AICP - American Institute of Certified Planners Functional Areas of Practice Questions and Answers

Question 1

A city wants to fund public infrastructure upgrades in a blighted downtown district to attract private investment.
The proposed financing method involves capturing the anticipated increase in property tax revenue that will be generated by new development within the district to repay bonds issued for the improvements.
This economic development tool is known as:

Accepted Answer

Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

Answer

A Special Assessment District

Answer

A Business Improvement District (BID)

Answer

A General Obligation Bond

Question 2

A rural township is experiencing development pressure on its prime agricultural lands. To protect these lands, the township implements a program that allows landowners in a designated agricultural 'sending area' to sell their unused development potential to developers who can then build at a higher density in a designated 'receiving area' near the town center. This land use tool is called:

Accepted Answer

Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)

Answer

Purchase of Development Rights (PDR)

Answer

Agricultural Zoning

Answer

Conservation Easement

Question 3

A city ordinance requires that for any new residential development with over 20 units, 10% of the units must be deed-restricted as affordable for households earning below 80% of the area median income. In exchange, developers may be offered incentives like permission to build more units than the base zoning allows. This regulatory strategy is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Inclusionary Zoning

Answer

Rent Control

Answer

A Housing Linkage Fee

Answer

A Community Land Trust

Question 4

A planning commission is reviewing a proposal for a new industrial facility. The site is located in a low-income community of color that already has a high concentration of polluting industries and waste facilities. Residents are concerned about cumulative air quality impacts and health risks. A decision to deny the permit based on the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, and to prevent the disproportionate burden of negative environmental consequences on one community, would be an application of which principle?

Accepted Answer

Environmental Justice

Answer

Smart Growth

Answer

New Urbanism

Answer

Sustainable Development

Question 5

A city is redesigning a major commercial corridor to improve safety and accessibility for all users. The project involves reducing traffic lanes, adding protected bicycle lanes, widening sidewalks, installing high-visibility crosswalks, and improving bus shelters. This transportation planning approach is best known as:

Accepted Answer

Complete Streets

Answer

Access Management

Answer

Traffic Demand Management (TDM)

Answer

Context Sensitive Design (CSD)

Question 6

A coastal city adopts a new regulation prohibiting all construction on beachfront parcels to preserve the dune system and protect against sea-level rise. A property owner who had intended to build a house on their vacant lot files a lawsuit, claiming the regulation has eliminated all economically viable use of their land and that they are owed compensation. This legal challenge is primarily based on the concept of a:

Accepted Answer

Regulatory Taking

Answer

Procedural Due Process Violation

Answer

Nuisance Abatement

Answer

Spot Zoning