Sections are also broken down into smaller descriptions as

Answer 225

a quarter section (such as the NE ¼) contains 160 acres a quarter quarter section (such as the NE ¼ of the NW ¼) contains 40 acres, and so on. If that quarter-quarter section were to be further broken down to the SE ¼ of SE ¼ of NE ¼ of NW ¼ of S5, T3S, R2E, the resulting acreage would be 2.5 acres.

Question 226

USGS Quad / Topo Maps

Answer 226

Since 1879, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been the primary civilian mapping agency of the U.S. government and is best known for their 1:24,000 scale (1” = 24,000” = 2,000’) topographic quadrangle maps, which depict 7.5-minutes of latitude and 7.5-minutes of longitude. The pre-2009 maps depict contour lines (i.e. areas of equal elevation), political boundaries, and many man-made and natural features such as roads, railroad lines, buildings, lakes, shorelines, and wetlands. the digital maps produced since 2009 are referred to as “US Topo” maps. The digital maps contain additional features such as orthoimage “basemap” layers and the Public Land Survey System, but do not yet contain some features on the older paper quad maps that were based on direct field observations, such as recreational trails, pipelines, power lines, survey markers, many types of local boundaries, and many types of buildings. The digital US Topo maps are available in a variety of scales, including both the traditional 1:24.000 scale, 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales suitable for easy use with the metric system.

Question 227

Floodplain

Answer 227

The area susceptible to water inundation during flood events.

Question 228

Normal Channel

Answer 228

The portion of a natural stream that conveys normal flows of water.

Question 229

Base Flood Elevation (BFE)

Answer 229

The computed elevation to which floodwater is anticipated to rise during a 100-year flood as formally defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (i.e. areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding). is the estimated water surface elevation in feet above datum.

Question 230

“100-year flood”

Answer 230

areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding Note that in this usage, “100-year flood” does not mean “once every 100 years”; a particular location could experience two 100-year floods in the same year or even five 100-year floods over the course of 100 years, or not at all for 200 years or more.

Question 231

Floodway

Answer 231

The stream channel and that portion of the adjacent floodplain that must remain open to permit passage of the 100-year flood without exceeding the Base Flood Elevation.

Question 232

Flood Fringe

Answer 232

The floodplain area beyond the Floodway where water may be shallower and slower moving than in the Floodway.

Question 233

Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM)

Answer 233

Published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are the “official map of a community on which FEMA has delineated both the special hazard areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community” (i.e. the boundaries of a 100-year flood event used for federal flood insurance). Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) are designated on the FIRM maps as Zone A, AO, A1-A30, AE, A99, AH, AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/AH, AR/AO, AR/A1-A30, V1-V30 or V/VE.

Question 234

Zone A and Zone AE on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM)

Answer 234

Subject to flooding by the base or 100-year flood (1% annual chance), and waves less than 3' (formerly zones A1-A30)

Question 235

Zone X on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM)

Answer 235

is the area of minimal flood risk outside the floodplain (formerly called Zone C)

Question 236

Shaded Zone X on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM)

Answer 236

is subject to flooding by the 0.2-percent-annual chance (500-year) flood and the 1-percent-annual-chance (100-year) flood with average depths of less than 1-foot or with drainage areas less than 1 sq mile. O designates areas protected by the 1-percent-annual-change (100-year) flood by levees.

Question 237

Zone V or VE on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM)

Answer 237

where waves are expected to be 3-feet or more

Question 238

Slope calculation

Answer 238

SLOPE = “Rise” over “Run” or RISE/RUN

Question 239

Floor area ratio (FAR) calculation

Answer 239

FLOOR AREA RATIO = Building area/Lot area

Question 240

Residential density calculation

Answer 240

DENSITY (units/acre) = # Dwelling units / overall acreage of site

Question 241

“Gross Density”

Answer 241

includes the acreage for associated infrastructure, parks, roads, sidewalks and public right-of-ways, etc.

Question 242

“Net Density”

Answer 242

excludes the acreage needed for associated infrastructure, parks, roads, sidewalks and public right-of-ways, etc.

Question 243

Arnstein’s “Ladder of Citizen Participation”

Answer 243

1969 Citizen control - citizen control - delegation - partnership Tokenism - placation - consultation - informing Nonparticipation - therapy - manipulation Only in the upper three rungs of the ladder (Partnership, Delegation, Citizen Control) are the public fully empowered in the planning processes and decisions that affect them. This does not mean that the use of techniques represented in some of the other rungs may not be appropriate, depending on the situation. For example, “informing” may be appropriate when making the public aware of new services, upcoming events or festivals, or a road closing.

Question 244

IAP2 Framework of Public Participation

Answer 244

Empower: high level of public engagement -Collaborate Involve: Mid level of public engagement - Consult Inform: Low level of public engagement

Question 245

inform (provide data and information)

Answer 245

when to use: activity is low impact, highly technical issues, public unlikely to provide alternatives tools: - displays, brochures, fact sheets - websites and webinars - social media - media releases - newspaper inserts - open houses - public hearing

Question 246

Consult (obtaining public feedback)

Answer 246

when to use: options have been narrowed, desire final decision to reflect public desire tools; - public meetings - focus groups - surveys - delphi technique

Question 247

involve (working with the public)

Answer 247

when to use: activity has high impact, multiple outcomes, desire to be transparent and seek best solution tools; - workshops - keypad/computer polling - task forces, expert committee - fishbowl - brainstorming - samoan circle - visual preference - crowdsourcing

Question 248

Collaborate (partner with the public)

Answer 248

when to use: activity has large impacts and difficult to implement, need assistance at all stages, must rely on public. and other groups for help tools - Visioning (Oregon Model) - Charettes - Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) - Neighborhood Association - American assembly - Nominal Group

Question 249

Empower (Decision Making by the public)

Answer 249

when to use: activity has a wide ranging impact, public should make. the decision - citizen juries - referenda / ballots - delegated decisions (P&Z Boards) - Town meetings (direct democracy)

Question 250

Websites & Webinars

Answer 250

o TOOL: Web site provides organizational and other information and links to relevant sites through the World Wide Web o ADVANTAGE: Inexpensively reaches across distances, and makes large amounts of information accessible anywhere at any time, while saving printing and mailing costs o DISADVANTAGE: Users may not have easy access to the Internet or technical knowledge of how to use computers, with large files or graphics sometimes taking a long time to download

Question 251

Social Media

Answer 251

TOOL: Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram o ADVANTAGE: Obtain metrics of users, reach user groups quickly, cost efficient o DISADVANTAGE: Miss non-users (e.g. elderly)

Question 252

Media Releases

Answer 252

o TOOL: Press release or packet providing resource and background information plus contact information o ADVANTAGE: Informs the media of the planning issue with the press release language often used directly in media articles o DISADVANTAGE: Often low media response rate, with frequent poor placement of press release within newspapers

Question 253

Newspaper Inserts

Answer 253

o TOOL: A “fact sheet” within the local newspaper o ADVANTAGE: Provides community-wide distribution of information and because it is in the local paper, insert is more likely to be read and taken seriously o DISADVANTAGE: Expensive, especially in urban areas

Question 254

Open Houses

Answer 254

o TOOL: Encourages the public to tour facility at their own pace, typically with informational stations, and resource people to guide participants through any exhibits o ADVANTAGE: Fosters small group or one-on-one communications with ability to draw on other team members to answer difficult questions and build credibility o DISADVANTAGE: Difficult to document public input; agitators may stage themselves at each display; and usually more staff intensive than a meeting

Question 255

Public Hearing

Answer 255

o TOOL: Formal meeting with scheduled presentations. Typically, members of the public may individually express their opinion that is recorded. o ADVANTAGE: Provides opportunity for public to speak without rebuttal o DISADVANTAGE: Does not foster constructive dialogue and can perpetuate an “us vs. them” situation

Question 256

Public Meetings

Answer 256

o TOOL: An organized large-group meeting, typically open to the public and used to make a presentation and give the public an opportunity to ask questions and give comments. o ADVANTAGE: Participants hear relevant information and have an open opportunity to ask questions and comment, and hear others’ questions and comments. o DISADVANTAGE: The meeting may escalate out of control if emotions are high, and it’s not guaranteed that facilitators will be able to establish an open and neutral environment for all views to be shared.

Question 257

Focus Groups

Answer 257

o TOOL: A message testing forum with randomly selected members of the identified target audience that can also be used to obtain input on planning decisions o ADVANTAGE: Provides the opportunity to test key messages prior to implementing a program; works best for select target audiences o DISADVANTAGE: Relatively expensive and may require payment to participants

Question 258

Mail Surveys

Answer 258

􀂃 TOOL - Inquiries are mailed to random sample population to gain specific information for statistical validation 􀂃 POSITIVE – Generally inexpensive. Provides input from individuals who may be unlikely to attend meetings, and if properly sampled, can provide statistically valid results 􀂃 NEGATIVE – Low response rate (15%), requires clear, not too complicated, questions and doesn’t work well to sample the elderly or poorly educated

Question 259

Telephone surveys

Answer 259

TOOL - Random sampling of population by telephone to gain specific information for statistical validation 􀂃 POSITIVE – Fast. Cheaper than in person. Provides input from individuals who may be unlikely to attend meetings. Provides input from cross-section of public, not just those on a mailing list. Higher response rate than with mail-in. surveys. Usually provides valid samples (as individuals can be randomly selected). Avoids some biases. 􀂃 NEGATIVE - Requires excellent training and a good, concise survey. instrument. Interviewers must be monitored to ensure non-bias. Ignores those without house phones (i.e. only cell phones). May encounter unwilling subjects. More expensive and labor intensive than mail surveys.

Question 260

Internet

Answer 260

􀂃 TOOL - Web-based response polls 􀂃 POSITIVE – Can provide input from individuals who might be unlikely to attend meetings and provides higher response rate than other communication forms 􀂃 NEGATIVE - Generally does not provide statistically valid results; very labor intensive to look at all of the responses; typically cannot control geographic reach of poll; results can be easily skewed

Question 261

Person-to-Person Interview

Answer 261

TOOL - A personal interview, also known as in-person or face-to-face interview or survey. 􀂃 POSITIVE - Provides traceable data and can reach a broad, representative public 􀂃 NEGATIVE – Expensive, and if not well sampled (e.g. man on the street interviews), may neither provide a valid sample nor reliable results

Question 262

Delphi Technique (Policy Delphis)

Answer 262

o TOOL: A method of obtaining consensus by a group people (often experts) without the need for a face-to-face group meeting. The process involves several round robin iterations of participant responses (or rankings) to a questionnaire(s) and results in continued tabulation and dissemination until additional rounds don’t result in significant changes (or a consensus result is reached). During the round robin responses, the experts are encouraged to revise their earlier answers in light of the previous replies of other members of their panel. It is intended that during this. process that the range of the answers will narrow and the group will converge towards the "correct" answer. o ADVANTAGE: Inexpensive, no assembly needed; time and space not an issue. Can be done anonymously so that people whose answers differ substantially from the norm can feel comfortable expressing themselves. A Delphi process can be especially useful when participants are in different geographic locations. o DISADVANTAGE: Time can be lengthy, often little or no face to face participation by stakeholders. Keeping participants engaged and active in each round may be a challenge.

Question 263

Workshops

Answer 263

􀁸 TOOL: An informal public meeting that may include presentations and exhibits but ends with interactive working groups 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Excellent for discussions on criteria or analysis of alternatives. Fosters small group or one-to-one communication. Ability to draw on other team members to answer difficult questions. Builds credibility. Maximizes feedback obtained from participants. Fosters public ownership in solving the problem. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: Hostile participants may resist what they perceive to be the “divide and conquer” strategy of breaking into small groups. Several small-group facilitators are necessary.

Question 264

Keypad/Computer polling

Answer 264

TOOL: live, anonymous, digital polling 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Provides instant analysis of results which can be used in multiple areas. The novelty of the technique improves the rate of response. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: High expense. Detail of inquiry is limited.

Question 265

Task Forces, Expert Committee

Answer 265

TOOL: Group of experts or representative stakeholders formed to develop a specific product or policy recommendation. 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Group is typically given a specific task related to a single problem. The findings of an independent or diverse task force can often have increased credibility with the public, and the process can provide a constructive opportunity for compromise. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: Task force may not come to a consensus or the results may be too general to be meaningful. Time and labor intensive. When appointed by elected officials, results may reflect a built-in political bias.

Question 266

Fishbowl

Answer 266

􀁸 TOOL: A group meeting where a small group of decision makers (6-10) do their work in a “fishbowl” circle so that the public can openly view their deliberations. In an open fishbowl, observers can become participants, swapping places with those within the fishbowl, or one or more chairs are left open for “visitors”. In a closed fishbowl, observers can’t change their roles. 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Transparent decision making. Decision makers are able to gauge public reaction in the course of their deliberations. In an open fishbowl, citizens can serve as a check on planner or officials’ biases, & contribute ideas & alternatives. Often useful for vetting “hot topics” or sharing ideas or information from a variety of perspectives. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: The roles and responsibilities of the decision makers and the public may not be clear.

Question 267

Brainstorming

Answer 267

􀁸 TOOL: The issues and facts to be used are identified ahead of the meeting, and a question(s) to be answered is carefully framed. A small group of experts (stakeholders) are identified and instructed on the posed question. Successive round-robin rounds are used to solicit suggestions towards addressing the posed question without discussion, criticism or analysis of the merits of each suggestion. The basic idea of brainstorming is to raise as many ideas as possible, and later analyze the merits of raised suggestions. 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Quick, easy, lots of ideas produced. Encourages creative suggestions. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: No consensus reached, and often unclear on how the contributions will be put to use. Ideas are proposed without restraint and may not be realistic. Process can be dominated by strong personalities (managers, politicians).

Question 268

Samoan Circle

Answer 268

􀁸 TOOL: A leaderless, but often facilitated, meeting similar to fishbowl planning that stimulates active participation and is intended to help negotiations concerning controversial issues. A professional facilitator is used to welcome participants and explain the seating arrangements, rules, timelines and the process. People are seated in a circle within a circle, with only those in the inner circle allowed to speak.The inner circle needs to represent all major viewpoints present, and those outside the circle are to remain silent unless they join the “inner circle”. Someone wishing to speak stands behind a chair; this signals those already in the circle to relinquish their chairs. 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Can be used with 10 to 500 people (i.e. large groups). Works best with controversial issues. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: Dialogue can stall or become monopolized. Observers may become frustrated with their passive role.

Question 269

Visual Preference

Answer 269

TOOL: Technique used to obtain public feedback on physical design alternatives. Participants rate their preference or dislike of selected images of community, project, or area; usually contrasting images of the living environment such as streets, houses, stores, office buildings, parks, open space and key civic features. 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Often fun way to engage the public in planning. Can be adapted for multiple, non-meeting venues: e.g. mailed photographs; keypad polling & other electronic meeting tools; online survey. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: Technique is only as good as the images used and only as representative as the citizens who participate. Technique may reveal little if comparison images are too different, such that preferences are obvious. Technique can’t be used for community character elements that can’t be easily photographed. Also, background activities and weather conditions at time of photographing may impact participants' choices.

Question 270

Crowdsourcing

Answer 270

TOOL: In its simplest version, it is a form of online and web-based public participation in public planning projects based on the idea that the internet allows individuals to think creatively about planning problems and put those suggestions up for review by their peers. In its broadest form, it can be used for even newer uses such as crowd review, crowd response, crowd democracy, citizen science, and crowdfunding. ADVANTAGE: It can encourage large scale public participation as individuals can participate at their own leisure and similar ideas can be aggregated for review. Allows public leaders to become aware of commonly supported ideas. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: It can miss sections of the public without web access or knowledge of the planning issue under consideration (e.g. elderly, fiscally poor, poorly educated, homeless).

Question 271

Visioning (Oregon Model)

Answer 271

􀁸 TOOL: Visioning is the process to help a community to define the future it wants, and the Oregon Model is a means to accomplish that. It starts at the beginning of a major planning process such as the creation or update of a comprehensive plan. Using coordinated media coverage, a representative sample of the community is assembled in an informal setting with an impartial group leader. The Oregon model is focused on having the public address four core visioning questions (sometimes with a 5th): 1. Where are we now? [Descriptive Information/Community Values] 2. Where are we going? [Trend information/Probable Scenario] 3. Where do we want to be? [Possible-Preferred Scenarios/Community Vision] 4. How do we get there? [Goals, Strategies, Action/Action Agenda & Profile] 5. Are we getting there? [Action Plan implementation/Community Benchmarks] ADVANTAGE: Visioning can bring community members together (including citizens never previously involved in planning) in a unique manner to discuss and consider their common future, with discussions and explorations of new ideas and the development of a shared consensus of where the community would like to go, while utilizing a public participation process that can ultimately result in implementable planning actions. Typically, this strengths citizen buy-in to the resulting planning changes that are undertaken to implement the community’s vision. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: Successfully accomplishing community visioning can have a steep learning curve, and alleviating public skepticism over a new process and community change can sometimes prove daunting. Additionally, the community may be too polarized to engage in a constructive dialogue, and the process can be long, expensive and may not always result in a true community consensus.

Question 272

Charrettes

Answer 272

TOOL: Also known as a “Design-In”, the charrette process is an intensive, interactive. problem solving process with meetings convened around the design or development of specific plans, useable with small to medium-sized groups. Typically, trained design and technical experts work with local officials, community groups and stakeholders over a period lasting from one day to a couple of weeks, addressing a specific issue or development proposal that faces a community. Charrette participants, often breaking out into multiple smaller groups, work together to design/draw up solutions that address the issue/project that has been identified to be addressed (e.g. urban redevelopment site). The keys to a successful charrette are in its pre-charrette preparation in ensuring the necessary stakeholders and public are invited; in developing and providing a sufficient level of technical information at the beginning of the charrette; in having good technical staff support available throughout the process; and in allowing sufficient time to reach consensus and provide the necessary documentation of the consensus for later implementation. A charrette often includes the following components: 1. Definition of project/issue to be resolved, including technical background 2. Assignment of small groups to discuss associated issues and start development of potential alternatives (i.e. usually one proposal per small group) 3. Use of technical staff to provide supporting data and answer technical questions during the small group process 4. Development of design proposals to address project/issue 5. Presentation and group analysis of small group final proposals 6. Refinement and consensus development of recommended final approach 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Visually expressive and a useful tool to promote visual idea development, and the generation of “visions of the future”. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: Stakeholders may not reach a consensus (nor be considered representative by the larger public if they do); a charrette takes longer and can be more expensive to undertake than other participation tools; and the process requires an experienced leader knowledgeable in the technique. Invited participants and timing can be critical to the process and the invitation selection process needs to focus on ensuring maximizing interaction and broad participation. The intended goals of the charrette must be clearly made to all participants, so that expectations do not exceed potential outcomes. 􀁸 WHEN TO USE: For small to medium-sized groups to design or develop specific visual plans for a specific project/issue, typically as a one-time effort. Charrettes should not be used to replace the standard planning process which occurs over much longer timeframe. Charrettes should be used to address a specific, problematic or controversial project/issue, whose resolution then complements the standard planning process.

Question 273

Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC)

Answer 273

􀁸 TOOL: A citizens’ group, typically a long-term standing committee meeting regularly, appointed to represent the ideas and attitudes of local groups, with the purpose of advising a governmental planning agency or policy-making body on community impacts, such as a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Can provide valuable input on proposed issues that will affect citizens, especially if representing a diverse cross section of the community. Additionally, committee members and planning agency/policy-making body are typically meeting with multi-year appointed community members, who are knowledgeable with the issues and processes of the committee and can better address complex issues and their impacts on the community in depth over time. DISADVANTAGE: Unless huge (and 20-30 members is usually the limit), a citizen advisory committee is unlikely to be able to represent all community viewpoints, especially for the myriad of minority and low-income members a large community may contain. Strongly opposing members may create a tense working environment for the advisory committee. Advisory committees can be costly and staff/resource intensive. 􀁸 WHEN TO USE: Citizen advisory committees are typically either formally required by law (e.g. federally mandated CAC for MPOs) or desired by a public body for their citizens’ input. A citizen advisory committee looks at projects from the impact they have on the community and not the feasibility of a project which is more the role of a technical advisory committee (TAC).

Question 274

Neighborhood Association

Answer 274

TOOL: A typically voluntary, grassroots group of neighbors and businesses who advocate, or organize activities, for a neighborhood, often with elected leaders and voluntary dues. Unlike Homeowner Associations, they typically do not have the legal authority to enforce particular building, parking and landscaping rules and regulations within their boundaries. Instead, they advocate for changes and improvements such as neighborhood safety, beautification and social activities, and may be involved with the development of neighborhood land use plans. 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Local governments will often recognize neighborhood associations for special participation in the planning process, or involve them in their policy making as a known group of people experienced in dealing with the local government. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: Individuals may claim the neighborhood association doesn’t represent them, especially in situations where representation on the neighborhood association is not an open or neighborhood-wide elected position. WHEN TO USE: Usable by neighborhoods that have commonly held community interests and concerns, which contain individuals and activists willing to become involved.

Question 275

American Assembly

Answer 275

TOOL: Associated with Columbia University and President Eisenhower, the American Assembly process is a form of town hall meeting in which selected representatives debate and vote upon a final document on a major issue of focus. Typical steps include: 1. Prior to the meeting, a steering committee selects participants and obtains. funding, selects topics, prepares background analysis 2. The meeting is scheduled for 2 ½ – 3 days 3. 1st day – Opening plenary followed by initial breakout into small groups on selected topics 4. 2nd day – Small group “browbeating” to consensus by breakout group & topic 5. OVERNIGHT – Staff works to consolidate small group efforts into a consensus document/recommendations for 3rd day consideration 6. 3rd day - Closing plenary; voting for consensus or changes to the draft final document/recommendations 􀁸 ADVANTAGE: Can handle large, diverse groups (even 100+), and results in a voted on consensus document. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: Small group efforts can be dominated by strong personalities. Potential for staff steering of outcomes. Expensive. 􀁸 WHEN TO USE: To develop consensus recommendations from a large group of diverse stakeholders on major, often controversial topics.

Question 276

Nominal Group

Answer 276

TOOL: The Nominal Group technique is designed to promote facilitated group consensus involving problem identification, solution generation, and decision making. Although the technique is often used for small groups (9-12), it can be utilized for larger groups when time is less of an issue and well-experienced facilitators lead the effort. Typical steps include: 1. PRE-EVENT 1. Define issue & prepare background paper (to help trigger questions) 2. Select knowledgeable members (stakeholders, experts, etc.) for the event & provide background to selected members 2. AT THE EVENT 1. Instruct members on procedures and expected outcomes (reach agreement on outcome representing consensus), followed by four subsequent rounds: 2. THINKING ROUND: Each individual in the group silently generates ideas and writes them down (brainstorming). 3. NOMINATING-RECORDING ROUND: Each member gets to present (nominate) their ideas without debate, and the group members engage in a round-robin feedback session to concisely record each idea (often on a flip chart sheet taped up on the wall). 4. CLARIFYING-DISCUSSING ROUND: Each recorded idea is then discussed to obtain any needed clarification from the nominating member (sometimes these questions can be written up on stickynotes placed on the idea written up on the flip chart so that all questions on an idea can be raised/discussed at the same time). Following clarifications, the ideas can be further discussed in a round-robin that allows each member to provide input. 5. VOTING ROUND: Individuals vote privately on the priority of the ideas (typically by ranking the ideas – e.g. selecting 5 of the ideas, ranking them 5 to 1; or by each member having a very limited number of votes that they can use to vote for just one idea or spread the votes out over multiple ideas – sometimes this is as simple as having three-to-five sticky dots that can be used by each member to vote on clarified ideas on the flip chart sheets). The group’s “consensus” decision is determined based on the resulting ranking. ADVANTAGE: The process allows for the development of a clear consensus, while providing an equal opportunity for everyone to fully participate in the process and avoids domination of the discussion by a single individual. The process helps promote both the open discussion and development of creative ideas from all the participants, and a consensus based on the membership rankings. It typically encourages participants to focus on issue resolution through constructive problem solving based on the group’s proposed ideas. 􀁸 Nominal Group can be used either quickly (for a single subject; single day), or over a much longer timeframe (for more complex, multiple issues; even over multiple years), as the technique is fairly flexible in its use. 􀁸 DISADVANTAGE: Typically only used with smaller groups (9-12), although it can be modified to be used with larger groups (25-30), if well facilitated and time limitations are not an issue. Nominal Group requires advance preparation, and its use is often limited to a single topic (again, except where well facilitated and time is not a limit). The technique is best used with selected individuals knowledgeable about the topic under consideration (which often eliminates other members of the general public), and requires the use of a good facilitator, which can limit its application. Although the process results in a ranked consensus, the process may silence a minority opinion, and result in a consensus based on the lowest common dominator. 􀁸 WHEN TO USE: Nominal Group is best used for reaching small group consensus on a controversial single topic when there is a need to have equal input and participation from all participants.

Question 277

Citizen Juries

Answer 277

o TOOL: Citizen juries involve creating a public participation “jury” of citizens by: 1. The Jury’s open selection from a representative sample of citizens (usually selected in a random or stratified manner) within the local, regional or national population 2. The Jury being presented with its charge (e.g. project, issue), followed by hearing and cross-examining briefings held with experts and stakeholders. The citizen’s jury can ask questions, discuss the issue, and ultimately reach a decision, often in the form of a report. The entity establishing the citizen jury either agrees in advance to implement the decision the citizen jury makes, or at least gives a prior commitment to take their recommendations seriously. 3. The process being supervised by an oversight or advisory panel that takes no direct part in facilitating the citizens' jury. To avoid accusations of bias, the jury should be actually run by an organization/individuals with a reputation for neutrality (e.g. retired judges, religious leaders, respected journalists, independent consultants). ADVANTAGE: The findings of citizen juries can sometimes identify fatal flaws or gauge public reaction in a project or on an issue. Citizen juries can be used to broker a conflict, or to provide a transparent and non-aligned viewpoint. Citizen juries often receive good reviews when they are properly organized, as they can promote citizen decision making and reduce public suspicion when the resulting public decisions are made in line with citizen jury recommendations. They often provide citizens with an opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the issue or project being judged. o DISADVANTAGE: Citizen juries are expensive, time-consuming to properly put together, and tend to involve a relatively small numbers of citizens. A failure to provide sufficient resources to what-comes-after the citizen jury decision is a common weakness in the process, and to go against the jury’s recommendations can create significant credibility issues for the sponsor of the citizen jury and serious ramifications on future engagement efforts in the community. Everyone involved needs to be clear upfront about the ultimate status and use of the jury’s decision.

Question 278

Referenda/Ballots

Answer 278

TOOL: A planning or ballot referendum is a direct citizens’ vote on a particular proposal or issue, such as public funding for the acquisition of new environmental lands, consideration of a particular decision such as a zoning change (e.g. upheld in 1976 City of Eastlake v. Forest City Enterprises - Ohio, U.S Supreme Court case), or even the approval/disapproval of new legislative passed laws. In a few instances, ballot referenda are non-binding. o ADVANTAGE: This type of direct democracy can help re-engage voters with politics and provides a level of political support for difficult decisions, while creating a public mandate to follow. o DISADVANTAGE: Referenda can create division within communities, especially if a narrow victory or loss occurs. It is sometimes seen as weakening representative democracy by undermining the role and importance of elected representatives, or as a means to avoid elected representatives having to make an unpopular decision on a controversial issue (e.g. raising taxes). Voters may be swayed by expensive advertising campaigns, strong personalities, or even misrepresentations to the general public. It can be expensive, time-consuming and the timing of the vote is often limited by the local/state normal election schedule or additional costs will be incurred.

Question 279

Delegated Decisions (P&Z Boards)

Answer 279

TOOL: Delegated decisions, expanding upon citizen juries, actually allow the public to have the dominant decision making authority on a plan or program. This requires highly dedicated citizens and is used, for example, in the local development of neighborhood plans by affected citizens, or a Planning and Zoning Board delegated with the authority to make final decisions on land use proposals. Generally involves technical, advisory staff support. o ADVANTAGE: Highly empowering citizen involvement, allowing citizens to have the authority to make decisions that affect their lives. o DISADVANTAGE: Takes a fair amount of technical assistance, and the traditional decision makers may not always agree with the decisions made by the citizens delegated to make the decision. Additionally, the delegated decision makers may be dominated by strong local personalities, or citizens representing special interests that may have conflicts of interest or bias the ultimate decision in some circumstances.

Question 280

town Meeting (direct democracy)

Answer 280

TOOL: A town meeting is a form of direct democracy, used primarily in New England and to a lesser degree in some western and mid-western states, where residents of the town (or school or water district) typically meet once a year and act as a legislative body, voting on operating budgets, ordinances, and sometimes other matters such as pending zoning and land use decisions. State statutes vary by state on how these town meetings operate and what matters they can decide on. o ADVANTAGE: Citizens directly make the decisions that affect their lives. For the citizen, this involves issues of participation in the process; transparency of governmental operations and actions; cooperation with others in the process; responsibility to stay abreast of issues and vote; and accountability for the result of their decisions. o DISADVANTAGE: Town meetings can sometimes polarize the community and be dominated by the positions of eloquent speakers. With town meetings only occurring once a year, it can be a slow moving form of government, especially when involving land use decisions. Low participation can result in decision making decided by a minority of the citizen population or special interests.

Question 281

Project Management

Answer 281

“the application of knowledge, skill, tools and techniques to meet project requirements”.

Question 282

Project

Answer 282

In Project and Program Management, a Project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service with a definite beginning and end. This might be the development of a particular neighborhood plan or a zoning code

Question 283

Program

Answer 283

a Program is basically a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to achieve an intended outcome.

Question 284

Triple Constraint

Answer 284

A project is a balancing act of the project’s scope, cost/resources (budget, staffing), and time/schedule. Any significant change in a project’s scope, cost, or timing will affect one or both of the other two project constraints. There is an inter-dependence of these competing demands that the project manager must continually balance.

