Planning Dictionary

The Imagine Lexington’s guide to terms commonly used in city planning.

Disclaimer

This glossary explains planning and zoning words in a simple way to help people understand how planning works. It's meant to make it easier for community members to get involved. But remember, it's not trying to replace the official definitions in the Lexington Zoning Ordinance and other plans and policies.

A

  • To activate a space means to intentionally provide and arrange engaging amenities and uses such as places to eat, shop, or people-watch for a specific user group or the broader community. Activity should be sustained throughout the day, noting context-sensitive hours near residential areas, by a variety of uses: for example a bakery open in the morning, offices during the day, and restaurants in the evening.

  • Accessibility provides for ease, safety, and choice when moving to and through places. For built form to count as accessible it must support a person, regardless of age, ability, or income, in reaching their destinations safely and quickly.

  • The pedestrian realm is defined as the space behind the curb of a street that provides physical space for pedestrian activity. An ‘active’ pedestrian realm intentionally provides and arranges 1) engagement through amenities and uses such as places to eat, shop, or people-watch, 2) safety through a buffer from the vehicular and bicycle traffic along the street, and 3) space for shade, street furniture, and other elements that affect pedestrian comfort.

  • The capacity of a building or space to respond to changing social, technological, economic, and market conditions and accommodate new or changed uses.

  • Adapting abandoned, vacant, or underutilized buildings and structures for new purposes.

  • The layout or patterns of building elements (e.g. windows, columns, cornice) that defines the space in front of the building and affects the building’s façade.

B

  • A wall which has few or no windows or doors and has no decoration or visual interest.

  • A neutral space between two different types of buildings or spaces with an interest of minimizing disturbances between land uses.

  • The ratio of the building height compared to the width of the street. Generally, a ratio of 1 (Height) to 2.5 (Wide) meets people’s psychological needs for a feeling of enclosure.

  • The consistent edge formed by buildings fronting on an open space or street, which has a strong influence on building line continuity and enclosure. Also see, Street Wall.

  • The degree of uninterrupted building line along a street or open space.

  • The built environment includes the physical make-up of where we live, learn, work, and recreate—our homes, schools, businesses, streets and sidewalks, open spaces, and transportation options.

  • The height, mass, and overall shape of a building or structure. Built form creates visual interest and gives identity and structure to a place.

C

  • The movement patterns of people and vehicles through a site or community.

  • A complete street is a public or private street that is designed with street-fronting land uses, slow travel speeds, multi-modal infrastructure, and pedestrian-oriented design features. A complete street safely accommodates all people who use the street, no matter their mode of transportation.

  • The number of connecting routes within a particular area, often measured by counting the number of intersections per unit of area. An area may be measured for its connectivity for different travel modes – vehicle, cyclist or pedestrian. An area with high connectivity has a network of transportation options that provide multiple routes to and from destinations.

  • A street with only one inlet/outlet connected to the wider street network. A closed cul-de-sac provides no possible passage except through the single road entry. An open cul-de-sac allows cyclists, pedestrians, or other non-automotive traffic to pass through connecting paths at the cul-de-sac head.

  • A ramp cut into a street curb to provide access (as for wheelchairs or strollers) between a sidewalk and the street, or for vehicular access to a driveway or parking space.

    1. Development or re-development that is capable of co-existing in harmony with existing development in both form and use. Compatibility should be evaluated in accordance with measurable/objective standards, where they exist.

    2. The height, mass, and overall shape of a building or structure. Built form creates visual interest and gives identity and structure to a place.

D

  • The shortest or most easily navigated route marked by the erosion of the ground caused by human traffic. Often found in places that lack sidewalk connectivity and where constructed pathways take a circuitous route.

  • In this context, diversity refers to a compatible mix of land uses, built forms, and mobility options that, when well designed, enable equitable access to the city.

E

  • Edges define and designate places. ‘Harder’ edges such as walls and screens physically or visually separate places and ‘softer’ edges such as vegetation or distance buffers provide transitions between places.

  • A term used in urban design analysis to describe the transition between a public space and its adjacent land uses and structures. An edge may be ‘active’ with a building’s doors and windows addressing the public space, or it may be ‘inactive’, with blank walls, a privacy fence, or high traffic volume road abutting the public space.

