Glossary - Master Planning Definitions

Environmental / Ecological Terminology
Ecology	The science of the interaction and relationships between living organisms and their environments..
Green Infrastructure	An interconnected network of protected land and water that supports native species, maintains natural ecological processes, sustains air and water resources and contributes to the health and quality of life for America's communities and people.  Also refers to a strategic approach to conservation that addresses the ecological, social and economics impacts of sprawl and the accelerated consumption and fragmentation of open land.
Greenways	Refers to a linear natural feature created by human actions. Greenways can function in six basic ways: as habitat, as a conduit, as a barrier, as a filter, as a source for animals or seeds, and as a sink for trapping sediment, toxins, or nutrients.
Habitat	Refers to those parts of a landscape which an animals species uses for feeding, breeding, movement, and shelter. A plant's habitat is often determined by environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation, and geologic formations.
Riparian Zones	The riparian zone refers to the area surrounding a stream or river and is composed of the stream, its flat flood plain (the region in which the stream meanders, the steeper banks, and the uplands which are often wooded.
Succession	Succession is the process of change from one habitat type to another.
Planning / Development Terminology
Conservation Subdivisions	The designing of residential developments that maximize open space conservation without reducing overall building density.  Generally half or more of the buildable land area is designated as undivided, permanent open space.
Demographics	Originally referring  to birth and death rates, it has also come to apply to other events which influence the size of a population.
Exurban Areas	The region that lies beyond a city and its suburbs.
Suburban Areas	The region that generally lies at the edge of urban areas with lower density residential and commercial development.
Leapfrog Development	New development that is not contiguous with existing development and that leaves substantial vacant land in between.
Livable Communities	A livable community is one that provides for the community well-being through economic development, social equality, amenity assets, and quality of life, parks and access to transportation infrastructure.
Master Planning	The process of developing a comprehensive plan for a course of action that incorporates visions, goals, objectives and strategies for implementation of that plan. The comprehensive plan is intended to guide a community toward the realization of its vision and is inclusive of a community's relationship with its surrounding landscape as interactive, interdependent elements.
New Urbanism	A term coined in 1986 to describe a movement to reform patterns of urban growth. Basic tenets include: compact neighborhoods with diverse populations that are pedestrian friendly and have mixed uses transportation systems that efficiently serve regions a wide spectrum of housing types buildings and landscapes that define streets and public spaces as areas of shared use and urban places with architecture and landscape design that celebrate local history, ecology, climate and building practices.
Open Space / Green Space	Permanently protected land and water, including agricultural and forestry land, that is in its underdeveloped, natural state or has been developed only to the extent consistent with or is restored to be consistent with the following: water quality protection for rivers, streams and lakes flood protection  wetland protection protection of riparian buffers and other areas that serve as natural habitat and corridors for plant and animal species scenic protection protection of archaeological and historic resources provision of recreational outdoor activities connection of existing or planned areas contributing to these goals. (Georgia SB 399, 4/16/00)
Public Services	Services traditionally provided by local government, including water and sewer, roads, parks, schools, and police and fire.
Rural Character	Rural character consists of qualities such as horse farms, lakes, pastures, farms, estates and undisturbed roadsides. Areas contain mature and natural landscape with informal placement of trees and indigenous vegetation is characteristic of the area. Cemeteries and places of historic or architectural significance are preserved and maintained.  (Fulton County)
Site Inventory / Analysis	The mapping of the natural, cultural and historic features of a site or region. Such natural features as soils, wetlands, floodplains, slopes, habitat, vegetation and riparian resources are inventoried. Cultural and historic resources, as well as current land uses are added to the inventory, and through a system of layering developed by lan McHarg, a comprehensive analysis of the region may be made. Such as system defines developable and non-developable areas in a highly graphic manner, thus assisting in the prioritizing of objectives.
