Site Planning & Design Flashcards
Earth which is removed (cut) and earth which is added (fill) in grading.
Cut and fill
A semicircular open area, with or without a roof, providing a continuous seat.
Exedra
The digging or removal of earth.
Excavation
The study of the total pattern of relations between a community or organisms and its environment.
Ecology
Trees which shed leaves annually, as opposed to evergreens.
Deciduous
A statement, often required by a governmental body, which assesses the environment impact of a proposed development.
Environment impact statement
The soil layer beneath the topsoil.
Subsoil
Describing cone-bearing evergreen trees and shrubs, such as pine, spruce, fir, and cedar.
Coniferous
A type of residential siting in which a series of housing units are grouped closely together and surrounded by open space.
Cluster
The elevation of a specified point on the ground or on a structure.
Spot elevation
The number of degrees north or south of the equator of a point on the earth’s surface.
Latitude
The net ground area of a lot which can be covered by a building after required setbacks and other zoning limitations have been accounted for.
Build-able area
An imaginary line on the ground surface connecting all points of equal elevation.
Contour
The design and arrangement of natural elements on a site.
Landscaping
A stone guard to prevent damage to a wall; also a freestanding stone post to divert vehicular traffic.
Bollard
The process of controlling, collecting, transporting, and disposing of excess water.
Drainage
The extension of a building into the property of another.
Encroachment
The legal boundary of a parcel of land.
Property line
The prevailing or average weather conditions of a place as determined over a number of years.
Climate
A sievelike device at the entrance to a storm sewer which traps matter that could block the sewer.
Catch basin
A belvedere or viewing place.
Gazebo
The land surrounding a flowing stream over which water spreads when a flood occurs.
Flood plain
A log showing the types of soil encountered in a test boring and other relevant information.
Soil boring log
A hole through which a person can enter a sewer, pipe, conduit, and so on for inspection, repair, or maintenance.
Manhole
The minimum distance from property line into which a structure may not extend.
Setback
The temperature of air at which the water contained in the air begins to condense and form dew. It is therefore the temperature at which the air is at 100% relative humidity.
Dew point
A landscaped strip of ground between a pedestrian walk and a street
Planting strip
The rights to the use or control of the air space above a property.
Air rights
The surface flow of water from an area.
Run-off
A public service, such as telephone, water, gas, or electricity.
Utility
The gradual wearing away or disintegration of land caused by water, wind, and so on running over its surface.
Erosion
The elevation of the ground surface after completion of all work.
Finish grade
An underground pipe or drain used to carry rain water (storm water) or waste matter (sanitary sewer).
Sewer
A parcel of land.
Plot
Land on which buildings have not yet been constructed, but which contains utilities and streets.
Improved land
The length of a lot line along a street or other public way.
Frontage
The boundary line of a lot.
Lot line
The right of an owner to have ingress and egress to and from a property.
Access right
The height above a known point of reference, often taken as the height above sea level.
Elevation
The natural and manmade things, conditions, and influences surrounding a person, community,or place.
Environment
The horizontal angle measured clockwise from North or South.
Azimuth
The level below which the subsoil is completely saturated with water. Also called the groundwater level.
Water table
Designing the external physical environment in which buildings and structures are placed.
Site planning
Space provided for vehicular parking separate from the dedicated street right-of-way.
Off street parking
A road or path reserved for bicycle traffic.
Bikeways
The smallest identifiable parcel of land in a city.
Lot
Inclination or slant, especially of the ground surface.
Slope
Having no environment barriers, thereby permitting free access and circulation by the handicapped.
Barrier-free
The expected maximum depth of frost penetration in the ground in a given area.
Frost line
A pit, usually filled with coarse stone, into which water is conducted for leaching out into surrounding soil.
Dry well
A fictitious temperature which would produce the same physiological effect as the combined effects of temperature, humidity, and air movement.
Effective temperature
A length of pipe, running under a road or other barrier, used to drain or carry water.
Culvert
An ornamental garden arrangement.
Parterre
A street, alley, or other thoroughfare or easement permanently established for passage of persons or vehicles.
Way
Clay pipe, usually wi open joints, used to convey water away from a footing or to disperse liquid in a septic tank field.
Drain tile
Any public way or thoroughfare 10 to 16 feet in width which has been dedicated or deeded to the public for public use.
