LARE LARE Master Planning and Design 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: ADA Standards for Accessible Design require that accessible routes have a maximum running slope of:
- 3% (1:33)
- 5% (1:20) (Correct answer)
- 8.33% (1:12)
- 10% (1:10)
Correct answer: 5% (1:20)
The ADA requires accessible routes to have a running slope no greater than 1:20 (5%); slopes exceeding this must be designed as ramps with handrails.
Question 2: In master plan circulation design, a 'desire line' analysis helps the designer understand:
- Legal right-of-way widths required by zoning
- The informal paths users naturally take between destinations (Correct answer)
- Optimal lane widths for bicycle facilities
- Emergency vehicle turning radii
Correct answer: The informal paths users naturally take between destinations
Desire lines reveal the most direct routes users informally create, informing formal pathway placement to reduce off-path travel and turf damage.
Question 3: A 'shared street' (woonerf) design prioritizes which hierarchy of users?
- Vehicles first, then cyclists, then pedestrians
- Pedestrians and cyclists first, with vehicles as guests at low speed (Correct answer)
- Emergency vehicles only, with all others excluded
- Transit vehicles, then private cars, then pedestrians
Correct answer: Pedestrians and cyclists first, with vehicles as guests at low speed
Woonerven are designed as pedestrian-priority spaces where vehicles are permitted but must yield to all other users at walking speed.
Question 4: Which spatial concept describes a sequence of outdoor spaces that progressively reveal a destination, building anticipation?
- Compression and release (Correct answer)
- Figure-ground reversal
- Borrowed scenery
- Defensible space
Correct answer: Compression and release
Compression and release alternates narrow, enclosed spaces with expansive open areas to create dramatic arrival experiences and spatial hierarchy.
Question 5: When locating a children's play area within a master plan, which adjacency is MOST important?
- Proximity to parking for equipment delivery
- Visual oversight from a parent seating or gathering area (Correct answer)
- Adjacency to the site's main entrance for visibility
- Location near stormwater detention to avoid flooding
Correct answer: Visual oversight from a parent seating or gathering area
Passive supervision ('eyes on the play area') from adult seating zones is a primary safety design principle for children's play spaces.
Question 6: The principle of 'defensible space' in master planning, developed by Oscar Newman, primarily addresses:
- Military perimeter security for government facilities
- Crime prevention through territorial definition, natural surveillance, and image (Correct answer)
- Flood barrier design for coastal communities
- Setback requirements for fire suppression access
Correct answer: Crime prevention through territorial definition, natural surveillance, and image
Defensible space theory uses physical design—territoriality, surveillance, image, and milieu—to reduce crime by fostering resident ownership and oversight.
Question 7: A roundabout is preferred over a signalized intersection in a master plan primarily because it:
- Accommodates higher vehicle speeds
- Reduces conflict points and serious injury crashes while improving traffic flow (Correct answer)
- Requires less right-of-way than a standard intersection
- Is less expensive to construct than a stop-sign-controlled crossing
Correct answer: Reduces conflict points and serious injury crashes while improving traffic flow
Roundabouts reduce the number of conflict points from 32 to 8 and eliminate high-speed right-angle crashes, significantly reducing severe injuries.
LARE LARE Master Planning and Design 4
ADA Standards for Accessible Design require that accessible routes have a maximum running slope of: