Level III

Accessibility :

The ability of people to move round an area and to reach places and facilities, including elderly and disabled people, those with young children and those encumbered with luggage or shopping.

Adaptability :

The capacity of a building or space to be changed so as to respond to changing social, technological and economic conditions.

Adaptive Reuse:

The redevelopment of existing older or abandoned structures for new development opportunities. These activities provide for the revitalization and redevelopment of older urban areas by providing new uses for existing structures. (e.g., residential loft units in former warehouse buildings).

Alleys:

Slow speed (10 mph) service easements running behind and sometimes between rows of houses. Alleys (10 - 12 feet wide) provide access to utilities and sanitation, garages, backyards and accessory units.

Amenity:

Aesthetic or other features of a development project that increase its marketability or usability to the public.

Architectural Features:

Prominent or significant parts or elements of a building or structure.

Architectural Style:

The characteristic form and detail of buildings from a particular historical period or school of architecture, e.g. The Romanesque style, The Bauhaus School, The Post Modern School, the Neoclassical style, French Colonial, Soviet Style, Indigenous, etc.

Awning:

A roof-like cover extending over or in front of a place(as over a deck or in front of a door or window) as a shelter.

Building elements :

Doors, windows, cornices and other features which contribute to the overall design of a building.

Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

"Capital improvement project" means any on or above-grade structure including buildings and additions to buildings, bridges, viaducts, streets, arterial and highway improvements, park developments, landscaping, fencing gates, lamp standards, signs, street furniture, and all similar installations including below-grade structures which are regularly visible to the public including tunnels, arcades and underground passageways, to be erected on land belonging to the City, financed in whole or in part with City funds, or subject to the approval of the City.

Choice:

The availability of a wide variety of housing, transportation and shopping options that meet the needs of community residents from different economic levels and age groups.

City Block:

a (1) : a usually rectangular space (as in a city) enclosed by streets and occupied by or intended for buildings (2) : the distance along one of the sides of such a block b (1) : a large building divided into separate functional units (2) : a line of row houses (3) : a distinctive part of a building or integrated group of buildings

Community Identity:

Physical, natural or cultural assets that represent distinctive qualities unique to an individual community. A community's identity is enhanced by embracing and respecting the history and character of those existing features that nurture a sense of attachment and uniqueness within the area.

Compatibility:

The size and character of a building element relative to other elements around it. For example, the size and proportion of windows in a building façade are usually related to one another, the spaces between them, and the scale of surrounding buildings.

Context :

The setting of a site or area, including factors such as traffic, activities and land uses as well as landscape and built form.

Design Guidelines:

Standards of design or aesthetics that are used to guide development projects in a particular city, community, or neighborhood. Design guidelines are used by design review boards in evaluating new development projects in a particular city or neighborhood

Design principle :  

An expression of one of the basic design ideas at the heart of an urban design framework, design guide, development brief or a development.

Density:

The average number of persons, households or dwellings per acre of land. Developments at higher densities may be beneficial to a community if quality design features are utilized. Higher density development may make transit service more effective and maximize public infrastructure costs.

Energy efficiency :

The extent to which the use of energy is reduced through the way in which buildings are constructed and arranged on site.

Façade:

Any vertical, exterior face or wall of a building, often distinguished from other faces by architectural details.

Feasibility :

The viability of development in relation to economic and market conditions.

Gateway:

A principal or ceremonial point of entrance into a district, or neighborhood.

Green Building :

Environmentally-sensitive design and construction practices which conserve natural resources such as energy, building materials, water, soil and air quality, producing broad economic, community and environmental benefits.

Green Infrastructure:

A strategically planned and managed network of parks, greenways, conservation easements, and working lands with conservation value that supports native species, maintains natural ecological processes, sustains air and water resources, and contributes to the health and quality of life for communities and people.

Intersection:

a place or area where two or more things (as streets) intersect or meet and cross at a point.

Landmark :

A building or structure that stands out from its background by virtue of height, size or some other aspect of design.

Landscape :

The character and appearance of land, including its shape, form, ecology, natural features, colors and elements and the way these components combine. In towns 'townscape' describes the same concept.

Layout :

The way buildings, routes and open spaces are placed in relation to each other.

Linkages:

Features that promote the interconnectedness of neighborhoods, commercial and office areas, open space resources and public places, and provide convenient access between these different uses.

Live-Work Unit:

Buildings that offer the opportunity for individuals to live and work in the same structure. Units may be rental or condominium. Purchase of home and office may be accomplished through a single mortgage.

Local distinctiveness :

The positive features of a place and its communities which contribute to its special character and sense of place.

Mixed-Use Development:

Projects that integrate different land uses such as retail stores, restaurants, residences, civic buildings, offices and parks within a defined area.

Movement :

People and vehicles going to and passing through buildings, places and spaces. The movement network can be shown on plans, by space syntax analysis, by highway designations, by figure and ground diagrams, through data on origins and destinations or pedestrian flows, by desire lines, by details of public transport services, by walk bands or by details of cycle routes.

Multi-Modal Transportation System:

A transportation system that accommodates a variety of transportation options including automobiles, public transit, public safety vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles in a balanced way to maximize access and mobility and to minimize congestion throughout the community.

Neighborhood Plan:

A plan adopted by the city council and consistent with the Comprehensive Plan to guide development in a neighborhood and possibly addressing related issues such as housing, major institutions, transportation, economic development, and other community development activities

New Urbanism:

Architecture and urban design movement that promotes a return to pre-automobile precepts of community building, including neighborhoods with a generous network of streets and sidewalks; homes with front doors and porches; a mix of housing types and prices; and connections to shops, parks and other amenities.

Node :

A place where activity and routes are concentrated often used as a synonym for junction.

Open Space:

Land and/or water area with its surface open to the sky and predominantly undeveloped, which is set aside to serve the purposes of providing active or passive recreational opportunities, conserving valuable natural resources, and structuring urban development and form.

Open Space Conservation:

Protection of undeveloped areas located within or beyond city boundaries for the purposes of providing recreational, environmental or civic benefits.

Pedestrian-Friendly:

A term used to describe streets or areas that are laid out in an interconnected network providing convenient and safe pedestrian access between important destinations. Areas that are pedestrian-friendly, are attractively landscaped, provide visual interest and a sense of security to encourage walking.

Proportion:

The balanced relationship of parts of a building, landscape, and structures to each other and to the whole.

Public Art :

Permanent or temporary physical works of art visible to the general public, whether part of the building or free-standing: can include sculpture, lighting effects, street furniture, paving, railings and signs.

Public realm :

The parts of a village, town or city (whether publicly or privately owned) that are available, without charge, for everyone to use or see, including streets, squares and parks. Also called public realm.

Public Spaces:

Places that create community identity, foster social interaction and add community vitality. They may include major sites in central locations such as urban riverfronts, downtown plazas and parks, shopping streets and historic districts. Public spaces may be libraries, post offices or other civic building areas. Smaller, less central sites include neighborhood streets and parks, playgrounds, gardens, neighborhood squares and older suburban commercial centers.

Public-Private Partnerships:

A collaborative arrangement between public and private entities in which resources and information are shared in order to serve a particular public purpose. Public-private partnerships specify joint rights and responsibilities and imply some sharing of risks, costs or assets, thereby allowing parties to effectively achieve common goals.

Redevelopment:

Reinvestment in older elements of a region --- a historic structure, long-time residential community, shopping center or main street --- offers an opportunity to revitalize communities while preserving social and environmental values.

Resource Efficiency:

The efficient use of natural resources maximizes productivity while minimizing waste and environmental impact. For example, buildings that incorporate energy efficient technologies are typically more comfortable, have lower utility bills and have less impact on the environment. Resource efficiencies garnered through sensitive design, increased densities, integration of land uses and a balanced transportation system may improve air quality, reduce traffic congestion and save money.

