Environmental and Sustainability Planning Flashcards
7 cards from real AICP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Environmental and Sustainability Planning flashcards as text
A coastal city is updating its general plan to address sea level rise. Which approach best represents 'managed retreat'?
Answer: Relocating development away from vulnerable coastal areas over time
Managed retreat involves strategically relocating structures, infrastructure, and communities away from chronically flooded or eroding coastal areas rather than defending them in place.
Under Clean Water Act Section 404, which federal agency issues permits for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States?
Answer: Army Corps of Engineers
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers administers the Section 404 permit program for discharge of dredged or fill material into wetlands and other waters of the United States.
Which planning tool specifically requires local governments to inventory natural hazards and develop policies to reduce risk as part of a state-mandated process?
Answer: Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
Local Hazard Mitigation Plans, required under the Stafford Act and administered by FEMA, require communities to identify hazards, assess vulnerability, and adopt mitigation strategies to remain eligible for pre-disaster mitigation grants.
Bioswales and rain gardens in urban areas primarily serve which stormwater management function?
Answer: Filtering and infiltrating stormwater to reduce runoff volume and pollutant loads
Bioswales and rain gardens are green infrastructure practices that slow, filter, and infiltrate stormwater runoff, reducing both the volume discharged to receiving waters and the pollutant loads carried by runoff.
A planner is applying the precautionary principle to a proposed chemical plant siting. This principle most closely means:
Answer: Taking preventive action when there is credible evidence of harm, even without full scientific certainty
The precautionary principle holds that when an action raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause-and-effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for a neighborhood development project would most directly incentivize which planning outcome?
Answer: Integrating sustainable site design, energy efficiency, and walkability at the neighborhood scale
LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rewards projects that integrate smart location, walkable design, green building, and infrastructure practices to create more sustainable communities.
When a planner conducts a habitat connectivity analysis, the primary goal is to:
Answer: Evaluate and preserve wildlife movement corridors between fragmented natural areas
Habitat connectivity analysis identifies and evaluates wildlife movement corridors that allow species to travel between fragmented natural areas, supporting biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.