Glossary
Comprehensive Plan
A long-term plan for development of a city or region that addresses the built environment, land use, economic structure, and other areas that are deemed relevant to managing growth.
Euclidean Zoning
Euclidean zoning regulates development through land use classifications and dimensional standards. The traditional planning goals associated with Euclidean zoning are providing for orderly growth, preventing overcrowding of land and people, alleviating congestion, and separating incompatible uses
Form-Based Codes
A form-based code places more emphasis on regulating the form and scale of buildings and their placement along and within public spaces (such as sidewalks, street trees, street furniture). Some of the urban planning goals of form-based codes include curbing urban sprawl, promoting pedestrian safety, and preserving the fabric of historic neighborhoods.
Incentive Zoning
Incentive zoning, as its name implies, offers a reward (usually in the form of increased density) to a developer who does something "extra" that is in the community's interest (such as more open space) or promotes a public goal (such as affordable housing).
Inclusionary Zoning
Inclusionary zoning seeks to increase the supply of affordable housing in market-rate development projects through the use of either voluntary incentives or mandatory requirements.
Modular Zoning
Modular zoning “breaks‐up” the idea of a zone district into its fundamental building blocks – permitted uses, dimensional standards (i.e., height, bulk, and setbacks, or form), and development standards (i.e., parking, signs, landscaping) – and allows those components to be combined in different ways.
New Urbanism
New Urbanism is an urban design trend that began in the 1970s in response to concerns about urban and suburban sprawl. It seeks to promote planning and architecture that work together to create traditional, pedestrian-friendly, walk-able communities.
Performance Zoning
Performance zoning regulates the effects of land uses through performance standards. Performance standards usually concern traffic flow, density, noise and access to light and air. Developers can build almost any building that meets the performance standards for that district. Therefore, performance zoning allows for a great deal of flexibility.
Remapping
The process of modifying zoning maps, which depict the classifications of parcels in a given area, to either reflect current usage or to control future usage as part of the goals of a community or comprehensive plan.
Smart Growth
Smart Growth is a development and planning trend that evolved from the anti-sprawl movement, emphasizing regional cooperation around issues like farmland and open space protection, neighborhood revitalization, and affordable housing.
Sustainable Design
Sustainable design is a broader term which describes a growing trend within many professions including: architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, industrial design, interior design and more. The goal of a sustainable design is to create a product, packaging, building or even an entire community in a way that minimizes negative environmental impacts, reduces the use of non-renewable resources, and connects people with the natural environment.
Transit-oriented Development
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a planning and design trend that seeks to create walk-able communities that are centered around a public transit node, such as a train station, a large bus stop or along a key transit route.
Variance
A zoning variance is an exception granted by the Zoning Board of Adjustment from the provisions of the Zoning Code to permit a reasonable or practical use of a given piece of land. The ZBA may find that the owner is under a hardship and grant a variance if the conditions of a specific parcel render it impractical for development under the provisions of the existing classification.
Web-based Code
A zoning code that is optimized for display on the Internet. Web-based codes are becoming increasingly common due to their ease of accessibility, integration of user-friendly features, and ability to be amended in real time.
Zoning Board of Adjustment
The Zoning Board of Adjustment is the body that hears petitions for zoning variances and appeals to development approval decisions.
Zoning Classification
A designation that is applied to a parcel of land reflecting permitted uses and dimensional requirements. Some common zoning classifications include residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational.
Zoning Map
A document that establishes the zoning classifications of parcels of land in a city and illustrates them in map format.