Rhythm:

Reference to the regular or harmonious recurrence of lines, shapes, forms or colors, incorporating the concept of repetition as a device to organize forms and spaces in architecture.

Right-of-way:

A strip of land, including the space above and below the surface, that is platted, dedicated, condemned, established by prescription or otherwise legally established for the use of pedestrians, vehicles, or utilities

Scale:

Urban designers typically emphasize the importance of human scale in successful environments. Considerations of human scale include building height and bulk regulations to ensure that new development and redevelopment efforts are pedestrian-oriented and compatible with the existing built environment.

Sediment and Erosion Control:

Practices and processes that effectively protect the soil surface from the erosive force of rain, storm water runoff and, in some cases, wind. Higher rates of erosion and sediment loss typically accompany urban development. A variety of planning, design and engineering practices are used to minimize the negative impacts of erosion on urban streams.

Sense of Place:

A feeling of attachment and belonging to a particular place or environment having a special character and familiarity.

Shared Parking:

Parking area that is utilized by more than one business, development or property to minimize parking surfaces in an area. Shared parking works best when the various users have customers with parking needs at different times of the day.

Stewardship:

1. The act of being a steward, as in management of household accounts, etc. 2. supervision or administration, as of finances and property, for another or others sustainable design a holistic approach to the design of buildings and landscapes that minimizes ecological impacts to the environment while balancing economic, social, and environmental factors

Streetscape:

The visual character of a street as determined by elements such as structures, access, greenery, open space, view, etc. The scene as may be observed along a public street composed of natural and man-made components, including buildings, paving, planting, street hardware, and miscellaneous structures

Sustainable development :

Defined by the Brundtland Commission (1987, and quoted in PPG1) as 'Development which meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to achieve their own needs and aspirations'. The UK's strategy for sustainable development "A better quality of life" was published in May 1999 and highlights the need for environmental improvement, social justice and economic success to go hand-in-hand.

Topography :

A description or representation of artificial or natural features on or of the ground. For example: natural features—hills, rivers, flat areas; artificial features—bridges, roads, round-a-bouts.

Townscape :

The visual qualities of a view, and the principles of layout that achieve those qualities. It is concerned with context and how each individual development is made to visually fit into a context.

Traditional Neighborhood Development:

Planned neighborhoods that offer alternatives to conventional, use-segregated developments by providing greater variety in type, design and layout of residential and nonresidential uses. This mixed-use development pattern seeks to connect people to places by combining a variety of housing types with limited office, retail and civic uses into a pedestrian-friendly setting.

Traffic Calming:

Street design measures that slow traffic down, restrict the areas in which cars are allowed, and otherwise manage the flow of traffic to make other forms of transportation such as walking and bicycling more attractive and feasible options.

Transit-Supportive Development:

A development pattern that reinforces the use of public transportation through efficient, pedestrian-oriented land use design and higher densities. The development, within walking distance of the transit station, center or stop, offers a variety of housing and commercial activities.

Urban design :

The art of making places. Urban design involves the design of buildings, groups of buildings, spaces and landscapes, in villages, towns and cities, and the establishment of frameworks and processes which facilitate successful development.

View or Vista:

What is visible from a particular point.

Vision:

1. a mental image; an imaginative contemplation (to have visions of power) 2. a) mode of seeing or conceiving (a project made possible by one person’s vision) b) force or power of imagination (a statesman of great vision)

Walk-ability:

Areas that are walk-able and are safe, comfortable, interesting and accessible. They offer amenities such as wide sidewalks, attractive storefronts that face the sidewalk, shade, shelter and a sense of spatial enclosure provided through landscaping and streetscape elements. These areas are inviting to pedestrians for shopping, recreation and relaxation.

Watershed:

Watersheds are nature's boundaries - they are the land areas that drain to surface water bodies such as lakes and streams. Watershed management seeks to prevent flooding and water pollution, to conserve or restore natural systems and to protect human health through integrated land and water management practices.