Question 285

Project management involves five distinct processes to be undertaken during the project’s lifetime:

Answer 285

1. Initiating 2. planning 3. executing 4. monitoring and controlling 5. closing

Question 286

Project Management Phase 1. Initiating

Answer 286

Defining the project at a broad level, its objectives, resources involved and the final deliverable. This often can involve the preparation of a Project Charter to obtain a clear, management agreed upon, signed written document establishing: a. THE PURPOSE. The purpose of the project being undertaken including Project Title, Location, Description b. THE STAKEHOLDERS. The stakeholders in the project – including Project Sponsor, Oversight Team, Project Manager, Project Team, delineated roles and responsibilities, business areas involved, estimated resources/staff/costs required c. THE OBJECTIVE. The primary project objectives – including Justification, Project Methodology, Assumptions, Constraints d. THE DELIVERABLE. Clearly identified final project/deliverable, with established schedule

Question 287

Project Management Phase 2: Planning

Answer 287

Providing a more detailed description of the project, often delineating: a. THE SCHEDULE. The Schedule is fleshed out through a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) which uses a step-by-step listing of the tasks involved with the project. Sequencing the steps of the Work Breakdown Structure places each step in the order (and timing) in which each step must occur before other tasks can be started or completed. Also included in the schedule is an indication of the overall calendar time it will take to complete a task, the actual man-hours involved, the start date, the completion date, and the dependencies (i.e. which task must be completed before another task can begin). Timewise, the longest series of dependent tasks from the beginning of the project to the delivery of the project is known as the Critical Path (or Critical Path Method). If any of the steps on the Critical Path are delayed, the final completion date of the project will be delayed. The tasks and timing of the schedule are often displayed in one of two commonly used graphical forms: PERT and GANTT charts. b. THE BUDGET. Cost estimate accuracy of a project will partly depend on the reliability and detail of the Work Breakdown Structure that’s been developed for a project, and it should be much more detailed than the cost estimation done in the Initiating stage as it will typically be used to drive the budget. The budget for a project will often address the following items: time/labor, materials, equipment, overhead, and outside vendors/consultants. c. COMMUNICATION. Each project should address how the project and its team members will engage in internal and external communications. The project manager should delineate the communication strategy from the very beginning of a project. Internal communications takes place between members of the project team. It involves daily meetings, decision making and directions by the project manager. It includes all forms of internal communication (emails, memos, phone calls, video conferencing, etc.). External communications primarily involve activities with stakeholders and include any project marketing. This involves public meetings, press and web releases, handouts and publications. Both the project team and stakeholders need to: 􀁸 Be provided with a clear project vision 􀁸 Be provided with a good understanding of the project’s success criteria 􀁸 Be kept continuously updated on the project’s status 􀁸 Be allowed to be heard and have their concerns and suggestions considered d. RISK ASSESSMENT. Project risks, both internal and external, should be planned for as they may affect project scope, schedule, and cost. This usually involves three aspects: i. Risk identification – risks associated with project characteristics such as the schedule, staffing, resources, costs, funding, stakeholders, politics, specific known threats, etc. ii. Risk Analysis – assessing potential impact and likelihood of each risk occurring iii. Risk Response – strategy for addressing each risk should it occur

Question 288

Critical Path Method

Answer 288

Timewise, the longest series of dependent tasks from the beginning of the project to the delivery of the project is known as the Critical Path. If any of the steps on the Critical Path are delayed, the final completion date of the project will be delayed

Question 289

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

Answer 289

First developed by the U.S. Navy, was designed to simplify the planning and scheduling of large and complex projects like the Navy’s Polaris nuclear submarine construction, and was subsequently adopted and used by other industries and professional fields. PERT charts are sometimes used before a project begins to plan and determine the relationships between tasks and their relative timeframes. They generally offer a more simplistic visual representation than a GANTT Chart of the order of the series of project tasks (often without specific dates represented) that must occur within a project’s lifetime.

Question 290

GANTT chart

Answer 290

The GANTT chart is a bar chart that typically uses the more detailed Work Breakdown Structure to identify the individual steps of each major task. The GANTT chart better delineates the schedule and better highlights the scheduling constraints than a PERT chart. GANTT charts are most often used during the actual project timeframe to help monitor and track the completion status of each project step (e.g. by displaying or shading the percent complete visually within the graphic bar that is used for each step).

Question 291

Project Management Phase 3. Executing

Answer 291

This phase is all about producing and completing the project’s deliverables, and as such, is typically the longest phase in the project, and generally requires the greatest project team efforts and the most resources. The executing and monitoring & controlling project phases happen concurrently. Execution phase steps broadly include: 􀁸 Assembling the project team, assigning resources, and having a project kickoff meeting 􀁸 Carrying out the project management plan 􀁸 Managing the project team and the project’s progress: project tracking, status updates, quality assurance, and adjusting time, scope and resources of the project (and the project plan) as needed (i.e. Monitoring & Controlling) 􀁸 Completing project tasks and producing a quality project deliverable(s)

Question 292

Project Management Phase 4. Monitoring and controlling

Answer 292

Happening concurrently with the Execution phase, the Monitoring & Controlling phase consists of “those processes required to track, review, and orchestrate the progress and performance of a project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate the corresponding changes.” Monitoring & Controlling happens continuously throughout the execution of the project, and involves comparing actual project execution with planned project execution. If required, corrective action is implemented to produce the desired results where significant differences exist. If the project becomes behind in its approved schedule, or needs to shorten its approved schedule, a project manager may consider two standard ways to resolve this schedule issue: fast tracking or crashing. Both fast-tracking and crashing techniques need to be used for project tasks on the critical path if they are to have an impact on the project schedule. If they are used on non-critical path tasks, they won’t shorten the schedule, as the critical path tasks will remain unaffected.

Question 293

Fast Tracking

Answer 293

involves running two or more tasks in parallel (or overlapping) without changing the scope of the project. These tasks are activities that would have been performed sequentially using the original schedule, but are now going to be run in parallel, as long as the tasks can actually be overlapped (i.e. at least partly independent of one another). Fast tracking does not generally result in an increase in cost, but it can increase the risk in a project.

Question 294

Crashing

Answer 294

Crashing a project means adding resources, typically additional project team members or approving overtime, in order to catch up on the schedule without directly changing the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) dependencies. Crashing a project usually has a financial cost, but doesn’t increase project risk.

Question 295

Project Management Phase 5. Closing

Answer 295

Closing a project is one of the most overlooked processes in project management. As a project is a temporary endeavor, it needs to have an ending that ensures that: a. All project work is completed and any deliverables delivered and accepted b. The project has met its objectives c. Project costs are all captured and all project contracts and accounts closed d. Project documents are finalized and archived e. A lessons learned analysis is undertaken, including with stakeholders, and memorialized f. The project’s completion is celebrated with team members g. Team members are recognized for their work on the project with all resources, including staff, subsequently released

Question 296

Equity

Answer 296

“just and fair treatment in society in which all can participate and reach their full potential. Just and fair distribution of resources and improvements so that all people and communities can prosper”.

Question 297

Diversity

Answer 297

“awareness, understanding and appreciation of our differences; the value of different perspectives and experiences such as race, ethnicity, culture, age generation, immigration status, household type, family composition, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and religious beliefs. identity and difference represented individually and collectively.”

Question 298

Inclusion

Answer 298

"The outcome of Equity and Social Justice work for all people. To be included and not excluded. Plan spaces and places where all people feel welcome; welcoming and inviting everyone to contribute and participate.”

Question 299

Gentrification

Answer 299

The term ‘gentrification’ was first coined in 1964 by sociologist Ruth Glass who observed that “once this process of ‘gentrification’ starts in a district, it goes on rapidly until all or most of the original working-class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character of the district is changed.” The Regional Plan Association defines gentrification as “the form of neighborhood change characterized by the arrival of higher-income and often-time higher-educated residents, along with increasing rents, property values and cost-of-living, and decreasing non-white populations.”

Question 300

Environmental Justice

Answer 300

Environmental Justice is defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency as “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.

Question 301

Spatial planning

Answer 301

addresses planning a designated space or area (at the regional, community, neighborhood level) for a comprehensive variety of development issues and policies. One of the most common examples is a local government comprehensive plan that will typically address land use and long range related policies on economic development, transportation, historic preservation, environmental protection, housing, capital improvements, and perhaps other issues (e.g. hazards, climate change, sustainability, urban form).

Question 302

Sectoral planning

Answer 302

planning for a single issue, linear or cross-community infrastructure, or particular economic segments, such as roadways, railways, waterways, transmission lines, or airports. In this manner, plans address only a single issue such as specialized planning for a transportation corridor, a park, health, housing, economic development, an institution (school, military base, prison), a port or airport, water management, food, hazards, or climate change adaptability.

Question 303

Alfred Bettman

Answer 303

Prepared the fist citywide comprehensive plan adopted into law by a city council for Cincinnati in 1925 with Ladislas Segoe. Also known for his work with Segoe on the creation of the concept of a Capital improvements budget; his later successful defense of zoning before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1926 Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co. decision; and his work on the Herbert Hoover Committee that drafted both the1924 Standard State Zoning Enabling Act and the 1928 Standard City Planning Enabling Act

Question 304

Ladislas Segoe

Answer 304

Prepared the fist citywide comprehensive plan adopted into law by a city council for Cincinnati in 1925 with Alfred Bettman. Also known for his work with Bettman on the creation of the concept of a Capital improvements budget; helped draft both the1924 Standard State Zoning Enabling Act and the 1928 Standard City Planning Enabling Act; 1941 original author of the "The Practice of Local Government Planning," known as "The Green Book"

Question 305

Comprehensive Plan

Answer 305

"Master plan" or "General Plan" is typically the official statement of the local legislative body, through which it legally establishes the community's major policies concerning desirable future physical development and protection for the community. Local adoption of the comprehensive plan provides a legal foundation legitimizing most local development regulations. Zoning and subdivision ordinances are generally required to be in conformance with an adopted comprehensive plan, which either contain or guide the creation of local capital improvements plans that detail multiyear local government capital expenditures. typically adopted to address the entire community, cover at least a 20 year timeframe of growth (often with five year periodic updates), and contain goals, policies and elements addressing planning issues such as demographic changes, land use, transportation, other public facilities and community capital planning, economic development, environmental protection, and housing. Some plans also contain additional elements addressing safety/hazard/emergency management planning, capital improvements, energy, or climate change adaptability, housing, sustainability, and parks and recreation. Typically, each element of a comprehensive plan will contain a discussion of existing conditions, a statement of goals and objectives, and a description of future community needs and specific policies for meeting those community needs.

Question 306

Comprehensive Plan Steps

Answer 306

1. Identifying issues and options 2. Stating goals, objectives and priorities 3. Collecting and interpreting data 4. Preparing the plan 5. Creating implementation plans 6. Evaluating alternatives and the impacts of plans and implementation programs 7. Reviewing and adopting the plan 8. Adopting the implementation programs 9. Implementing and monitoring the plan

Question 307

Goal

Answer 307

* Is the long-term end toward which programs or activities are ultimately directed * It expresses the community’s vision, and helps establish the community’s priorities for the future * Is a value-based statement that is not necessarily measurable * EXAMPLE: Train the Chapter’s planners to pass the AICP Exam

Question 308

Objective

Answer 308

* Is a specific, measurable, intermediate end that is achievable and marks progress toward a goal * EXAMPLE: By 2020, increase the Chapter’s AICP Exam passage rate to exceed the national exam passage rate average

Question 309

Policy

Answer 309

* Directs the way in which programs and activities are to be conducted to achieve a goal * Is a specific statement of intent and is meant to directly address the particular planning issue * Often forms the basis for development standards * EXAMPLE: Develop a comprehensive Chapter AICP Exam Prep training manual

Question 310

Measure

Answer 310

- A performance valuation (either qualitative or quantitative) used to identify progress made towards a goal and its policies. - EXAMPLE: Annually monitor the Chapter’s AICP Exam passage rate

Question 311

Action Steps

Answer 311

Some plans include both Polices and Action Steps – in this case, the difference is that: - Policies are statements of intent with enough clarity to guide decision making - Action Steps are directives about programs, regulations, operational procedures, or public investments intended to guide the implementation of specific policies

Question 312

Capital Improvements Planning (CIP)

Answer 312

Capital improvements include new or expanded public facilities and infrastructure which are of relatively large size, relatively expensive, and relatively permanent. Operational, maintenance and shorter life equipment expenses (e.g. pothole repair, firehoses, library books) are not considered to be a capital improvement. Typically locally adopted, short-range plans usually addressing the next five or six year timeframes that are linked to the local comprehensive plan, or in some states (California, Florida) are required to be consistent with (or included within) the local comprehensive plan. The first year of the CIP constitutes the capital budget, and together with a local government’s proposed operating expenses and revenue sources constitute the budget for the local government. The CIP is normally updated annually or biannually; addresses major capital projects for the full forecast period; forecasts the budgetary impact of capital expenditures; estimates operational impacts; and may introduce projects that extend beyond the timeframe of the plan (i.e. projects for future expenditures). Revenue sources for the CIP may include long-term financing (e.g. General Obligation Bonds), a “Pay As You Go Strategy”, special assessments, taxes, special taxing districts, public-private partnerships, grants, loans, or other sources and fees not available for the operating budget.

Question 313

Information included in a CIP generally includes:

Answer 313

* Itemization of each capital project or capital equipment * Ranking of the capital projects in order of funding preference * Identification of the source of funding for each project * The schedule of construction for each project * Justification for each project * Explanation of expenses for the project

Question 314

Fiscal Impact Analysis

Answer 314

Fiscal impact analysis determines whether a specific development project, land-use policy change or type of development within a community will generate sufficient revenues to defray the associated, needed public service and infrastructural costs. In its simplest form: NET FISCAL IMPACT = (Change in Government Revenues) – (Change in Government Costs) The analysis is intended to identify if and when a local government might face budget deficits if it makes a development decision or changes its land use plan/policies. It can also be used to review the public fiscal impacts on services and infrastructure of a particular form of development compared to a different form of development (e.g. multi-family versus single family residential; suburban residential versus mixed-use development).

Question 315

Some criticisms of fiscal impact analysis are that:

Answer 315

* It is solely focused on budgetary impacts and does not address non-monetized social and environmental costs and benefits which may be important to the community (e.g. wetlands, historic preservation, housing availability, quality of life). * It usually does not address the fiscal costs to multi- jurisdictions that may be impacted by the development or change in land-use policy (e.g. independent school district; adjacent community; independent special district). * It has inherent calculation limitations associated with the use of any fiscal model that attempts to estimate future monetary costs (i.e. “only as good as the input assumptions”).

Question 316

What are typical fiscal impact analysis applications include assessing the fiscal impacts arising from:

Answer 316

* Land-use policy changes * Rezonings * Annexations * Capital Improvements planning (timing & need for new or replacement infrastructure) * Revenue forecasting (changes in revenue due to demographic or land-use changes) * Fiscal planning (long-term perspective, not short-term budgetary perspective) * Level-of-service changes

Question 317

Growth Management

Answer 317

Growth management began as a series of local policies, programs and regulations, based on comprehensive plans, to ensure the availability of services to meet the demands created by new development, as well as guide that development’s type, intensity, location, timing and quality. Roots in - 1970's Oregon’s establishment of Urban Growth Boundaries - series of 1970’s adequate public facilities court cases in New York (Ramapo) and California (Petaluma, Livermore), - Florida’s 1985 requirements for mandatory local government “smart growth” comprehensive plans containing anti-sprawl and concurrency provisions. The basic goal for growth management is encouraging well planned development in community desired locations where adequate public facilities can be efficiently and timely planned for, while discouraging it in areas the community desires to remain less developed due to its characteristics (e.g. prime agricultural lands, wetlands, historical battlefield) or lack of adequate infrastructure. It is not about stopping growth, but rather controlling it/incentivizing it to occur in well planned, appropriate locations.

Question 318

Concurrency

Answer 318

local government requirement that ensures new development impacts will have adequate public facilities and services available at the time of their new impacts (i.e. on stormwater, parks, schools, solid waste, water, sewer, road and mass transit facilities, etc.), based on locally adopted level-of-service standards

Question 319

Impact Fees

Answer 319

required fees paid (typically at the building permit stage) by new projects to pay for all or a portion of the additional costs of providing adequate public services and infrastructure to the new development

Question 320

Transfer of Development rights

Answer 320

voluntary, incentive-based development credits that allow landowners to sell the approved development rights from their land (sending area) to a developer or other interested party who then can use these rights to increase the density of development at a different, appropriate development location (receiving area)

Question 321

Purchase of development rights

Answer 321

voluntary, incentive based payment program in which government purchases the development rights from a landowner’s property, who retains private ownership and retains specified uses of the land, while placing the land in a perpetual conservation easement to permanently protect the land from development

Question 322

Urban Growth Boundary

Answer 322

community established boundary set to control urban sprawl by designating the area inside the boundary for urban development, and by restricting from urban development the area (and often restricting the provision of public infrastructure and services) outside the boundary in order to better ensure that those lands remain for rural and agriculture uses, while protecting natural systems

Question 323

Cluster Zoning

Answer 323

zoning method that allows approved density (perhaps with a bonus) to be clustered on a smaller portion of a site, in exchange for protection of the nondevelopment area

Question 324

Down zoning

Answer 324

zoning method that allows an area of land to be rezoned to a land use that is less dense and less developed than its previously approved land use

Question 325

Jobs/Housing Linkage

Answer 325

links new economic development jobs to the required construction and maintenance of affordable housing

Question 326

Building Permit Cap

Answer 326

legal limit on the number of building permits that can be authorized within all or part of a jurisdiction during a specified timeframe (e.g. Rate of Growth Ordinance – ROGO – in the Florida Keys)

Question 327

Smart Growth

Answer 327

Smart growth is a particular form of growth management that focuses on sprawl prevention, the provision of efficient services, the planning to create well planned developments, and environmental protection. “Smart Growth as that which supports choice and opportunity by promoting efficient and sustainable land development, incorporates redevelopment patterns that optimize prior infrastructure investments, and consumes less land that is otherwise available for agriculture, open space, natural systems, and rural lifestyles”. Smart growth advocates compact, walkable, bicycle-friendly, transit-oriented land uses, including mixed-use development with a range of housing choices and neighborhood schools.