  • An experience in which a person feels sheltered. Building line continuity and height, trees and landscaping, and street width are all factors in creating a sense of enclosure.

F

  • A diagram expressing the relationship between built (figure) and unbuilt (ground) space. Figure Ground diagrams are useful for visualizing the proportions, placement, and connections between open spaces around buildings.

  • The exterior wall of a building exposed to public view. It is the face of the building and helps inform passers-by about the building and the activities within.

  • A measure of the percentage of a façade that allows for direct views from the public realm into the building interior and from the interior onto the public realm, most often achieved through windows (aka building fenestration).

  • A building opening designed to be used by pedestrians and open during regular business hours. It does not include doors exclusively designated as an emergency exit, or a garage door not designed as a pedestrian entrance.

G

  • A signature building, structure, or landscape to mark an entrance or arrival to an area.

  • An area primarily composed of grass, trees, or other vegetation set apart for recreational, cultural, environmental, or aesthetic purposes.

  • An approach to managing stormwater in built environments that mimics the natural hydrologic cycle by infiltrating stormwater on site.

H

I

  • Observation, from the street or from adjacent buildings, provided by ordinary people as they go about their daily activities. This kind of observation can deter criminal activity or anti-social behavior and make places feel safer. Sometimes termed ‘casual surveillance’ and ‘eyes-on-the-street’.

J

K

L

  • A highly distinctive building, structure, or landscape that provides a sense of place and orientation.

  • The ease with which a person is able to see, understand, and find their way around an area, building, or development. A ‘legible’ layout is one that people find easy to navigate and move through.

M

  • The ability to move or be moved safely, comfortably, and conveniently regardless of mode of transportation.

  • A transit network that accommodates all modes of travel and provides mobility for all users regardless of age, ability, or income.

  • The overall volume or form of a building element.

  • A range of complementary uses within the same building, site, or precinct. The different uses may be arranged floor by floor, or side by side.

N

  • Neighborhood character is a catch-all term used vaguely to express the overall look and feel of the streetscape, the size, shape, and location of buildings, as well as the uses contained within them, architectural style and details, and the presence of neighborhood focal points and amenities such as schools and parks. Due to the prevalence, yet inconsistent usage, of this term, specific information should be requested to clarify the user’s meaning.

  • A hub-like setting that is accessible to a large number of people in a geographical area. In urban areas, they often function as compact, easily walkable nodes for eating, drinking, socializing, and the selling of goods and services. School sites, parks, libraries, and other types of community centers are also examples of neighborhood focal points.

  • A place where activity and circulation are concentrated.

O

  • Areas of land and water that serve the purposes of providing recreation opportunities, conserving natural, cultural, and aesthetic resources, and structuring urban development and form. Open space may be public or private.

P

  • The process of creating quality places where people want to live, work, play, shop, learn, and visit.

  • A type of public open space connected to the street network that can range in size from a building forecourt to a large city square.

  • The public realm comprises spaces and places that are open and freely accessible to everyone, regardless of their economic or social conditions. These spaces can include streets, alleys, sidewalks and paths, parks, public plazas, waterways, and the spaces formed by the architectural or landscape features of the area. The public realm is what we experience when we live life outside our homes, cars, and workplaces.

  • A designated area that is open to public access, provides a public use or recreation function, and that is owned and maintained by government agencies. Public spaces provide places for social interaction and a sense of community.

  • The type of features along a street that make it a pleasing pedestrian environment. This can include the size of sidewalks, places to sit, a buffer between traffic and the pedestrian realm, trees to shade, canopies to protect from weather, public spaces, and public art.

  • A pedestrian connection provides a through connection for bicyclists and pedestrians between two streets or two lots. It may be a sidewalk that is part of a street, or it may be a paved path created solely for pedestrians and bicyclists.

  • An environment designed to create attractive, comfortable, and safe walking environments for all ages and abilities. Pedestrian oriented development locates buildings to define street edges and corners, and activates street frontages to enhance the pedestrian experience.

  • A graphic representation of the area surrounding a particular destination that can be reached on foot without obstruction, in a safe, accessible, and comfortable environment, within a specific walking time. Its extent is based on the actual walking distance to the destination, as opposed to a simple radius from a center point. Generally, a walkable pedestrian shed is what can be reached in a five minute or one-quarter mile walk.

