| Definition | Term |
| 43,560 square feet of area within property lines of a lot or parcel. | Acre |
| A tax on property that is calculated based on a percent of value of the property taxed. | Ad Valorem Tax |
| Housing developed through some combination of zoning incentives, cost-effective construction techniques, and governmental subsidies that can be rented or purchased by low income households. | Affordable Housing |
| Any law, regulation, board, or process that has as its objective the preservation of farming on land dedicated to agricultural use. Examples include agricultural zoning, farmland preservation boards, property tax relief for farmers, & anti-nuisance laws. | Agricultural Land Protection |
| A zoning board of appeals has apellate jursidiction to review determinations of the zoning enforcement officer. Land use decisions of ZBA's, Planning Boards, and local legislature maybe appealed to the courts. | Applellate Jursidiction |
| Districts usually to provide a single service such as schools, water, sewerage treatment, toll roads, or parks. Maybe financed through revenue bonds retired by user charges. Some have taxation powers. | Authorities and Special Disticts |
| A map showing the essential natural or man-determined features of an area such aslot lines. Used as the starting point for many planning activities. | Base Map |
| An Interest bearing certificate issued by a government or business, promising to pay the holder a specified sum on a specified date; it is a common means of raising capital funds. | Bond |
| A local body, created by ordinance, whose responsiblity is to hear appeals from decisions of the local zoning administrative official and to consider requests for variances and exceptions (special use permits, conditional use permits) | Board of Adjustment |
| A local body, created by ordinance, whose responsiblity is to hear appeals from decisions of the local zoning administrative official and to consider requests for variances and exceptions (special use permits, conditional use permits) | Zoning Board of Appeals |
| Method of solicting random ideas, concepts, and concerns from citizens as part of a visioning or consensus building process. Ideas are typically written on a large tablet or black board by a facilitator and later transcribed for the participants. | Brainstorming |
| An intensive, interactive problem solving process with meetings convened around the development of specific plans. | Charrette |
| Citizens groups presumed to represent the ideas and attitudes of local groups; the purpose to advise the planning agency. | Citizen Advisory Groups |
| A document or series of documents prepared by a planning commission or department setting forth policies for the future of a community. | Comprehensive Plan |
| Lines on a topographical map that indicate slope. | Contour Lines |
| A right given by the owner of land to another party for specific limited use of that land. | Easement |
| Legislation passed by the state legislature authorizing cities, towns, and villages to carry out functions in the public interest. | Enabling Act |
| The legal right of government to acquire or "take" private property for public use or public purpose upon paying just compensation to the owner. | Eminent Domain |
| Traditional as-of-right or self-executing zoning in which district regulations are explicit; residential, commercial, and industrial uses are segregated. | Euclidean Zoning |
| A contribution or payment required as an authorized precondition for receiving a development permit. | Exaction |
| A zoning district whose requirements are fully described in the text of the ordinance but which is unmapped. | Floating Zone |
| Computer mapping system that produces multiple "layers" of graphic information about a community or region. | GIS |
| Analysis used in transportation planning that eveluates the relationship between the force of attraction and the generation of vehicular trips. | Gravity Model |
| Broad statements of ideal future conditions that are desired by the communtiy and contained in the comprehensive plan. | Goals |
| A business conducted in a residential dwelling unit that is incidental and subordinate to the primary residential use. | Home Occupation |
| The effective taking or reduction in value of a property as a result of public action, in contrast to a direct taking through eminent domain. | Inverse Condemnation |
| A system of describing & identifying land by measures and direction from and identifiable point of reference. | Base and meridian |
| An in-depth study that attempts to discover all the underlying economic factors that affect a community's growth or decline. | Economic Base Study |
| A range of values that includes a certain populations parameter with a given probability. | Confidence Interval |
| A technique developed to monitor the real pattern of money flows. | Input-Output Modeling |
| A technically integrated and jurisdictionally coordinated transportation system with such features as freeway management systems, advanced traffic surveillance, signal control systems and similar. | ITS - Intelligent Transportation Systems |
| Component of the General Plan that establishes land use goals and policies. | Land Use Element |
| A region's percentage share of a particular activity with its percentage share of the local versus National Market. | Location Quotient |
| Relatively free flow of traffic with little or no limitation on movement. | Level of Service A |
| Steady flow of traffic with only slight delays in travel. Some limitations on speed and movement. All vehicles clear light in a single cycle. | Level of Service B |
| Reasonable steady, high volume flow of traffic with some limitations on movement and speed, and occasional backups. | Level of Service C |
| Traffic nears an unstable flow. Intersections still functional, but short queues develop and cars may have to wait through one cycles during short peaks. | Level of Service D |
| Characterized by slow movement and frequent stoppages. Congestion is considered severe, but not uncommon at peak traffic hours, with frequent stopping, long standing queues and blocked intersections. | Level of Service E |
| Unsatisfactory stop and go traffic characterized by traffic jams and stoppages of long duration. Cars usually have to wait through one or more signal cycles. | Level of Service F |
| The process where one sets lower bounds for the various objectives that, if attained, will be "good enough" and then seeks a solution that will exceed these bounds. | Satisficing |
| New development designed with the pedestrian in mind. | TND or Traditional Neighborhood District |
| Retrofitting of existing suburbs with new growth areas along pedestrian areas around public transportation hubs. | PP or Pedestrian Pockets |
| A process in which general agreement is reached over a period of time people with divergent interests. | Concensus Building |
| Effort of a third party, usually a single person to persuade disputants to come to an agreement. | Mediation |
| Method of assessing project alternatives by wseighting alternatives according to citizen group goals. | Goals Achievement Matrix (GAM) |
| Put planning related issue on ballot - challenges existing i.e. adopted plan | Referendum |
| Used to facilitate meaningful discussions through a moderator - developed by Rand Corporation | Delphi Method |
| To represent disadvantaged segments of population | Advocacy Planning |
| Planning approach for comprehensive plans, census in community,4 elements: goal setting;ID policy alternatives;eval means against ends; implement preferred alternative | Synoptic Rationality |
| Use change one aspect of plan; known as "science of muddling through", short-term problems with little time and little money. | Incremental Planning |
| Developed in 1960s to get public involved; planning by people for people; communituy meetings, quality of life not delivery of services. | Transactive Planning |
| Planning that does not work, i.e. allow neighborhood to take over planning functions. | Radical Planning |
| Solve Societys ills through physical planning, "Visionary", ie. Corbusiers "Contemporary City", Howards "Garden City", Burnhams "White City", Wrights "Broadacre City". | Utopianism |
| Clear method used to achieve an undefined/unknown means e.g. zoning reviews, public hearings, bldg code appeals, GIS, subdivision reviews. | Methodism |