Question 328

The ten general principles of smart growth

Answer 328

1. Having a mix of land uses 2. Taking advantage of compact design 3. Creating a range of housing opportunities and choices 4. Creating walkable neighborhoods 5. Fostering distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place 6. Preserving open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas 7. Directing development towards existing communities 8. Providing a variety of transportation choices 9. Making development decisions predictable, fair, and cost effective 10. Encouraging community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions

Question 329

Regional Planning

Answer 329

Regional planning is defined by planning for an area’s common geography, economic connections, transportation or shared cultural heritage, for an area larger than an individual city or town. The exact coverage of regional planning varies greatly in the U.S., including both multi-state and sub-state regional areas for issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries such as air quality, transportation, tourism, economic interests and water management.

Question 330

What is the rationale for regional planning

Answer 330

* Provision of technical assistance to local governments. * Maintenance of forum for exploring and resolving intergovernmental issues. * Development of regional plans to guide, direct, and/or coordinate local planning. * Articulation of local interests and perspectives to other levels of government. * Establishment of two-way conduit between local governments and other agencies.

Question 331

Patrick Geddes

Answer 331

- Scottish biologist - the “Father of Regional Planning” - the “Valley Section,” 1909, a regional planning model that portrayed how human activities such as hunting, mining, or fishing help determine the patterns of regional human settlement across the landscape. - “Cities in Evolution” 1915 book, introduced the concept of "region" to architecture, and established his concept of the city as an instrument of evolution, and began his promotion of regional planning.

Question 332

Rural-to-Urban transect

Answer 332

- New Urbanist Andres Duany - influenced by Geddes' "Valley Section" theory - used to form the basic of form-based codes such as the SmartCode 1. Natural Zone, 2. Rural Zone, 3. Sub-Urban Zone, 4. General Urban Zone, 5. Urban Center Zone, 6. Urban Core Zone

Question 333

The Regional Planning Association of America

Answer 333

- Lewis Mumford, Clarence Stein, Benton MacKaye, Alexander Bing, and Henry Wright formed the Regional Planning Association of America. - (1923–1933) - had a significant impact on U.S. city and regional planning. - Their efforts influenced the New Deal of the 1930’s (e.g. Tennessee Valley Authority); the new town proposals of the 1960’s and 1970’s; and the new urbanism movement of the 1990’s.

Question 334

Early regional planning efforts

Answer 334

* 1902 – creation of Boston Metropolitan Improvement Commission * 1909 – Plan of Chicago, which contained regional proposals for parks and transportation * 1913 – Pennsylvania Suburban Metropolitan Planning Commission * 1921-1929 – Regional Plan for New York and Environs, with region-wide proposals for transportation, land use, and public facilities * 1923-1933 - the Regional Planning Association of America. * 1923 – first state enabling legislation for regional planning commissions (Ohio) * 1928 - Standard City Planning Enabling Act, which contained model legislation for regional planning

Question 335

States have authorized/accommodated the establishment of the regional planning agencies through:

Answer 335

* Statewide enabling laws (e.g. Florida’s regional planning councils or Michigan councils of government) * Specific area enabling laws (e.g. California Coastal Commission) * Interstate Compact/federal partnerships (Appalachian Regional Commission; Coastal Zone Management)

Question 336

1962 Federal Highway Act

Answer 336

required the formation of a regional, metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for all urbanized areas with a population greater than 50,000 in order to plan, receive and distribute federal transportation funds.

Question 337

Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954

Answer 337

provided federal funding for comprehensive planning by metropolitan planning agencies, as well as by small cities with a population of less than 25,000.

Question 338

Port Authority of New York & New Jersey

Answer 338

The need for multi-state planning to adequately address cross-state commuting patterns is obvious today, but it was actually a New Jersey-New York legal fight over rail freight that resulted in the 1921 interstate compact that established the first interstate port authority in the U.S. (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey). Besides operating many of the regional seaports, the Port Authority operates Hudson River crossings, a bus terminal, rail system and several airports, including JFK and LaGuardia. The Port Authority also owns the World Trade Center site.

Question 339

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Answer 339

Established in 1967 by Congressional approved Interstate Compact between DC, Maryland, and Virginia, the authority provides rapid transit service, fixed-route bus service, and paratransit service to the regional area; coordinates with other public and private agencies within its jurisdiction; and participates in regional transportation planning.

Question 340

Multi-State Highway Transportation Agreement

Answer 340

1981 - Agreement involving ten western states. This agreement addresses interstate coordination on a variety of highway-related issues including uniform truck operation standards, inter-modal transportation network development, air quality compliance, highway safety, and regional trade.

Question 341

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

Answer 341

was sponsored in 1933 during Roosevelt’s New Deal by Senator Norris of Nebraska to provide flood control, navigation, power generation, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly hard hit during the Great Depression. Today, it serves the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Question 342

Hoover Dam

Answer 342

The Hoover Dam is built on the Colorado River and lies on the border between Arizona and Nevada. The dam provides municipal and irrigation water throughout the region (AZ, CA, CO, NV, NM, UT, and WY), helps control regional flooding, and produces hydroelectric power for a three state area.

Question 343

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

Answer 343

formed in 1969 through an interstate compact between California and Nevada, subsequently ratified by Congress. The Tahoe RPA protects Lake Tahoe and its basin through land-use regulations and a capital improvements program.

Question 344

Chesapeake Bay Agreement

Answer 344

The 1983 Chesapeake Bay agreement was signed by the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the District of Columbia, EPA, and by the Chesapeake Bay Commission to mutually address and plan for the pollution affecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Subsequently, the headwater states of Delaware, New York and West Virginia also signed on to the agreement.

Question 345

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact

Answer 345

The 2008 interstate compact between Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to manage the use of the Great Lakes Basin's water supply. The compact is part of a larger international agreement with the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec that addresses the region’s water resource management.

Question 346

The Appalachian Regional Commission

Answer 346

is a federal, state and local government partnership initially formed in 1963 to create economic development in Appalachia in order to increase job opportunities, build regional infrastructure, and raise per capita income in Appalachia to parity with the rest of the nation. It includes 420 counties, 13 states and 8 independent cities, and is essentially a planning, research, advocacy and funding organization.

Question 347

The Delta Regional Authority

Answer 347

is a federal-state partnership established by Congress in 2000 to enhance economic development in the Mississippi Delta region. It includes 252 counties and parishes across eight states from southern Illinois to Mississippi in the most distressed areas of the country.

Question 348

The Multi-State Regional Tourism Entrepreneurship Project

Answer 348

is a 2012 effort to help stimulate tourism-related businesses in the four state region east of Yellowstone National Park to the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota. The Project is funded with private, state and national economic development funds and is guided by the four states, EDA & Tribal representatives.

Question 349

Special Districts

Answer 349

Special Districts are usually independent units of local government, typically created by referendum, legislation or court action, that are created to perform specific governmental functions that can function from the local to sub-state regional level. These governmental roles can run the gamut from planning and operating transportation facilities (i.e. airports, water ports, highways, mass transit, parking facilities) to providing services (fire protection, libraries, cemeteries, hospitals, irrigation/water supply, power, sewage & solid waste management) to constructing recreation facilities or ensuring environmental protection (e.g. South Florida Water Management District, which is responsible for Everglades restoration). Special district are usually separately run from local governments, often with their own funding or taxing authority, and in extreme cases, can even be provided with the legal authority to independently function as their own local government (e.g. Reedy Creek Improvement District, which is Disney World). It is estimated that there are more than 39,000 independent special districts in the U.S.

Question 350

Adirondacks Park Agency

Answer 350

Created in 1971 by the New York State Legislature to develop long-range land use plans for both public and private lands within the boundary of the 6.1 million acre park

Question 351

New Jersey Pinelands Commission

Answer 351

The Commission is an independent state agency established in 1979 to implement a regional comprehensive plan that guides land use, development and natural resource protection programs in the 938,000-acre Pinelands Area of southern New Jersey.

Question 352

California Coastal Commission

Answer 352

was established by voter initiative in 1972, was later made permanent by the Legislature through adoption of the California Coastal Act of 1976, and in partnership with coastal cities and counties, regulates the use of land and water in the California coastal zone.

Question 353

ISSUE BASED REGIONAL PLANNING

Answer 353

o Economic Development – e.g. Silicon Valley o Air Quality – South East Coast Air Quality Management District (Southern California) o Tourism – e.g. New York Finger Lakes wine region; California Wine Country o Transportation – San Francisco Regional Transportation Plan o Climate Change – SE Florida Regional Climate Compact (Regional Climate Action Plan)

Question 354

Coastal Management Act (1972)

Answer 354

- passed under president Nixon - administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) -voluntary partnership between the federal government and individual U.S. coastal states, Great Lakes states and territories to address national coastal issues. - Currently, all coastal states, Great Lake states, and U.S. territories and commonwealths, have developed coastal management programs approved by the Secretary of Commerce that oversees NOAA.

Question 355

The key elements of the Coastal Zone Management program include:

Answer 355

Protecting natural resources * Managing development in high hazard areas * Giving development priority to coastal-dependent uses * Providing public access for recreation * Prioritizing water-dependent uses * Coordinating state and federal actions.

Question 356

Federal Consistency

Answer 356

is the requirement that Federal actions that affect any land, water, or natural resource of a state’s coastal zone must be consistent with the enforceable policies of the state. Federal Consistency allows states to review: * Activities conducted by or on behalf of a federal government agency * Federal licenses or permits * Permits issued under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for offshore minerals exploration or development * Federally funded activities

Question 357

The 1934 Indian Reorganization Act

Answer 357

secured the remaining Indian lands into federal trust status and encouraged the development of tribal governments and tribal constitutions.

Question 358

Federally recognized tribes

Answer 358

the 573 “Federally recognized tribes” are generally considered sovereign nations and have a formal nation-to nation relationship with the US government. Such tribal governments maintain the power to determine their own governance structures (often tribal councils), pass laws, and enforce laws through tribal police departments and tribal courts on 326 reservations. Reservation lands and trust lands (i.e. land owned by an individual Indian or a tribe for which the title is held in trust by the federal government) are independent from state and local jurisdiction, taxation, planning and regulations, but are subject to federal laws and jurisdiction.

Question 359

Additionally, tribes are considered a minority population for environmental justice purposes under the National Environmental Pollution Act (NEPA), and federal actions and permits must access the degree to which tribal populations and their material or resource subsidence use is disproportionately affected by those federal decisions.

Answer 359

Today, federal agencies must consult with tribal governments prior to taking actions that affect federally recognized tribes, and must assess the impact of plans, projects, on tribal trust resources and assure that tribal rights and concerns are considered.

Question 360

Unitary land use ordinance or unified land development codes

Answer 360

This document consolidates the authority, standards, and procedures of both zoning and subdivision regulations into one ordinance

Question 361

allowed or permitted uses

Answer 361

Three typical categories of allowed uses are principle uses, allowed by right; accessory uses, permitted only as uses incidental to the principle use; and special uses, allowed by exception or special review. These special or conditional uses require site plan approval, usually granted with conditions imposed

Question 362

conditional uses

Answer 362

Although conditional uses require adherence to procedures and the adoption of findings, on the one hand, the flexibility and discretion they afford may create relatively high legal exposure uneven review and application, and long processing times. On the other hand, conditional use review provides opportunity for community comment and higher quality of building and site design

Question 363

nonconforming uses

Answer 363

Legally established under zoning regulations in effect at the time of their creation, nonconformities result from changes to zoning ordinances. In older cities, for example, existing commercial uses in neighborhoods subsequently zoned residential can remain as legal nonconforming uses as long as they operate without substantial expansion or prolonged interruption, both commonly prohibited. Once operation is discontinued past a specified period, the commercial use loses its nonconforming status and future uses must conform to the residential zoning

Question 364

Cumulative or pyramid zoning

Answer 364

the common practice of having permitted uses automatically accumulate from one district to each successive one. It assumes that some land use categories deserve more protection than others. The single family detached residence is presumed superior, having the least potentially objectionable impact.

Question 365

Exclusive classification

Answer 365

seeks to prevent potential problems by allowing no uses in districts other than the uses for which they were created. Exclusivity has two justifications: I), land for various dwelling types or densities can reasonably be zoned on a mutually exclusive basis; and 2) the type of development in each district can be anticipated, planned, and accommodated with mutual protection from encroachment by other districts

Question 366

Performance standards

Answer 366

They establish objective thresholds or minimum requirements and maximum limits on the effects or characteristics of a use. Instead of (or in addition to) specifying a traditional list of industrial uses allowed in a district, for example, the zoning ordinance with performance standards describes the allowable amount of smoke, odor, noise, heat, vibration, and, glare.

Question 367

Planned Unit Development (PUD)

Answer 367

These private sector developers of PUD merged zoning and subdivision procedures into a single, sequential development review process. In addition to diversity in use, the PUD allows flexibility in density and dimensional requirements. Thus, site design can include clustered housing and common open space and address environmental conditions that probably would not be considered with traditional zoning. Flexibility can be achieved only if a large tract is planned and developed as a unit. The PUD is appealing because it emphasizes planning. It is usually included in the zoning ordinance as either a separate PUD zone or an overlay of requirements in addition to those imposed by the basic or underlying zoning.

Question 368

Overlay zones

Answer 368

superposed over zoning districts to establish additional requirements or permissions. Typical zoning overlays apply to natural resources and hazards, historic preservation, design review, economic development, recreation, transit, and specific master, area, village or resort plans.

Question 369

enterprise overlay

Answer 369

In a central business district may allow uses, parking waivers, and floor area ratios not allowed elsewhere in the same district.

Question 370

corridor overlay

Answer 370

A major roadway, for example, may have an urban corridor overlay that establishes special requirements for landscape, signs, and site plan review. Its underlying commercial district classification would specify use and other standards.

Question 371

Incentive zoning

Answer 371

Additional floor area and higher density are typical inducements offered in incentive zoning. Cities with strong development markets often use these regulations to encourage development that exceeds minimum standards. In exchange for a density bonus, for example, a developer must provide additional on site or off site amenities such as a pedestrian arcade, public art, or affordable housing.

Question 372

transferable development rights (TDRs)

Answer 372

provided in some zoning ordinances provide greater zoning entitlement to property owners with limited development rights who purchase additional rights from other property owners. The site of an historic landmark building, for example, may have limited development potential that may allow its owner to use TDRs.

Question 373

In zoning, how do large multifamily housing complexes, planned unit developments and mixed use zones usually specify residential intensity?

Answer 373

Dwelling unit / acre

Question 374

FAR

Answer 374

FAR relates the area of built floor space to the site area.

Question 375

What is the difference between gross land area and net land area?

Answer 375

Gross land area includes the entire site, and net land area includes the entire site minus undevelopable land such as streets.

Question 376

Bulk requirements

Answer 376

Traditional bulk requirements specify the shape of the lot and a three dimensional area into which the building must fit. These design specifications include front yard setback, rear yard setback, side yard setback, and building height limit.

Question 377

which standards are often the most complex in a zoning ordinance?

Answer 377

Miscellaneous requirements in zoning ordinances commonly apply to parking, signs, and landscaping. Since they pertain to a wide variety of uses, these standards are often the most complex in a zoning ordinance. Signs especially present a regulatory challenge. Often at issue are the individual rights of free speech versus the collective rights of environmental regulation

Question 378

What is the governing bodies role in administering zoning?

Answer 378

The governing body, called variously the city council, board of county commissioners, board of supervisors, town board, or board of freeholders, is the local legislative branch which has most of the power and responsibility for zoning decisions

Question 379

What is the Planning Commission's role in administering zoning?