Scenic Byway	Any designated highway, street, road or route which features certain resources (cultural, natural, archaeological, historical, recreational) that should be protected or enhanced. (Georgia Scenic Byways Project)
Smart Growth	Smart growth seeks to identify a common ground where developers, environmentalist, public officials, citizens, and financiers can find ways to accommodate growth. It promotes compact, mixed-used development that offers a high-quality living and working environment and encourages a choice of travel mode - walking, cycling, and transit, while protecting environmental features and resources.
Sustainable Development	The balancing of economic and social forces against the environmental imperatives of resource conservation and renewal for the future. Sustainable development has been defined as development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Many consider the three legs of sustainable development to be social equity, economic prosperity and ecological integrity.
Traditional Neighborhoods	Traditional neighborhood development emphasizes two broad goals: 1) reduce the destruction of habitat and natural resources, and to reduce dependency on automobiles and their associated impacts; and  2) reduce polluting emissions, excessive use of energy and fragmentation of the landscape.
Transit Oriented Development	Mixed-use community with an average 2,000-foot walking distance of a transit stop and core commercial area.
Urban	Of, relating to, characteristic of, or constitution a city. Can be closely tied to the density of development and the nature of the services required for that development, specifically central water and sewer, and extensive road network, and other municipal-type services, such as public transit. Development not requiring such services would be "non-urban" or "rural."
Urban Sprawl	Generally defined as unplanned, uncontrolled, and uncoordinated single-use development that does not provide for an attractive and functional mix of uses and/or is not functionally related to surrounding land uses.
Implementation Methodologies
Agricultural Zoning	Agricultural zoning, including forestry zoning, restricts land uses to farming and livestock, other kinds of open-space activities and limited home building. It is sometimes used in tandem with urban growth restrictions.
Conservation Easements	The permanent protection of natural areas within sub-divisions or corporate boundaries. While holding easements does not entail ownership, liability, or maintenance responsibilities, it does grant control to a third party to prohibit further development or other changes that would be inconsistent with the preservation objectives stated in the easement.
Deed Restrictions	Deed restrictions can be used to control, or restrict, development of portions of privately owned properties in order to protect open space of wetlands. Deed restrictions may also restrict further sub-division of properties.
Design Standards	Design standards or guidelines can serve as a community's desire to control its appearance, from within and without, through a series of standards that govern site planning policies, densities, building heights, traffic and lighting.
Growth Management	A term that encompasses a whole range of policies designed to control, guide, or mitigate the effects of growth.
Impact Fees	Fees that shift a portion of the cost of providing capital facilities to serve new growth from the general tax base to the new development generating the demand for the facilities.
Overlay Districts	A mechanism used to create a special use district or to apply special zoning and land-use standards to an area comprised of differing zoning or land-use classifications by "overlaying" those classifications.
Right-to-farm Laws	Right-to-farm laws protect farmers from land-use action or restrictions over which they have little control.
Tax Incentives	Tax incentives are adjustments to a tax rate that favors the petitioner and encourages the development of various types of projects.
Transfer of Development Rights	The transfer of development rights is a mechanism by which culturally or historically significant properties, in many cases farms, significant buildings or scenic views, may be protected in perpetuity through the sale of "development rights." Typically, owners of land in development-restricted areas called "sending" districts transfer the development rights from their property and sell those rights to property owners in specified "receiving" districts.
Trusts
Urban Growth Area	An area in which urban growth shall be encouraged and outside of which growth can occur only if it is not urban in nature. Urban growth areas are based on the population forecast and shall include areas and densities sufficient to permit the urban growth that is projected to occur for a specified period.
Urban Growth Boundaries	The line on a map that is used to mark the separation of urbanizable  land from rural land and within which urban growth should be contained for a period of time specified by a growth management plan.
Urban Reserve	An area outside of an urban service area but within an urban growth boundary in which future development and extension of services are planned. The urban service area and urban reserve combined, in many places, constitute the urban growth area.
Urban Service Area	An area in which urban services will be provided and outside of which such services will not be extended.
Zoning	Land use laws developed to protect lower impact uses, such as housing, from higher impact uses, such as industry and commerce. It has become a type of land -use  control to separate one type of land use from another.