Community Planning & Development Flashcards

Which principle of smart growth encourages placing a mix of housing types—single-family, townhomes, and apartments—within the same neighborhood?

Answer: Mixed housing diversity

Smart growth principle of mixed housing diversity promotes a range of housing types and costs within neighborhoods to serve people of various ages and incomes.

A planning commission denies a rezoning application. Under what legal standard can a court overturn that denial?

Answer: The applicant shows the decision was arbitrary, capricious, or unsupported by substantial evidence

Courts review quasi-judicial land use decisions under the arbitrary and capricious standard, overturning decisions not supported by substantial evidence.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan requires municipalities to:

Answer: Identify and schedule remediation of barriers in the public right-of-way

ADA Transition Plans identify physical barriers in public facilities and rights-of-way and establish a schedule for their removal.

Which concept describes the economic principle that public investment in infrastructure raises surrounding private property values, which can then be captured to finance the investment?

Answer: Value capture

Value capture is the broad concept of recovering increased land values created by public investment; TIF and special assessments are specific value-capture mechanisms.

A 'planned unit development' (PUD) allows developers to:

Answer: Cluster development and mix uses in exchange for open space preservation and design flexibility

A PUD allows flexible site planning and use mixing in exchange for design quality, open space, and community amenities negotiated with the municipality.

In preparing a redevelopment plan for a blighted area, which step typically comes FIRST?

Answer: Conducting a blight study and making a blight finding

A formal blight study and official blight finding are legally required prerequisites before a municipality can invoke redevelopment authority and tools.

Which metric is most commonly used to measure pedestrian accessibility to daily destinations in urban planning?

Answer: Walk Score or walkshed analysis

Walk Score and walkshed analysis measure how easily residents can reach daily destinations on foot, quantifying pedestrian accessibility.