Answer 379

The appointed planning commission is typically advisory to the governing body on zoning matters, although it often has direct or even final authority in the adoption of master plans and the review of subdivisions.

Question 380

what is the Board of Adjustment or Appeals role in administering zoning?

Answer 380

This board, appointed by elected officials, commonly considers requests for variances or exceptions to zoning standards. In some states the board of adjustment also interprets unclear provisions of the zoning ordinance and considers appeals from administrative actions, such as denial of a building permit for a zoning related reason.

Question 381

Variances

Answer 381

involve minor deviations from specific requirements, most commonly bulk. They typically refer to hardship inherent in the physical characteristics of the land, although they often are misconstrued as alleviation of financial hardship

Question 382

What is the role of planning staff in administering zoning?

Answer 382

planning staff supports the governing body, planning commission, and zoning board in their zoning functions. Staff manages all aspects of zoning administration, including Revision, implementation, and enforcement. It performs project reviews and provides information to the other three groups as well as to the public. Before a building permit can be issued, staff reviews the proposed structure to ensure that it complies with all zoning requirements.

Question 383

Rezonings

Answer 383

Rezonings or map amendments allow changes to zoning district boundaries or classifications. They occur when a property owner or local government initiates a change. Rezonings are a common occurrence in many communities.

Question 384

Zoning Text or Code amendments

Answer 384

Text or Code amendments are changes in, additions to, or repeals of standards, procedures, provisions, or definitions. Both the zoning ordinance and map are legislative acts, and they require additional legislative action to be changed. Hence the governing body plays a pivotal role in zoning.

Question 385

The Standard State Zoning Enabling Act provided the basic rezoning process:

Answer 385

1) submission of application; 2) staff review; 3) notice of planning commission public hearing; 4) preparation of staff report; 5) planning commission hearing; 6) planning commission recommendation; 7) forwarding of commission action to governing body; 8) notice of governing body public hearing; 9) governing body hearing; and 10) governing body action

Question 386

consistency requirement for rezonings

Answer 386

the majority of states do not mandate local comprehensive planning and consistency between plans and development regulations.Courts in some states have ruled that the rezoning is a quasi-judicial action that must be based on facts determined from the record. record. A minority of states, led by California, Oregon, and Florida, have changed their enabling laws to limit the legislative discretion of local governments in rezonings. They have mandated that local governments adopt a comprehensive plan and development regulations which are consistent with it. This consistency requirement involves a detailed process of zoning conformance. It applies to both the zoning ordinance and the zoning map. Rezonings must comply with the comprehensive plan.

Question 387

Zoning hearing masters

Answer 387

Some communities appoint a zoning hearing master or examiner to preside over rezoning proceedings treated as quasi-judicial actions. Zoning hearing masters conduct public hearings according to specific rules of order and evidence. They call and question witnesses, who give testimony under oath. Zoning hearing masters make recommendations which include a summary of evidence presented, findings of fact, and conclusions of law. In states like Florida with mandated comprehensive planning, the recommendation to either approve or deny a rezoning also includes a finding of compliance with the community's comprehensive plan.

Question 388

Transportation Planning

Answer 388

"improving coordination between land use and transportation system planning; providing cooperative interaction between planning, design, and operation of transportation services; maintaining a balance between transportation-related energy use, clean air and water, and encouraging alternative modes of transportation that will enhance efficiency while providing high levels of mobility and safety.”

Question 389

Subdivision

Answer 389

subdivision is the process of splitting a tract of land into smaller parcels or lots and subdivision regulations control and record the process of subdividing

Question 390

What is the purpose of subdivision regulation?

Answer 390

The creation and preservation of land records through platting or mapping to ensure that developers properly design and construct new neighborhoods. Local governments have a stake in good subdivision because they often have future responsibility for maintenance and operation of the infrastructure provided by the developer

Question 391

Evolution of subdivision regulations

Answer 391

1) establishment of land recordation; 2) publication in 1928 of the Standard City Planning Enabling Act and subsequent state adoption of subdivision enabling legislation which instituted local design and construction standards for lots and improvements; 3) imposition of compulsory dedication requirements on subdividers or of money in lieu of land dedication; 4) use of impact fees or developers' prorated share of the costs of providing both on and off site public facilities; 5) institution of growth management controls such as an adequate public facilities test

Question 392

What are the three basic elements of subdivision requirements?

Answer 392

1. Plat 2. design, construction, or improvement standards 3. exactions

Question 393

Plat

Answer 393

the vehicle for conveying information about the proposed development. The subdivision developer submits a plat or map which shows the location and boundaries of streets, lots or parcels, and other information pertinent to a site which is subject to a common development or sales plan.

Question 394

Design, construction, improvement standards in subdivision regulation

Answer 394

establish the specifics of how streets, lots, and other public improvements are to be built

Question 395

Exactions

Answer 395

specify the subdividers' responsibilities for financing the public improvements associated with the development. Land dedication and fees in lieu of dedication are examples of exactions

Question 396

Subdivision review encounters two common layout problems:

Answer 396

1. the desirability of connecting new streets to existing or proposed streets in the surrounding area. typically involves a stubout street which has a temporary dead end at the property line in order to connect to future streets. Local governments usually favor this approach but developers and home buyers often prefer the privacy afforded by a shorter street terminating in a permanent cul-de-sac or turnaround. 2. the subdivision of land along major collector or arterial streets. The problem occurs because streets that carry heavy traffic do not provide safe and easy access to residential lots. Many subdivision ordinances require the subdivider to orient the lots to interior streets and buffer them with deeper than normal sizes or landscaping, or to provide a non-access easement or a marginal access road along the collector or artery

Question 397

Improvement standards

Answer 397

Lot size and other related standards generally appear in the zoning ordinance, and subdivision regulations refer to these. Subdivision regulations sometimes scale standards associated with public improvements to the slope and topography of the land, as well as to lot size and frontage, number of lots, and development density. In specifying standards for streets, subdivision regulations often refer to the community's street classification system and its adopted thoroughfare or major street plan. In addition to applying to streets and related items such as curbs and gutters, improvement standards in subdivision regulations commonly pertain to water supply, sewage disposal, stormwater and erosion control, and miscellaneous utilities like gas and electricity. Other subdivision requirements imposed on developers are the provision of survey monuments and street signs. Some subdivision regulations also address clustered and manufactured housing, although zoning ordinances generally deal with these.

Question 398

Specifications are the common expression of standards for public improvements

Answer 398

They may be fixed or flexible. The regulations may specify a paving material for streets, for example, or they may allow the developer to choose from a variety of adequate materials. Like zoning, subdivision regulations sometimes define the standard of performance which the improvement must meet and then allow the developer to use any material or design that meets the stated result. Basic principles which guide street widths and patterns, intersection spacing, and pedestrian ways appear in subdivision regulations

Question 399

cartway

Answer 399

the traveled portion of the right of way adequate street standards address four issues: how much traffic is expected; whether on street parking is necessary (a key issue), whether curbs are desirable: and whether snow is stored in the cartway. In addition to accommodating the cartway, the street right of way generally holds utility lines, street lights, street trees, sidewalks, and traffic signs

Question 400

How do local governments meet the substantial costs of providing new roads, schools, and other public facilities for subdivision/

Answer 400

- mandatory dedications of land for particular purposes (roads, schools, parks) - fees in lieu of mandatory dedication - impact fees

Question 401

Who constructs the infrastructure in subdivisions?

Answer 401

The subdivision developer does. typically, these improvements serve the public or connect to public systems, most subdivision regulations require subdividers to dedicate or donate the improved land to the public interest.

Question 402

fees in lieu

Answer 402

Fees in lieu, typically used as an alternative to the dedication of park and school sites, are payments representing the value of the site or improvement that would have been dedicated or provided. Their advantage is that they allow local governments to pool fees from various subdivisions to finance facilities like offsite schools and parks. However, fees in lieu may only fund facilities for which on site dedication is required under local subdivision authority. Developers pay fees in lieu before and as a condition of final plat approval. Constitutional tests dictate that local governments place fees in lieu in funds earmarked by purpose and geographic area.

Question 403

Impact Fees

Answer 403

Impact fee systems are similar conceptually and functionally to fees in lieu but they have two differences in addition to proportionate cost sharing. First, impact fees can fund a broader range of facilities, including intersection improvements, public buildings, and public services such as police and fire. Second, because impact fees commonly are imposed on a per unit rather than a build out basis they are more flexible; that is, they do not require developers to pay large upfront costs. The courts have required nexus (rational connection) between the amount of the impact fee and the need for facilities generated by the new development. A valid impact fee system includes five elements: 1) calculation of acquisition and construction costs for public improvements necessary over a specified, usually long range, period: 2) specification of the distribution of costs pro rata to new development based on the relative facility demand generated by different land use types and/or amounts of development: 3) allocation of costs to particular development projects; 4) collection of fees into trust or capital improvements funds earmarked by type, location, and development served, and 5) expenditure on facilities, typically required within the period of the current fiscal year and capital improvements program period

Question 404

How can local governments legally adopt impact fees?

Answer 404

State Impact Fee Enabling Legislation: By 1994, twenty states had adopted this special legislation to codify principles of constitutional law and to ensure that local governments treat developers fairly and consistently. Absent enabling legislation, however, local governments may adopt impact fees based on their police power, home rule power, and even on standard planning, zoning, and subdivision enabling legislation.

Question 405

adequate public facilities ordinance

Answer 405

Adequate public facilities ordinances require that development proposals meet an adequacy test for specified public facilities which may include major roadways, water supply, stormwater drainage, sewage treatment, parks, schools, and police and fire protection.

Question 406

Exaction

Answer 406

Who pays for subdivision improvements is fundamental to subdivision regulation. To meet the substantial costs of providing new roads, schools, and other public facilities, local governments have required developers to construct, contribute, and fund public improvements as a condition of development approval. Commonly these exactions are in the form of mandatory dedications of land for roads, schools, or parks, fees in lieu of mandatory dedication, or impact fees

Question 407

Concurrency

Answer 407

the requirement that public facilities and services be adequate to meet the needs of new development is called concurrency (adequate facilities and services be available concurrent with the impacts of development).

Question 408

urban growth boundaries,

Answer 408

which communities like Boulder, Colorado have established around themselves to define the limits of growth. Boulder also has enacted a rate of growth program. This type of growth control regulates the rate of growth by establishing an annual or total limit on new dwelling units or building or development permits.

Question 409

service area boundaries or lines

Answer 409

Some communities establish service area boundaries which demarcate areas in which they will encourage urban development by providing public facilities and services during a specified planning period.

Question 410

Who administers subdivision review?

Answer 410

A variety of organizational arrangements characterize local governmental review of subdivisions. Most arrangements involve the planning commission or governing body. In some communities the planning board approves subdivision plats; in others the governing body must authorize subdivision. Staff often plays an important role because subdivision plat review is technical.

Question 411

Subdivision review comprises three steps:

Answer 411

1) preapplication or early consultation between developers and staff to clarify the proposal; 2) preliminary plat review, in which departments and agencies receive plats, make recommendations, and present comments at technical review committees, and the planning or governing board approves, approves with conditions, or denies the plat; and 3. final plat approval which allows review of the record plat, improvements built to date, and any restrictive covenants and maintenance agreements After the plat approval agency gives final approval, the subdivider records the plat in the registrar of deeds office. Only after recordation can developers sell lots and attain building permits. They often, however, can begin to construct improvements after preliminary plat review. Some of the improvements may be completed after final plat approval if the developer has provided guaranteed performance or a financial guarantee that the improvements will be completed. Many local governments give final subdivision plat approval only if the subdivider posts some form of security

Question 412

Sustainability

Answer 412

Sustainability means improving the quality of people’s lives while living within the capacities of supporting natural and human systems.

Question 413

Six Principles and Standards for sustainability in Comprehensive Plans

Answer 413

1. Livable built environment 2. Harmony with nature 3. Resilient Economy 4. Interwoven equity 5. Healthy Community 6. Responsible Regionalism

Question 414

Livable Built Environment

Answer 414

Ensure that all elements of the built environment, including land use, transportation, housing, energy, and infrastructure, work together to provide sustainable, green places for living, working, and recreation, with a high quality of life.

Question 415

Harmony with Nature

Answer 415

Ensure that the contributions of natural resources to human wellbeing are explicitly recognized and valued and that maintaining their health is a primary objective.

Question 416

Resilient Economy

Answer 416

Ensure that the community is prepared to deal with both positive and negative changes in its economic health and to initiate sustainable urban development and redevelopment strategies that foster green business growth and build reliance on local assets.

Question 417

Interwoven Equity

Answer 417

Ensure fairness and equity in providing for the housing, services, health, safety, and livelihood needs of all citizens and groups.

Question 418

Healthy Community

Answer 418

Ensure that public health needs are recognized and addressed through provisions for healthy foods, physical activity, access to recreation, health care, environmental justice, and safe neighborhoods.

Question 419

Responsible Regionalism

Answer 419

Ensure that all local proposals account for, connect with, and support the plans of adjacent jurisdictions and the surrounding region.

Question 420

Triple Bottom Line (TBL)

Answer 420

The “triple bottom line” (TBL) is one more way of defining sustainability. Just as businesses use the bottom line for accounting (how much money are they making or losing), TBL as an accounting approach can be expanded to ensure that the key measures of sustainability, people/social equity and planet/environment, are as important as prosperity/profit. Environmental Economic Equity

Question 421

Zombie subdivisions

Answer 421

Zombie subdivisions are unfinished housing developments with at least some infrastructure in place that were left unfinished after the housing bubble burst. Some are empty, but others are partially inhabited, requiring the delivery of public services to remote neighborhoods that generate very little tax revenue. Such lots can also pose health and safety issues from wildfires, flooding, erosion, water contamination, and poor emergency access. They are prime candidates for additional planning efforts for communities seeking to regulate unfinished subdivisions; take advantage of the already built, under-utilized, infrastructure; or to support rezoning lands to limit the number of potential residential development entitlements.

Question 422

Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956

Answer 422

Interstate System In 1956 Congress declared it to be essential to the national interest to provide for the early completion of the "National System of Interstate Highways". On June 29, 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The bill created a 41,000-mile “National System of Interstate and Defense Highways” and funding sources that would, according to Eisenhower, eliminate unsafe roads, inefficient routes, traffic jams and all of the other things that got in the way of “speedy, safe transcontinental travel.”

Question 423

Highway Revenue Act of 1956

Answer 423

Highway Trust Fund The Highway Trust Fund, the source of tax revenue for the interstate highway system and other federal-aid highway programs, was created by the Highway Revenue Act of 1956. The motor fuel tax is the best known highway user tax.

Question 424

Federal Aid Act of 1962

Answer 424

Founding of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962 created the federal requirement for urban transportation planning largely in response to the construction of the Interstate Highway System and the planning of routes through and around urban areas. The Act required, as a condition attached to federal transportation financial assistance, that transportation projects in urbanized areas of 50,000 or more in population be based on a continuing, comprehensive, urban transportation planning process undertaken cooperatively by the states and local governments — hence Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) quickly came into being because of the growing momentum of the highway program and the federal financing of the planning process.

Question 425

Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA)

Answer 425

One of ISTEA's chief goals was to develop a "National Intermodal Transportation System that is economically efficient and environmentally sound, provides the foundation for the nation to compete in the global economy, and will move people and goods in an energy efficient manner." Instead of focusing on just highway transportation, ISTEA emphasized inter-modalism - the seamless linking of highway, rail, air, and marine transportation. The act included many provisions designed to chip away barriers that had separated modes of transportation in legislation and practice for many years.

Question 426

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21)

Answer 426

This 1998 landmark Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century affirmed then President Clinton’s key priorities: improving safety, protecting public health and the environment, and creating opportunity for all Americans. It provides record levels of investment to continue rebuilding America’s highways and transit systems, doing so within a balanced budget and without cutting education, Social Security, and other vital Presidential priorities. Key goals included rebuilding America, improving safety, protecting the environment, and creating opportunity.

