Planning Glossary
Plain language definitions
A
- Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
- A small, secondary home on the same property as a main house. Examples include a backyard cottage or in‑law suite.
- Active Transportation
- Getting around without a car. Examples include walking, biking, and mobility devices.
- Affordable Housing
- Housing that costs no more than 30% of a household’s income.
- Annexation
- When a city expands its boundaries to include new land.
- Arterial Road
- A major street that carries high volumes of traffic between neighborhoods and freeways.
B
- Brownfield
- A property with suspected or known contamination that complicates redevelopment.
- Buffer Zone
- Land kept between two different uses. It reduces conflicts between homes and more intensive uses.
- Build‑Out
- The maximum development possible under current zoning.
- Built Environment
- All human‑made surroundings. Examples include buildings, roads, and parks.
- Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
- A bus system with dedicated lanes and fast boarding that aims for rail‑like service.
C
- Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
- A multi‑year budget for major infrastructure projects like streets, parks, and public buildings.
- Central Business District (CBD)
- The downtown core of a city and a hub for jobs and services.
- Circulation
- How people, bikes, transit, and vehicles move through an area.
- Collector Street
- A street that gathers local traffic and connects it to arterials.
- Complete Streets
- Street design that is safe and usable for everyone. Examples include people walking, cycling, using transit, and driving.
- Comprehensive Plan
- A long‑range document that guides growth. It covers land use, housing, transportation, and more.
- Concurrency
- A rule that requires infrastructure to keep pace with new development.
- Conservation Easement
- A legal tool that permanently protects open space or farmland from development.
- Context‑Sensitive Design
- Design that fits the character and needs of the place where it is built.
- Cul‑de‑sac
- A short street that ends in a turnaround and has no through traffic.
D
- Density
- The number of people or homes in a given area. Often measured as units per acre.
- Design Review
- An evaluation of proposed buildings for quality and fit with surroundings.
- Downzoning
- Changing zoning to allow less intensive development.
- Dwelling Unit
- A self‑contained home such as an apartment, townhouse, or detached house.
- Dynamic Pricing
- Adjusting parking or toll prices based on demand to improve performance.
E
- Easement
- A legal right to use part of another person’s land for a specific purpose. Examples include utilities or access.
- Eminent Domain
- The government power to take private land for public use with compensation.
- Employment Center
- An area with a concentration of jobs such as hospitals or office districts.
- Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
- A study of how a project may affect the environment.
- Exaction
- A condition on development that provides public benefit to address project impacts. Examples include land dedication, fees, or infrastructure.
F
- Facade
- The front or public face of a building.
- Farmland Preservation
- Policies that help keep working farms in production and limit conversion.
- Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
- The ratio of total building floor area to the size of its lot.
- Form‑Based Code
- A zoning approach that focuses on building form and public space rather than only use.
- Frontage
- The length of a property that touches a street.
G
- Gentrification
- Neighborhood change that brings investment and higher costs. It can displace existing residents.
- Greenbelt
- A ring of protected open land around a city that limits sprawl.
- Greenfield
- Previously undeveloped land such as farms or open space.
- Growth Management
- Policies that guide the pace and location of development.
- Guaranteed Ride Home
- A program that gives commuters a reliable ride home in emergencies when they do not drive to work.
H
- Habitat Conservation Plan
- A strategy that protects wildlife habitat while allowing some development.
- Historic Preservation
- Protecting and reusing buildings or districts with cultural value.
- Household Income
- The combined income of people living in a home. It is often used in affordability metrics.
- Housing Element
- The part of a comprehensive plan that addresses housing needs, goals, and strategies.
- Housing First
- An approach to homelessness that places people in stable housing before other services.
I
- Impact Fee
- A fee charged to new development to help pay for the added demand on public systems such as streets, parks, water, and sewer. See also System Development Charge (SDC).
- Inclusionary Zoning
- A policy that requires or encourages new housing projects to include affordable homes.
- Infill Development
- New buildings on vacant or underused lots in already developed areas.
- Infrastructure
- Public systems that support daily life. Examples include roads, utilities, and broadband.
- Intersection Density
- A measure of how connected a street network is. More intersections usually mean better walkability.
J
- Job‑Housing Balance
- The ratio of jobs to homes in a region. It affects commute lengths and traffic.
- Joint Development
- A public and private partnership to build on or near public land or transit.
- Jurisdiction
- The geographic area where a government has authority.
- Justice40
- A federal goal to direct a share of certain investments to disadvantaged communities.
- Just Cause Eviction
- Rules that limit the reasons a landlord can evict a tenant.
K
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Metrics that measure progress toward goals for plans and projects.
- Kitchen Table Planning
- Engagement that meets people where they are. It uses informal settings to gather input.
- Kiss‑and‑Ride
- A drop‑off zone at a transit station for quick passenger transfers.
- Knowledge Corridor
- A region with strong universities and research that supports innovation and jobs.
L
- Land Bank
- A public entity that acquires and manages vacant or tax‑foreclosed properties for future reuse.
- Land Use
- How land is designated and used such as residential, commercial, or industrial.
- Land Value Tax
- A tax approach that places more cost on land value and less on buildings.
- Level of Service (LOS)
- A grade of how well a road or intersection functions. It often ranges from A to F.
- Light Rail Transit (LRT)
- Urban passenger rail that operates on fixed tracks and often has dedicated right‑of‑way.
- Livability
- How well a place meets daily needs for safety, comfort, and quality of life.
M
- Master Plan
- Another term for a comprehensive plan. It sets a long‑term vision for growth.