Alley
Paving using crushed stone.
Macadam
One or more spaces designated for physically handicapped persons, requiring special design and dimensions.
Handicapped parking
A circumferential or loop roadway around an urban area or development.
Ring road
The amount by which the average outdoor temperature at a particular location is below 65 degrees Fahrenheit for one day. Degree days may also be summed and stated for a month or year.
Degree day (dd)
Earth that is replaced around a foundation or retaining wall after the concrete forms have been removed.
Backfill
The amount or degree of moisture in an area, a determining element of weather.
Humidity
A horizontal plane elevation used as a reference for other elevations in surveying and mapping.
Datum
The process of determining location, form, and boundaries of a parcel of land by measurement, computation, and drawing.
Survey
The process by which water vapor escapes into the atmosphere from plants.
Transpiration
Structures or plants which, because of their form and location, reduce wind velocities.
Wind break
The rate of slope between two points on a surface, determined by dividing their vertical difference in elevation by their horizontal distance apart.
Gradient
Trees having green leaves throughout the year, as opposed to deciduous.
Evergreen
A partial obstruction against flow, in a duct or pipe
Baffle
The general pattern of movement of the water on, under, and above the earth
Water cycle
A line, usually parallel to the property line, beyond which a structure may not extend.
Building line.
A very large area of land in which all through traffic is eliminated, but which may be penetrated by cul-de-sacs or minor loop roads.
Superblock
The intersection of two roads at different levels so that vehicles may move from one road to the other without crossing the stream of traffic. Also called interchange.
Grade seperation
The lowest point of the inside of a drain, pipe, channel, or other liquid-carrying conduit.
Invert
The angle which the sun makes with the horizon.
Altitude
An underground geological formation through which water flows.
Aquifer
A graded flow path used in open drainage systems.
Swale
A space, open and unobstructed to the sky, located at or above grade, bounded on three or more sides by walls of a building.
Court
A fictitious temperature assigned to a combination of actual temperature and wind velocity which has the same physiological effect as still air at the wind chill index temperature. It is also known as chill factor.
Wind chill index
An excavated, level terrace in a slope used to collect running water.
Bench
A bank of earth,often piled up against a wall.
Berm
The climatic characteristics unique to a very small area.
Microclimate
A flat or level surface.
Plane
A division of urban land, normally private property, which is surrounded by public streets, and which is officially established and recorded.
Block
Removing and/or adding earth in order to bring the ground surface to a specified elevation or profile. Also called earthwork.
Grading
Removing and/ or adding earth in order to bring the ground surface to a specified elevation or profile. Also called grading.
Earthwork
An approximately level building area.
Pad
The total horizontal area within the boundary lines of a parcel of land.
Lot area
Flow from a culvert, sewer, or other channel.
Discharge
A plan of a city or subdivision, showing the boundaries of individual properties.
Play
An underground pipe or drain used to carry off waste matter.
Sanitary sewer
In surveying, a direction stated in degree, minutes, and seconds as an angular deviation east or west from due north or south.
Bearing
The rate of rise or descent of a sloping surface. Also, to remove and/or add earth in order to bring the ground surface to a specified elevation or profile.
Grade
The percentage of total rainfall which is not absorbed in the ground and, hence, runs off. It must be collected in a system of surface and subsurface drains.
Runoff coefficient
A housing pattern in which units face into a common open space.
Court pattern
A pattern of land use which develops along a line, such as a highway or river.
Linear pattern
The difference of elevation between adjacent contour lines.
Contour interval
The level below which the subsoil is completely saturated with water. Also called the water table.
Groundwater level
Concrete used for paving which uses crushed granite as the coarse aggregate.
Granolith
A fictitious temperature assigned to a combination of actual temperature and wind velocity which has the same physiological effect as still air at the chill factor temperature. It is also known as wind chill index.
Chill factor
An open, unoccupied space, other than a court, unobstructed to the sky, on the lot on which a building is situated.
Yard
The ratio of the area covered by buildings to the total lot area, expressed as a percentage.
Land coverage
The geographic area from which the participants in an activity are drawn, such as the customers of a shopping center or the employees of a manufacturing plant.
Catchment
A sewer for carrying away surface rain water, as opposed to sanitary sewage.
Storm sewer
Reflectivity measured as the relative permeability of a surface to radiant energy flowing in either direction.
Albedo