Question 427

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A legacy for Users (SAFTELU)

Answer 427

SAFETEA-LU focused on the many challenges facing our transportation system in 2005 – challenges such as improving safety, reducing traffic congestion, improving efficiency in freight movement, increasing intermodal connectivity, and protecting the environment. SAFETEA-LU promoted more efficient and effective Federal surface transportation programs by focusing on transportation issues of national significance, while giving State and local transportation decision makers more flexibility for solving transportation problems in their communities.

Question 428

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21)

Answer 428

MAP-21 was signed into law by President Obama on July 6, 2012. MAP-21 was a milestone for the U.S. economy and the Nation’s surface transportation program. By transforming the policy and programmatic framework for investments to guide the system’s growth and development, MAP-21 created a streamlined and performance-based surface transportation program and built on many of the highway, transit, bike, and pedestrian programs and policies established in 1991.

Question 429

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act)

Answer 429

On December 4, 2015, then President Obama signed the FAST Act into law. The FAST Act maintained focus on safety, kept intact the established structure of the various highway related programs, continued efforts to streamline project delivery and, for the first time, provides a dedicated source of federal dollars for freight projects.

Question 430

How is funding for transportation managed/

Answer 430

Most federal funds are authorized for different categories, such as public transit, national highways and transportation alternatives. These pots of funding are then distributed to states or transit agencies through congressionally mandated formulas. A portion of each state’s funds is targeted directly to metropolitan areas through a process called “sub-allocation.” Although the share of dollars exclusively within an MPO’s purview is small, there are two key avenues for shaping how money gets spent in your region: 1) by making the most of the flexibility available in federal dollars, and 2) by using MPO authority to set criteria for prioritizing projects.

Question 431

What are key funding sources for the federal surface transportaiton program?

Answer 431

Title 23: The highway program - Surface Transportation Program (STP) - Congestion mitigation and air quality program (CMAQ) - Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Title 49: The transit program The 2012 update to the federal program known as MAP-21 allows MPOs and DOTs to transfer formula funds from the highway to the transit program.

Question 432

accessibility

Answer 432

people's ability to reach desire services and activities

Question 433

mobility

Answer 433

the amount and type of travel activity

Question 434

Traffic Analysis

Answer 434

is the process of evaluating the effect of traffic demand and supply on the performance of a transportation facility in relation to meeting goals and objective of the facility demand is the amount of traffic load that intends to use the facility supply is the capacity of the facility to handle the demand

Question 435

Travel Demand Modeling

Answer 435

including the demand forecasting procedure for future year analysis and includes the design year, interim years, and opening year for traffic analysis.

Question 436

the “four-step process” used for regional transportation planning analysis.

Answer 436

1. Trip generation (the number of trips to be made); 2. Trip distribution (where those trips go); 3. Mode choice/split (how the trips will be divided among the available modes of travel); and 4. Trip assignment (predicting the route trips will take).

Question 437

Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZs)

Answer 437

TAZs are the basic geographic unit for inventorying demographic data and land use within a study area. The zones represent the origins and destinations of travel activity within the region. TAZs are a major component of the methodology used for travel demand modeling analysis. (USDOT/FHWA)

Question 438

Functional Classification

Answer 438

Federal functional classification began with the passage of the Federal Aid Act of 1921. Subsequently, the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1973 mandated the realignment of federal aid roads 186 on the basis of a standardized functional classification system. This process remains in effect today. Functional classification is the process by which streets and highways are grouped into classes, or systems, according to the character of service they are intended to provide. All functional classification categories now exist in both urban and rural areas and include: 1. Principal Arterial 2. Minor Arterial 3. Collector 4. Local

Question 439

Principal Arterial

Answer 439

High Capacity Roadways that serve to carry longer-distance flows between important centers of activity) i. Interstate ii. Other freeways and expressways iii. Other

Question 440

Collector

Answer 440

(Low to Moderate Capacity Roadways) i. Major collector ii. Minor collector

Question 441

Local

Answer 441

These roads have the lowest capacity and speed limit, and carry low volumes of traffic.

Question 442

Level of Service

Answer 442

Level of Service refers to the speed, convenience, comfort and security of transportation facilities and services as experienced by users. Level- Of-Service (LOS) ratings, typically from A (best) to F (worst), are widely used in transportation planning to evaluate problems and potential solutions. The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) provides LOS measures, thresholds, and estimation procedures for auto, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian modes.

Question 443

How would you identify parking space requirements?

Answer 443

The standard approach to identifying parking space is typically the use of national parking requirement standards, either from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Urban Land Institute (ULI), or local land use code requirements. Standardized uses are identified with recommended space provisions as listed in the table below. Old paradigm: motorists should nearly always be able to easily find, convenient, free parking at every destination. Parking planning consists primarily of generous minimum parking requirements, with costs born indirectly, through taxes and building rents. New paradigm: parking facilities should be used efficiently, so parking lots at a particular destination may often fill (typically more than once a week), provided that alternative options are available nearby, and travelers have information on these options. This requires good walking conditions between parking facilities and the destinations they may serve. Parking planning can therefore include shared parking, parking pricing and regulations, parking user Information, and walkability improvements.”

Question 444

"The High Cost of Free PArking"

Answer 444

Donald Shoup, 2011 book argues how legally mandated parking found in our codes and regulations lowers the market price for parking thusly creating economic inefficiencies and a host of additional externalities resulting from subsidies parking. In the United States where 99% of all automobile trips end in a free parking space, Shoup estimated that the value of the free-parking subsidy to cars was at least $127 billion in 2002, and possibly much more.

Question 445

Transportation Control Measures (TCMs)

Answer 445

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, transportation control measures (TCMs) are strategies that reduce transportation-related air pollution, GHG emissions, and fuel use by reducing vehicle miles traveled and improving roadway operations. Vehicle use can be reduced through less-polluting transportation alternatives, such as public transit, and strategies that decrease the need for vehicle trips, such as telecommuting.

Question 446

Transportation Demand Management (TDM)

Answer 446

Transportation Demand Management (TDM, also called Mobility Management) is a general term for strategies that result in more efficient use of transportation resources. The strategies are far too numerous to go into detail here, but the “Online TDM Encyclopedia” developed by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute is an excellent resource. Examples include alternating work schedules to avoid peak hour trips, investments in transit, bicycling and walking facilities, supporting ride/bikeshare programs, and investments in Transit Oriented Development.

Question 447

Transportation System Management (TSM)

Answer 447

The North Central Texas Council of Governments identifies Transportation Systems Management (TSM) as an approach to congestion mitigation that seeks to identify improvements to enhance the capacity of existing system of an operational nature. Through better management and operation of existing transportation facilities, these techniques are designed to improve traffic flow, air quality, and movement of vehicles and goods, as well as enhance system accessibility and safety. Transportation systems management strategies are low-cost but effective in nature, which include, but are not limited to: 􀁸 Intersection and signal improvements 􀁸 Freeway bottleneck removal programs 􀁸 Data collection to monitor system performance 􀁸 Special events management strategies

Question 448

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

Answer 448

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America is dedicated to the advancement of intelligent transportation technologies aimed at saving lives, improving mobility, promoting sustainability and increasing efficiency and productivity in our transportation systems. By integrating advanced communication technologies into transportation infrastructure and vehicles the opportunity exists to improve our transportation systems dramatically. A few examples include: 􀁸 Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) 􀁸 Red Light Cameras (RLC) 􀁸 Traffic Signal Coordination (TSC) 􀁸 Transit Signal Priority (TSP 􀁸 Real Time Traveler Information Systems (TIS) 􀁸 Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)/Automated Driving Systems (ADS)

Question 449

Environmental Justice

Answer 449

Environmental justice is a public policy goal of ensuring that the adverse human health or environmental effects of government activities do not fall disproportionately upon minority populations or low-income populations.

Question 450

Assessed Valuation

Answer 450

is the dollar value assigned to a property to measure applicable taxes. Assessed valuation determines the value of a residence for tax purposes and takes comparable home sales and inspections into consideration. It is the price placed on a home by the corresponding government municipality to calculate property taxes. In general, the assessed value tends to be lower than the appraisal fair market value of property.

Question 451

Bearer Bond

Answer 451

is a fixed-income security that is owned by the holder (bearer), rather than a registered owner. Coupons for interest payments are physically attached to the security, and it is the bondholder's responsibility to submit the coupons to a bank for payment and redeem the physical certificate when the bond reaches the maturity date. As with registered bonds, bearer bonds are negotiable instruments with a stated maturity date and coupon interest rate. The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 ended the practice of issuing bearer bonds in the United States. Many other developed economies have also stopped issuing these bonds, because bearer bonds can be used for money laundering or tax evasion.

Question 452

Coupon Bond

Answer 452

is a type of bond that includes attached coupons and pays periodic (typically annual or semi-annual) interest payments during its lifetime and its par value at maturity. These bonds come with a coupon rate, which refers to the bond’s yield at the date of issuance. Bonds that have higher coupon rates offer investors higher yields on their investment. In the past, such bonds were issued in the form of bearer bonds. Now, physical versions of bonds are uncommon since most bonds are created electronically and do not come with physical certificates. Nevertheless, the term “coupon” is still used, but it merely refers to the bond’s nominal yield.

Question 453

Discount Rate

Answer 453

is the interest rate charged to commercial banks and other depository institutions on loans they receive from their regional Federal Reserve Bank's lending facility--the discount window. The Federal Reserve Banks offer three discount window programs to depository institutions: primary credit, secondary credit, and seasonal credit, each with its own interest rate. All discount window loans are fully secured.

Question 454

Face Value

Answer 454

is a financial term used to describe the nominal or dollar value of a security, as stated by its issuer. For stocks, the face value is the original cost of the stock, as listed on the certificate. For bonds, it is the amount paid to the holder at maturity, which is customarily $1,000. The face value for bonds is often referred to as "par value" or simply "par."

Question 455

Fair Market Value (FMV)

Answer 455

is the probable price at which a willing buyer will buy from a willing seller when both are unrelated, know the relevant facts, neither is under any compulsion to buy or sell, and all rights and benefit inherent in (or attributable to) the item must have been included in the transfer. Fair market value is generally the basis for tax assessment and court awards.

Question 456

Fixed Cost

Answer 456

is an expense or cost that does not change with an increase or decrease in the number of goods or services produced or sold. Fixed costs are expenses that have to be paid by a company, independent of any business activity. A fixed cost is an operating expense for a business that cannot be avoided regardless of the level of production or sales. Fixed costs are usually used in break-even analysis to determine pricing and the level of production and sales under which a company generates neither profit nor loss. Fixed costs and variable costs together make up the total cost structure of a company, which plays a key role in determining its profitability.

Question 457

General Obligation Bonds (GO Bonds)

Answer 457

are debt instruments issued by states and local governments to raise funds for public works. What makes GO bonds unique is that they are backed by the full faith and credit of the issuing municipality. This means that the municipality commits its full resources to paying bondholders, including general taxation and the ability to raise more funds through credit. The ability to back up bond payments with tax funds is what makes GO bonds distinct from revenue bonds, which are repaid using the revenue generated by the specific project the bonds are issued to fund (fees from a public parking garage, for example). GO bonds give municipalities a tool to raise funds for projects that will not provide direct sources of revenue--roads and bridges, parks and equipment, and the like. As a result, GO bonds are typically used to fund projects that will serve the entire community; revenue bonds, on the other hand, are used to fund projects that will serve specific populations, who provide revenue to repay the debt through user fees and use taxes.

Question 458

Highest and Best Use

Answer 458

fair value is determined based on the price at which an asset could theoretically be employed in its highest and best use, rather than the use in which the asset is currently employed. The highest and best use is subject to the following limitations: o Physically possible. The physical characteristics and location of the asset may limit its alternative uses. For example, machinery that is bolted into a concrete platform may be so immovable that any other potential highest and best uses are not possible. o Legally permissible. There may be legal restrictions on how an asset may be used, which bar certain alternative uses. For example, zoning regulations may prevent a plot of land in an industrial area from being used to construct high-rise residential apartments. o Financially feasible. The alternative use must incorporate the costs incurred to convert the asset to that use, while still producing investment returns.

Question 459

Industrial Revenue Bond (IRB)

Answer 459

are municipal debt securities issued by a government agency on behalf of a private sector company and intended to build or acquire factories or other heavy equipment and tools. IRBs were formerly called Industrial Development Bonds (IDB).

Question 460

Marginal Cost

Answer 460

is the increase or decrease in the total cost of a production run for making one additional unit of an item. It is computed in situations where the breakeven point has been reached: the fixed costs have already been absorbed by the already produced items and only the direct (variable) costs have to be accounted for. Marginal costs are variable costs consisting of labor and material costs, plus an estimated portion of fixed costs (such as administration overheads and selling expenses). In companies where average costs are fairly constant, marginal cost is usually equal to average cost. However, in industries that require heavy capital investment (automobile plants, airlines, mines) and have high average costs, it is comparatively very low.

Question 461

Par Value

Answer 461

is a per share amount that will appear on some stock certificates and in the corporation's articles of incorporation. Par value can also refer to an amount that appears on bond certificates. In the case of common stock the par value per share is usually a very small amount such as $0.10 or $0.01 and it has no connection to the market value of the share of stock. The par value is sometimes referred to as the common stock's legal capital. When a corporation's common or preferred stock has a par value, corporation's balance sheet will report the total par value of the shares issued for each class of stock. This will be shown as a separate amount in the paid-in capital or contributed capital section of stockholders' equity.

Question 462

Revenue Bond

Answer 462

is a municipal bond supported by the revenue from a specific project, such as a toll bridge, highway or water or sewer utility. Revenue bonds are municipal bonds that finance income-producing projects and are secured by a specified revenue source. Typically, revenue bonds can be issued by any government agency or fund that is managed in the manner of a business, such as entities having both operating revenues and expenses. Revenue bonds, which are also called municipal revenue bonds, differ from general obligation bonds (GO bonds) that can be repaid through a variety of tax sources. While a revenue bond is backed by a specific revenue stream, holders of GO bonds are relying on the full faith and credit of the issuing municipality. Typically, since holders of revenue bonds can only rely on the specific project's income, it has a higher risk than GO bonds and pays a higher rate of interest.

Question 463

Serial Bond

Answer 463

is a bond issue that is structured so that a portion of the outstanding bonds mature at regular intervals until all of the bonds have matured. Because the bonds mature gradually over a period of years, these bonds are used to finance projects that provide a consistent income stream for bond repayment. The entire bond issue is sold to the public on the same date, and the maturity dates are stated in the offering documents.

Question 464

Special Assessment Bond

Answer 464

is a type of municipal bond used to fund a development project. Interest owed to lenders is paid by taxes levied on the community benefiting from the particular bond-funded project. As an example, if a bond of this sort was issued to pay for sidewalks to be re-paved in a certain community, an additional tax would be levied on homeowners in the area benefiting from this project. Area homeowners get nicer walking paths, and will probably see the value of their property increase accordingly, but this comes at a price. Their property taxes will increase to pay the interest owed to the bondholders by the municipality. Since the interest on special assessment bonds is paid by taxes of the community that benefit from the development, it is not unusual for the members of the benefiting community to invest in the issue, thereby, offsetting the additional taxes that are levied in order to finance the bond.

Question 465

Treasury Bill (T-bill)

Answer 465

is a short-term debt obligation backed by the U.S. Treasury Department with a maturity of one year or less. Treasury bills are usually sold in denominations of $1,000. However, some can reach a maximum denomination of $5 million on noncompetitive bids. The Treasury Department sells T-Bills during auctions using a competitive and noncompetitive bidding process. Noncompetitive bids, also known as noncompetitive tenders, have a price based on the average of all the competitive bids received.

Question 466

Treasury Bond

Answer 466

Is a marketable, fixed-interest U.S. government debt security with a maturity of more than 10 years. Treasury bonds make interest payments semiannually, and the income received is only taxed at the federal level. Treasury bonds are known in the market as primarily risk-free; they are issued by the U.S. government with very little risk of default.

Question 467

Treasury Notes

Answer 467

are intermediate-term bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury. They mature in two, three, five, or ten years. Treasury notes help fund shortfalls in the federal budget, regulate the nation's money supply, and execute U.S. monetary policy. Like any bond issuer, the U.S. Treasury considers the market's risk and return requirements in order to successfully and efficiently raise capital. As with all Treasuries, they are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. This means default is extremely unlikely and would really only occur if the U.S. government could not print additional money to pay off its debt. For this reason, the notes are generally considered risk-free investments and act as benchmarks against which other investments are compared. Their low risk and extremely high level of liquidity cause Treasury notes to usually have the lowest yields of any bonds on the market.

Question 468

Turnkey Project

Answer 468

is a program, project, solution, or system where the contractor or provider undertakes the entire responsibility from design through completion and commissioning. The client or customer only has to turn the proverbial key to make everything function as it should.

Question 469

Zero Coupon Bond

Answer 469

is a debt security that does not pay interest, but instead trades at a deep discount, rendering a profit at maturity, when the bond is redeemed for its full face value. Some bonds are issued as zero-coupon instruments from the start, while others bonds transform into zero-coupon instruments after a financial institution strips them of their coupons, and repackages them as zero-coupon bonds. Because they offer the entire payment at maturity, zero-coupon bonds tend to fluctuate in price, much more so than coupon bonds. A zero-coupon bond is also known as an accrual bond.

Question 470

Regional tax base sharing

Answer 470

reduces the parochial competition among localities for new tax revenue. A typical tax base sharing agreement would provide the sharing of some or all the new revenue in one locality among the region. The Minneapolis St. Paul region was one of the first to carry out such a program. They share 40 percent of all new growth among the 14 governments in the region.

Question 471

Tax Increment Financing

Answer 471

provides a technique to pay for improvements in a targeted area. They are a substitute for general obligation debt, and revenue bonds which typically cover major cost for improvement. The approach is well defined by its name. The increment, the difference between a base year and the growth that occurs the following years, pays for the improvement. The improvement must be paid off during a specified time period and once the improvement is paid the incremental change is restored to the property tax fund.

Question 472

Property Tax Abatements

Answer 472

are an incentive to attract new businesses into a locality. One assumes that the abatement, the reduction of a tax source, will pay for itself since the business is assumed to add new tax dollars. A typical agreement might provide a reduction of the property tax by 50 percent for a stipulated time period. Some large cities such as Cleveland have refused to extend abatements due to a poor showing of tax production compared to the abatement.

Question 473

Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)

Answer 473

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), enacted by Congress in 1977 (12 U.S.C. 2901) and implemented by Regulations 12 CFR parts 25, 228, 345, and 195, is intended to encourage depository institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound banking operations. The CRA requires that each insured depository institution's record in helping meet the credit needs of its entire community be evaluated periodically. That record is taken into account in considering an institution's application for deposit facilities, including mergers and acquisitions. The CRA was passed in an effort to reverse the urban blight that had become evident in many American cities by the 1970s. In particular, it aimed to reverse the effects of redlining, a decades-long practice in which banks actively avoided making loans to lower-income neighborhoods. The objective of the act was to strengthen existing chartering laws that required banks to sufficiently address the banking needs of all the members of the communities they served. The CRA regulations define community development to include designated disaster areas (DDA), areas receiving Major Disaster Declarations administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

Question 474

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Bonding

Answer 474

cities have accessed capital markets to help fund urban regeneration in a variety of ways including the issuance of TIF bonds. This method has provided them with a locally administered redevelopment financing tool that takes advantage of the rise in economic value and associated increase in tax receipts that accompanies successful urban redevelopment. TIF allows local governments to invest in public infrastructure and other improvements up-front. Local governments can then pay later for those investments. They can do so by capturing the future anticipated increase in tax revenues generated by the project. This financing approach is possible when a new development is of a sufficiently large scale, and when its completion is expected to result in a sufficiently large increase in the value of surrounding real estate such that the resulting incremental local tax revenues generated by the new project can support a bond issuance. TIF bonds have been used to fund land acquisition, sewer and water upgrades, environmental remediation, construction of parks, and road construction, among others. Over the past several decades in the United States, two project variations of TIF have evolved: bond financing and pay as you go.

Question 475

Empowerment Zones (EZ) and Enterprise Communities (EC)

Answer 475

EZs are designated areas of high poverty and unemployment that benefit from tax incentives provided to businesses in the boundaries of the EZ. Businesses operating in EZs qualify for a variety of tax incentives including a tax credit for each of its employees who resides in the EZ, a Work Opportunity Tax Credit for hiring 18-39 year-old residents of the EZ, a deduction for the cost of eligible equipment purchases, and tax exempt private purpose "EZ Facility bonds" for commercial development.

Question 476

Economic Base Analysis

Answer 476

Measures the extent to which the local or regional economy is exporting goods and services to the rest of the world. The more goods and services are exported, the more the local or regional economy will grow. The premise of economic base theory is : a region should try to get more industries that produce goods for export (basic goods). Non-basic industries (e.g., retailing), rely on the basic industries for their existence because basic industries bring new money into the region in exchange for exported goods or services.

Question 477

Location Quotient

Answer 477

A technique for comparing a region's percentage share of a particular activity or industry with its percentage share of the local versus National market. Describes how the local economy compares to national economy. Directly, location quotients measure the concentration of industry in a geographic area relative to a larger area. Indirectly, these measures of concentration can provide some indication of export orientation. A location quotient is simply a ratio of ratios. The first ratio describes an area’s employment in one industry as a share of its employment in all industries. The second ratio describes the same thing, but for a larger, reference area: the ratio of a larger area’s employment in the same industry to that larger area’s employment in all industries. The third ratio yields the location quotient: divide the first ratio by the second ratio (a ratio of ratios). Location quotients greater than 1.0 indicate that an industry is more represented in the smaller area than in the larger area; location quotients less than 1.0 indicate that an industry is less represented in the smaller area than in the larger area.

Question 478

Shift-Share

Answer 478

A given region may change at a rate (faster or slower) than the national average if (1) the region has a mix of industries strongly weighted toward growth; or (2) the region's internal supply advantages have (declined or improved) in relationship to those offered in other regions, thus making it (less or more) competitive as an industrial location. How does the shift in our share of a particular industry reflect on our local economy'?

Question 479

Input-Output Analysis

Answer 479

Modeling a technique developed to monitor the real pattern of money flows. It recognizes the fact that an increase in production in one industry is going to result in increases in other industries due to the linked nature of all productive activities. A predictive tool to determine how changes in particular sectors of the economy will be felt throughout the entire economy.

Question 480

Multiplier Effect

Answer 480

The study of cities and regions which focuses on basic service (export) ratios, the ratio of employment in basic activities to employment in non-basic activities which utilizes economic multipliers. Basic industries are defined as local or regional industries with an industry employment/total employment ratio higher than the national ratio for the industry. Non basic industries have a lower industry employment total employment ratio than the nation. Varies with size of community larger the community, the larger the multiplier (more places to spend money). Service economies can export knowledge/service. Example: If there is one export job which creates three total jobs in the community, then a multiplier of three says for every export job, three jobs are created. This would be an economic base multiplier of 1:3. Helps to show areas of specialization.

Question 481

Stagnation, Stagflation

Answer 481

A condition of slow economic growth and relatively high unemployment, or economic stagnation, accompanied by rising prices, or inflation. It can also be defined as inflation and a decline in gross domestic product (GDP). 􀂃 Stagflation means a simultaneous increase in prices and stagnation of economic growth. 􀂃 Stagflation was first widely recognized after the mid-20th century, especially in the U.S. economy during the 1970's, which experienced persistently rapid inflation and high unemployment. 􀂃 Predominant economic theory at the time could not easily explain how stagflation could occur. Numerous other theories offer specific explanations for the 1970's stagflation, or stagflation more generally. 􀂃 Since the 1970's, rising price levels during periods of slow or negative economic growth have become the norm rather than an exceptional situation.

Question 482

NAICS

Answer 482

The NAICS code search includes industry classifications created by the “North American Industry Classification System”. These codes are used by businesses and government authorities to differentiate types of business according to their process of production. Applicable territories include the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico. Results from the NAICS code search include a unique page designated for each NAICS classification.

Question 483

Market & Feasibility Analyses

Answer 483

A market and feasibility study is an analysis that takes all of a project's relevant factors into account—including economic, technical, legal, and scheduling considerations—to ascertain the likelihood of completing the project successfully. Planners use feasibility studies to discern the pros and cons of undertaking a project before they invest a lot of time and money into it. Feasibility studies also can provide a company's management with crucial information that could prevent the company from entering blindly into risky businesses. o A feasibility study is simply an assessment of the practicality of a proposed plan or project. "Is this project feasible? Do we have the people, tools, technology, and resources necessary for this project to succeed?" "Will the project get us the return on investment (ROI) that we need and expect?" The goal of a feasibility study is to thoroughly understand all aspects of a project, concept, or plan; become aware of any potential problems that could occur while implementing the project; and determine if, after considering all significant factors, the project is viable—that is, worth undertaking.

Question 484

Tenement House Act of 1879—

Answer 484

Often referred to as the “Old Law”, the Tenement House Act of 1879, passed by the State of New York, aimed to increase ventilation of tenement rooms by requiring that all rooms have an opening.

Question 485

New York State Tenement House Act of 1901

Answer 485

This act, sometimes referred to as the “New Law” or “New Tenement Law” and passed by the State of New York, banned construction of tenement buildings that were dark and poorly ventilated. The law also required new buildings must have outward facing windows, property ventilation, indoor toilets and others.

Question 486

Federal Home Loan Bank Act of 1932

Answer 486

Passed in 1932 under President Herbert Hoover and during the Great Depression, the purpose of this federal legislation was to encourage homeownership by lowering its cost. The act created a system of banks which would provide low cost funds to member banks to use when making mortgage loans. The banks were then able to lend the funds to homeowners for lower cost and longer terms than had been previously available.

Question 487

Housing Act of 1934 (Capehart Act)

Answer 487

Also called the Capehart Act, the Housing Act of 1934 was part of the New Deal passed during the Great Depression, and signed by President Franklin Roosevelt. It created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (FSLIC). The intent of the act was to increase American homeownership by making it more affordable and insuring mortgage lenders.

Question 488

Housing Act of 1937 (Wagner-Steagall Act)

Answer 488

Enacted in 1937 and also called the Wagner-Steagall Act, the act created the United States Housing Authority, and provided subsidies to local public housing authorities.

Question 489

Housing Act of 1949

Answer 489

Passed in 1949 after World War II and signed by President Harry Truman, it was part of the Fair Deal and aimed at new construction. Key elements of the act include financing for slum clearance and rebuilding programs associated with urban renewal, expansion of the FHA. mortgage programs to help make homeownership more affordable, and funding to build new public housing units.

Question 490

Housing Act of 1954

Answer 490

Enacted under the Dwight Eisenhower administration in 1954, the act had a series of amendments to the Housing Act of 1934. It expanded the slum-clearance program into the Urban Renewal program which included assistance, such as a new mortgage insurance program, for blighted or deteriorating areas and also focused on slum prevention. Additionally, the act provided funding for new public housing units.

Question 491

Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965

Answer 491

Signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, the legislation provided funding for expansions in federal housing programs. These included rent subsidies for the elderly and disabled; housing rehabilitation grants in urban renewal areas; very low down-payments for veterans; matching grants for water and sewer facility construction; and grants for community facilities such as community centers.

Question 492

Department of Housing and Urban Development Act (1965)

Answer 492

Also enacted in 1965, this act established the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Robert Weaver was appointed as the first HUD secretary as well as the first African-American cabinet secretary.

Question 493

Fair Housing Act of 1968 (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968)

Answer 493

Makes it unlawful to discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial statue or national original in the sale, rental or financing of housing.

Question 494

Housing and Community Development Act of 1974

Answer 494

Enacted into law by President Gerald Ford in 1974, the legislation amends the Housing Act of 1937 and creates the Section 8 housing program (subsidy program) and establishes the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

Question 495

National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Act of 1974

Answer 495

This act created safety standards so that after June 15, 1976 units constructed were legally “manufactured housing”, not “mobile homes”

Question 496

Tax Reform Act of 1986

Answer 496

As part of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program was created.

Question 497

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987

Answer 497

Signed by President Ronald Regan in 1987, the law provides money for homeless shelter programs. Established the Supportive Housing program and Supplemental Assistance for Facilities to Assist the Homeless program, as well as reauthorizing the Emergency Shelter Grant and Transitional Housing Demonstration programs.

Question 498

Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act of 1990

Answer 498

Signed by President George Bush in 1990, the act created several new housing programs, including: HOME program, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), Shelter Plus Care, the HOPE programs, and the Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities.

Question 499

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990

Answer 499

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination based upon disability. The act covers various areas, including employers, public entities, public accommodations and others.

Question 500

Single-family

Answer 500

A single-family home is a detached, one dwelling structure. It is free standing and not attached to any other structure.

Question 501

Multi-family

Answer 501

Multi-family residential contains multiple, separate housing units within one building or a series of buildings. Multi-family can be considered townhouses, condominiums or apartments.

Question 502

Condominiums

Answer 502

A type of multi-family residential building where the resident owns their own unit, but shares ownership of the public spaces.

Question 503

Housing Cooperatives

Answer 503

A type of multi-family residential building that an association or corporation owns, and individuals own a share in the cooperative that allow them to occupy a unit and access public spaces.

Question 504

Mobile homes

Answer 504

A prefabricated structure for either permanent or temporary housing that can be moved, but is typically left permanently in one place.

Question 505

Manufactured housing

Answer 505

A type of prefabricated housing mainly assembled in factories, then moved to a site for use.

Question 506

Multi-generational

Answer 506

Housing where more than one generation lives together.

Question 507

Senior

Answer 507

Housing designated for adults ages 55 and over with amenities geared towards that of an aging population. There are various types of senior housing including: - Independent living—housing that typically does not provide assistance - Assisted living—housing that typically provides on-site staff assist with daily living - Nursing home—housing that typically provides specialized skilled nursing care

Question 508

Group home

Answer 508

Housing for people with special needs where services are received through the use of caregivers. There are many types of group homes including homes that target people with mental, physical or developmental disabilities; treatment facilities; halfway houses; and foster care as a few examples.

Question 509

Co-housing

Answer 509

Housing with some shared facilities/community space such as cooking and dining facilities, laundry facilities, recreational space, and others.

Question 510

Micro or Tiny

Answer 510

There is no official definition of a micro or tiny house, but many consider any dwelling with less than 400 square feet as a micro/tiny house. These units may be detached or as efficiency units as a part of a larger multi-family housing development.

Question 511

Accessory Dwelling Units

Answer 511

Accessory Dwelling Units, sometimes referred to as ADUs, are residential units located on the same lot as another detached, single-family home. ADUs are smaller than the single family home, and can go by different names such as accessory apartments, or granny flats. ADUs can be internal to an. existing home or attached to it, or detached.

Question 512

Workforce

Answer 512

Workforce housing is housing typically to those making 80% to 120% of area median income. It is typically thought of as housing, both ownership and rental, for those working in the community, but may not be able to live in it. Examples include teachers, police officers, firefighter, retail salespeople, young professionals, and service workers to name a few. Sometimes this term is used interchangeably with affordable housing.

Question 513

Supportive

Answer 513

Housing that comes with supportive or special services for tenants to help live as independently as possible. Services can include help with healthcare, jobs, meals, medication or personal needs, or other similar types of assistance.

Question 514

Land Use and Housing

Answer 514

Land use and housing go hand in hand. Housing must be located within the vicinity of jobs, schools and other community assets to sustain communities.

Question 515

Housing-school linkages

Answer 515

In recent years, schools in many. cities have seen a resurgence in segregation and concentration of poverty. Because the quality of schools is a deciding factor for families, developers and others, some cities and planners around. the United States are beginning to work school districts to help reduce. the segregation and concentration of poverty issues within the school. This coordination is occurring not only with existing schools, but also as new schools are being considered.