- Micro‑Mobility
- Small vehicles for short trips. Examples include bikes and scooters.
- Missing Middle Housing
- Home types between detached houses and large apartments such as duplexes and fourplexes.
- Mixed‑Income Housing
- Developments that include both market‑rate and affordable homes.
- Mixed‑Use Development
- Projects that combine housing with other uses such as shops and offices.
N
- Neighborhood Association
- A local group of residents who organize around community issues.
- New Urbanism
- A design movement that promotes walkable, mixed‑use, human‑scaled places.
- Nonconforming Use
- A use that was legal when it began but no longer matches current zoning.
- Noise Ordinance
- A local law that sets limits on noise for health and quality of life.
- Notice of Preparation (NOP)
- An early notice that an environmental impact report or statement will be prepared.
O
- Open Space
- Land set aside for recreation or habitat. It can be natural or designed.
- Overlay Zone
- Extra rules placed over base zoning to address special goals such as historic or environmental protection.
- Over‑the‑Road Transit (OTR)
- Buses that travel between cities on highways.
- Owner‑Occupied Housing
- Homes lived in by the owner rather than by a renter.
- Overcrowding
- When more people live in a dwelling than it is designed to house.
P
- Parking Maximums
- Rules that cap the number of parking spaces to reduce car dependency.
- Parking Minimums
- Rules that require a set number of parking spaces for new buildings.
- Pedestrian Realm
- The part of the street for people on foot. Examples include sidewalks, crossings, and plazas.
- Placemaking
- Design and programming that make public spaces welcoming and social.
- Planning Commission
- A local body that advises on plans and reviews land use applications.
- Public‑Private Partnership (PPP)
- A project that is funded or delivered by government and private partners.
- Public Realm
- All public spaces open to everyone such as streets, parks, and plazas.
Q
- Quadplex
- A residential building with four separate homes.
- Quality of Life Indicators
- Measures of community well‑being such as health, education, and environment.
- Quasi‑Judicial Decision
- A land use decision that applies existing law to specific facts in a case‑like hearing.
- Queue Jump
- A signal that gives buses a short head start at an intersection.
- Quiet Zone
- A rail area where trains do not sound horns because safety upgrades are in place.
R
- Redevelopment Agency (RDA)
- A public agency that works to revitalize distressed areas.
- Regional Planning
- Planning that covers multiple cities or counties in a metro area.
- Resilience
- The ability of a community to prepare for and recover from shocks.
- Right‑of‑Way (ROW)
- Land reserved for public travel and utilities such as streets and sidewalks.
- Road Diet
- Converting car lanes to other uses such as bike lanes or wider sidewalks to improve safety.
S
- Setback
- The required distance between a building and a property line or street.
- Shared Mobility
- Services that let people share vehicles such as carshare, bikeshare, and scooters.
- Site Plan
- A detailed drawing that shows how land will be developed. It includes buildings, access, and utilities.
- Smart Growth
- Policies that support compact and transit‑friendly communities.
- Special District
- A unit of government that provides a specific service such as parks or transit.
- Sprawl
- Low‑density development that spreads outward and separates homes, jobs, and services.
- Stormwater Management
- Ways to capture and clean rainwater. Examples include bioswales and green roofs.
- Streetcar
- Rail vehicles that run on city streets with frequent stops.
- System Development Charge (SDC)
- A standardized fee that helps pay for new or expanded public facilities needed to serve growth. It is often calculated by formula and is a type of exaction. See also Impact Fee.
T
- Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
- A funding tool where future tax growth from an area pays for improvements made today.
- Traffic Calming
- Design measures that slow vehicles and improve safety. Examples include speed cushions and curb extensions.
- Transit‑Oriented Development (TOD)
- Compact and walkable places built around transit stops with a mix of uses.
- Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
- Programs that reduce car trips. Examples include transit passes, carpooling, and flexible work.
- Trip Generation
- An estimate of the number of trips a new development will create.
U
- Urban Design
- The design of streets, buildings, and public spaces at the city scale.
- Urban Growth Boundary (UGB)
- A line that contains urban development and protects rural land outside it.
- Urban Heat Island
- Higher temperatures in urban areas that result from pavement and buildings.
- Urban Renewal
- Past programs that cleared older neighborhoods and built new projects. Many had lasting impacts.
- Use Permit
- Permission to carry out a use that is not allowed by right in a zone.
V
- Variance
- Permission to vary from a specific zoning rule when strict application would cause hardship.
- Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
- The total miles driven by vehicles in an area. It is used as a transportation metric.
- Village Concept
- Neighborhood design that places daily needs close to homes.
- Vision Zero
- A policy goal to end traffic deaths and serious injuries.
- Visual Corridor
- A protected view toward a landmark or natural feature.
W
- Walkability
- How safe, comfortable, and convenient an area is for people on foot.
- Watershed
- An area where all rain drains to the same river, lake, or bay.
- Wayfinding
- Signs and design cues that help people navigate a place.
- Wetlands
- Lands that are saturated with water and provide habitat and flood protection.
- Workforce Housing
- Homes that are affordable to middle‑income workers such as teachers and nurses.
Z
- Zero Lot Line
- A building placed right up to a property edge.
- Zoning
- Local rules that regulate how land can be used and built.
- Zoning Map
- The official map that shows zoning districts across a jurisdiction.
- Zoning Ordinance
- The legal text that defines what is allowed in each zoning district.
- Zoning Variance
- An exception to a zoning rule that is reviewed case by case.