Question 516

Jobs-housing balance

Answer 516

A jobs-housing balance is a tool planners can use and looks at the ratio of jobs to housing within the community. Ideally, the types of jobs in a community would be matched by the types of housing available so that employees can live and work in the same community. Imbalance occurs when there is a mismatch between the jobs available in a community and the housing available—for example there is not enough affordable housing available to assist those with lower wage jobs. In other cases, those that live in affordable housing have to travel some distance to get to their jobs. It’s impossible it look at only one community when looking at a housing-jobs balance; rather it must be looked at regionally. When housing and jobs are not balanced, it creates longer commute times, increased pollution, reduced productivity, and reductions in other quality to life factors.

Question 517

Housing preservation

Answer 517

Housing preservation is less about preservation of housing for historic purposes and more about the preservation of older, market rate housing—in both the owner-occupied housing stock as well as with rental units. In many cases, this type of housing is affordable to low and moderate income households; however, because of the deterioration of the housing units—because of disinvestment or from other factors, it becomes an easy target for redevelopment. The cost of the new construction will either cause the units to be market rate or there will be significant financial gaps to make the units affordable.

Question 518

Inclusionary housing

Answer 518

Inclusionary housing are often put into place as either policies or through a city’s zoning ordinance. In the most basic form, inclusionary housing requires developers or others to include housing units affordable to low- to moderate income households in their market rate housing developments. Inclusionary housing can be voluntary or mandatory. Voluntary programs rely on the developer to include affordable units, but usually the governing body offers some type of incentive (such as density bonuses) for doing so. In many cases, the local government requires a certain length of affordability for these units—these can range from a few years, to 10 years, 30 years, or even permanent affordability.

Question 519

Exclusionary housing

Answer 519

Exclusionary housing has the opposite effect of inclusionary housing where one or multiple segments of the population typically low- to moderate-income households, are excluded from housing within a development or a community. Regulatory barriers. such as certain provisions in zoning ordinances, high fees, and design/housing code requirements can be perceived as exclusionary housing techniques. Exclusionary zoning was the basis for the Southern Burlington County NAACP vs. Mount Laurel Township case in 1975 (also known as Mt. Laurel I).

Question 520

Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)

Answer 520

Created as part of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the LIHTC program is an important resource for creating affordable housing. States and other LIHTC allocating agencies are given an annual distribution of tax credits to help with the construction or rehabilitation of rental housing for lower income households.

Question 521

Housing Choice Vouchers

Answer 521

The Housing Choice Voucher program, sometimes called Section 8, is a federal program which assists low income households by providing a housing subsidy for rent. The vouchers are administered by a local public housing authority, which pays a subsidy directly to the landlord. The household then pays the difference between the subsidy and the rent charged (typically no more than 30% of their income). In general a household’s income may not exceed 50% of the area median income.

Question 522

Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)

Answer 522

The CDBG program began in 1974 and provides communities with funds to use for a broad range of community development needs. The CDBG program is one of the longest continuously run programs administered through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Eligible activities must meet one of three national objectives: benefit low/moderate income persons, prevent/eliminate slums or blight, or address community development needs having a particular urgency.

Question 523

HOME program

Answer 523

Started in 1990, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, typically called HOME, provides funds from the federal government to states and communities to assist in constructing or rehabilitating affordable housing for those at 60% area median income or less. The program may also provide direct rental assistance.

Question 524

HOPE VI program

Answer 524

Focusing on public housing, the purpose of the HOPE VI program is to revitalize distressed public housing units. The program, which started in 1992, is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Question 525

Affordable housing

Answer 525

housing that is affordable to low and moderate income households according to area median income.

Question 526

Housing affordability

Answer 526

the amount that a household can pay towards housing.

Question 527

30% of the household’s income

Answer 527

Every household has a different level of housing affordability. Using 30% of the household’s income on housing is a standard metric used in the housing sector. This amount, looked at on a monthly basis, is the household’s ability to pay. If a household pays more than 30% of its income towards housing costs, it can be referred to as cost burdened. Even households living in affordable housing can still be cost burdened. According to 2012-2016 American Community Survey estimates, approximately 25% of the households in the United States are paying more than 30% of their income for housing costs.

Question 528

Rent control

Answer 528

The basic definition of rent control is the government control or other regulation for the amount of rent charged for rental housing. It limits how much a property owner can charge a renter—whether it be for a single-family home, an apartment, or another type of housing. The main purpose behind rent control is to help keep housing more affordable. Rent control is handled at the local level, which means that no two rent control regulations/policies are the same.

Question 529

Homelessness federal definition

Answer 529

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 provides a definition of a homeless person: “An individual who (1) lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and (2) has a primary nighttime residents that is (a) a supervised, publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill), (b) an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or (c) a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.”

Question 530

Primary reasons for homelessness

Answer 530

Many factors can contribute to homelessness, but primary reasons include poverty, unemployment/underemployment, and lack of affordable housing amongst others.

Question 531

Public housing

Answer 531

Housing owned and managed by a housing agency (government agency), which rents to low income households. Public housing units can be single-family houses to multi-family apartments or even senior-only buildings. There are maximum income limits to live in public housing, typically 80% area median income or less, and tenants only pay 30% of their income towards rent.

Question 532

Redlining

Answer 532

Redlining as it pertains to housing is when mortgages are denied or limited in certain neighborhoods because of the racial or ethnic make-up of the residents living in the neighborhood, rather than their qualifications and financial solvency. Redlining got its name from the use of a red line on a map to show areas where loans were impossible to obtain or very expensive. This type of racial discrimination began in the 1930s, but was banned in 1968 with the Fair Housing Act.

Question 533

Mt. Laurel cases

Answer 533

The Mt. Laurel cases are two court cases that deal with land use and affordable housing. In both cases, the New Jersey Supreme Court declared that land use regulations that prevent opportunities for affordable housing are unconstitutional and that cities must plan for their fair share of affordable housing. The Mt. Laurel I case involved the Southern Burlington County NAACP vs. Township of Mt. Laurel. In 1975, the New Jersey Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling the township had excluded low and moderate income families from the municipality by means of their zoning ordinance. In response to non-compliance of the outcomes of the Mt. Laurel I case, the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1985 ruled that every city in New Jersey must provide its “fair share” of housing affordable to those at low to moderate incomes, also known as Mt. Laurel II. Additionally, the court ruled that the cities must establish “affirmative measures” that would lead to the creation of the housing.

Question 534

By 2030, how much of the population in the US will be over the age of 65?

Answer 534

nearly 1 out of every 5 people

Question 535

Accessibility

Answer 535

accommodations for the aging population and those with physical disabilities.

Question 536

Universal design

Answer 536

Universal design focuses on making housing accessible to those of any physical ability or age. Many times it is believed that universal design only focuses on those with disabilities or those that are aging. Universal design does this, but it also focuses on children, those with strollers or those in a wheelchair who can many times be left out of the design process. Example of universal design include wider doorways, flat entrances, levers or pulls rather than knobs, varied heights of cabinets and countertops, and many others.

Question 537

Housing stock and tenure

Answer 537

According to the 2012-2016 American Community Survey estimates, there were over 134 million housing units in the United States. The majority of the housing units, over 89 million (67%) are single-units, while nearly 35 million (26.1%) are multi-unit structures, and over 8 million are mobile homes (6.3%). Housing tenure in the United States continues to remain a majority of owner-occupied at 63.6%, while rental occupied units are 36.4%. Concerning overcrowding, 3.3% of the population lives with 1 or more persons per room.

Question 538

Supply and demand

Answer 538

Housing affordability can be dependent upon the supply of housing and the demand for that housing. As more households compete for a certain type of housing or for housing in a particular location, the demand increases. If there is a low supply of housing, so that demand outpaces the supply, it can increase the cost of housing.

Question 539

Housing need

Answer 539

In order to address the types of housing needed in the community, housing need must first be understood. Housing need is understanding the demand side for housing. Information on a community’s householder age, household size, household income, transportation costs and many other factors help to define what the housing need is in a certain community. Resources such as the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Communities Survey (ACS), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Longitudinal Employer Household Dynamics (LEHD) can help to supply that information.

Question 540

Key difference between managers and leaders

Answer 540

leaders are those who people tend to follow and inspire, while managers have people who merely work for them. Leadership is about getting people to understand and believe in your vision and to work with you to achieve your goals Managing is more about administering and making sure the day-to-day things are happening as they should.

Question 541

How to be a successful planning manager

Answer 541

needs to be both a strong leader and manager to get their team on board to follow them towards their vision of success and good planning.

Question 542

traits of a strong leader

Answer 542

- Honesty & Integrity: are important to get staff, elected officials, and citizens to believe you and your team’s goals for your community, your agency, or your client - Vision: sets the course for the future - Inspiration: inspire your team to be all they can by making sure they understand their role in the bigger picture - Ability to Challenge: do not be afraid to challenge the status quo, do things differently, and encourages innovative and unconventional approaches - Communication Skills: keep your team informed, the process and direction, and shares any roadblocks that may come up - Protector: in the face of change and/or shrinking budgets, a leader protects the team to the best of their abilities

Question 543

traits shared by strong managers are

Answer 543

- Serves the Mission: using the vision, break it down into a roadmap to be followed by the team - Ability to Direct: day-to-day work efforts, review current and future resources, and anticipate needs - Process Management: establish work rules, processes, standards, and operating procedures - People Focused: look after staff, their needs, listen and involve them

Question 544

The best organizations and agencies

Answer 544

- have strong and visionary leadership - excellent communication, coordination, and collaboration - very strong employees.

Question 545

What is the most important task for a planning manager?

Answer 545

the most important task for a planning manager is to build and maintain the best team possible. Key to any operation is hiring the right people; valuing, training, empowering, feeding, and protecting those people; and getting rid of unmanageable people. Political constraints, civil service restrictions, union contracts, the challenges of working in a fishbowl, and other legal structures sometimes limit a manager’s ability to develop the right team, but building that team should always be the holy grail.

Question 546

What does hiring the best staff mean?

Answer 546

Hiring the best staff means hiring the best people available - even if that means knowing that staff will move on. It is critical for top managers to know how to get the best from every employee, whether that involves training, coaching, or simply providing assignments that will help staff members grow while also playing to their strengths. The same goal should apply to line professionals, which includes planning managers and leaders who set the policy direction and take political risks, and staff who support the agency mission, such as staff who work at the permit counter. In planning, the distinction between line and staff may be hard to see, but often the difference is about empowerment - such as a manager empowering and supporting employees to take risks and help advance a mission.

Question 547

Customer service

Answer 547

A clear mission and an optimized department organizational structure should also enhance a department’s ability to excel at providing customer service. Providing excellent customer service is one of the most important functions of a taxpayer-funded public agency. Customer service, however, is perhaps the area where planning offices are most ripe for improvement.

Question 548

Local government sustainability functions are typically located in one of four (all good) organizational structures:

Answer 548

1. Sustainability in an integrated planning department, often with major or minor restructuring or rebranding 2. Sustainability integrated into a chief legislative or executive office 3. Sustainability as a standalone department 4. Some combination of integration and separate departments

Question 549

Planning office Organization

Answer 549

Smaller communities are more likely to have a consolidated model in which planning, building, housing (including grants administration), and economic development are together in a single department. Large cities and counties typically house those functions in separate departments or in divisions within a larger department.

Question 550

customer service and front-counter work

Answer 550

As a practical matter, front-counter work is usually assigned to junior staffers who are less expensive, have more time to spend with the public, and do not have the seniority to request other assignments. It is critical that planning managers set up procedures, training, and oversight so that those junior-level staffers are providing quality customer-friendly support while ensuring consistent treatment of new projects. Consistency and reproducibility are especially important for development reviews.

Question 551

Benefits of checklist in front counter work

Answer 551

Checklists provide consistency and help planners avoid forgetting simple steps. They also provide two other critical benefits for overwhelmed planning offices. First, the more checklists can be used, the more steps in planning reviews can be delegated to junior professional staff and support staff. Second, and even more promising, many things that can be codified in checklists can now or eventually be moved online and made part of an interactive process with an applicant.

Question 552

permit application evaluation

Answer 552

The first step in evaluating any application is to ensure that it is complete. One of the benefits that planning mangers have discovered when they use online application processes—with checklists incorporated into the permit applications—is that the applications cannot be submitted until at least the basic steps are complete: attachments included, fees paid, and questions filled out. Obviously, this same approach is done in most planning offices manually if the process is not automated. Until an application is judged complete, planners will find that understanding the context of an application and undertaking a substantive review will be more difficult.

Question 553

staff reports

Answer 553

Written and oral staff reports are a critical aspect of current planning, development permitting programs, and development-related plan and zoning amendments. Most importantly, planning managers require staff reports to provide the public and decision makers with consistent and informative reviews, regardless of the staff planners who actually write the reports. Reducing litigation risks and providing consistency in staffing and responses are also extremely important.

Question 554

Disputes in the permit process

Answer 554

Disputes are probably more common in the permit process than any other aspect of planning. In the permit process, alternative dispute resolutions are an option for planning managers to consider. They can cool down affected parties to allow successful dialogues and agreement on mutually beneficial resolutions of issues. They are an alternative to the traditional permit process—that is sometimes winner take all—and to litigation. Alternative dispute resolutions may take many forms; they usually involve some variation on mediation, arbitration, and negotiation.

Question 555

Performance Guarantees

Answer 555

Performance guarantees are the legal and financial mechanisms to ensure that improvements offered as part of the permit process are provided and that construction projects are properly completed, generally without the need to resort to criminal or civil sanctions. Performance guarantees are the heart and soul of most government efforts that avoid after-the-fact criminal and civil sanctions, and they are generally much faster, less expensive, less complicated, and less adversarial than sanctions. The three types of performance guarantees are nonfinancial performance, third-party responsibility, and financial performance.

Question 556

Planning offices are mission driven.

Answer 556

Ideally those missions are focused on implementing community master, comprehensive, or general plans. The job of planning managers is to ensure that their work remains mission driven.

Question 557

Risk management, in the local government context

Answer 557

Risk management, in the local government context, is used to identify potential events that may affect the government and to protect and minimize risks to the government’s property, services, and employees. Planning and governments are often faulted for not being willing to address risks. This is especially a problem with long-term risks—from such things as climate change—because of the lack of short-term political payback and political and community support in light of enormous uncertainties. For local governments, the primary threats are litigation risk and political risk.

Question 558

citizen engagement is so important to the management of local planning

Answer 558

it should be thought of as one of the core constructs of any local government planning office. However, there is no “right” way to organize a planning office around such a construct. Some planning managers want to make sure that every staff member is good at community engagement and that this aspect of planning is part of everyone’s work. Other planning managers assign especially skilled staff members to serve as community engagement experts and to help the rest of the staff with their projects.

Question 559

Information Technology influence on planners

Answer 559

- simply automating a function is not enough. Planners need to rethink how and why automating functions can take full advantage of new opportunities - Technology helps planners implement their ideas and innovations, and it can support a feedback loop to ensure that they are modifying what they do and using technology to think differently. - Citizens expect and deserve that many, if not most, government services will be available 24/7. - In many municipal planning offices, for example, the number of visitors to the offices is a small fraction of what it was a few years ago because citizens can use the web and electronic services instead of coming in. - new challenges for municipal governments are lowering the cost of such offerings so that they are available to smaller communities, lowering internal resistance to making all public information readily available, and addressing the digital divide of data access.

Question 560

the best planning directors, mayors, managers, and leaders of a community

Answer 560

are those with compelling visions and who are willing to take risks to fulfill those visions. The most successful are those who can share their visions and their communities’ visions in just a few sentences—the one-minute elevator pitch that inspires and brings along the community. Charisma in a planner is a great trait, but it definitely is not an essential one. Vision and an entrepreneurial risk-taking attitude, however, are irreplaceable.

Question 561

Key characteristics that reflect great leaders

Answer 561

visionary and entrepreneurial perspectives, an openness to new ideas, the willingness to work collaboratively and to bring people together, a focus on problem solving (instead of a focus on why problems cannot be solved), and the ability to generate enthusiasm and respect.