  • A comparison of dimensions within an entity or system, for example the proportions of a height-to-width ratio.

Q

  • The well-being of a person or society, defined in terms of health and happiness, rather than wealth. Factors that increase quality of life include a physical environment that provides access to air and light, neighborhood services, economic opportunities, transportation options, and places to experience the public realm.

R

  • Land used generally for streets, sidewalks, alleys, or other public uses. Right-of-way also is a land measurement term, meaning the distance between lot property lines which generally contains not only the street pavement, but also the sidewalks, grass area, and underground and aboveground utilities.

  • The part of a street intended for vehicles, in contrast to a sidewalk or median.

  • The repetition of elements such as materials, details, styles, and shapes that provide visual interest.

S

  • The characteristics of the area that make it recognizable as being unique or different from its surroundings and give a feeling of connection or belonging.

  • A roadway that provides access to private property on one side and public access to an amenity, such as a park, on the other side. Single-loaded streets are useful for creating more visibility into public spaces and clearly delineating public from private spaces.

  • ‘Space’ is a more abstract concept than ‘place’. A ‘space’ is a blank slate—a physical location that has yet to be colored with personal experience. A ‘place’ refers to a physical location that has a meaning for the people who use it.

  • Objects and equipment placed along streets including transit shelters, bicycle racks, light fixtures, fire hydrants, trash receptacles, signs, benches, mailboxes, newspaper boxes, kiosks, or other such fixtures.

  • Street trees, generally located between the sidewalk and curb, provide aesthetic, environmental, and socioeconomic benefits that help improve our quality of life.

  • The visual character of a street that results from the combination of road width, sidewalk width and paving type, street furniture, trees and plantings, lighting, signage, and the surrounding built form and detail. The people and activities present also contribute to the streetscape.

  • A paved travel area separate from motorized traffic for bicyclists, pedestrians, skaters, wheelchair users, joggers, and other users.

  • A type of city plan in which streets generally run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogonal geometry, facilitate pedestrian movement and navigability.

  • The size of an entity relative to its surroundings. Scale refers to the apparent size, not the actual size.

  • The size and articulation of physical elements so that they are visible from a moving vehicle—generally what is visible from 30 miles-per-hour.

  • The size and articulation of physical elements relative to a person—generally what is interesting to look at and feels pleasant to be near.

  • The distance between the front wall of a building and the street fronting lot boundary, intended to maintain continuity along a streetscape. The front setback can add to the perceived width of the street, provide additional public or private space, and allow space for landscaping.

  • The act of enhancing a project’s connections to its surroundings, promoting walkability, and ensuring effective access and circulation for all modes of transportation.

  • An objective measurement.

    In contrast, see ‘Scale’.

  • Inefficient use of land and resources with little concern for urban planning.

  • A recess of taller elements of a building in order to ensure an appropriate, human-scaled presence on the street edge.

  • The gradual change in height between buildings.

  • Stormwater is generated from rain and snowmelt events that flow over land or impervious surfaces, such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, and does not soak into the ground.

  • The building line as it fronts on a street.

  • Sustainability means creating places that are environmentally responsible, healthful, just, equitable, and profitable. Creating a sustainable built environment means looking holistically at natural, human, and economic systems and finding solutions that support quality of life for all.

T

  • Physical devices installed in or along streets to slow or reduce vehicle traffic and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

  • Also known as a ‘circulation’ or ‘movement’ network, the ‘transportation network’ is the interconnected system of streets, sidewalks, roadways, and shared use paths that accommodates pedestrians, cyclists, on-road public transport, emergency and service vehicles, and private vehicles. The movement network connects places and activities, and allows people and goods to reach their intended destinations and to access private land.

  • A geometric measurement that creates a height transition on a building and maintains solar access for adjacent properties.

U

  • The confluence of land use planning, architecture, and landscape architecture, which addresses the way buildings, streets, and public spaces all add up into places that work (or don’t work) for people.

    Learn more about Urban Design with our Urban Design Course

  • The overall topography and land division pattern of an urban area including street pattern, the shapes and sizes of blocks and lots. Urban structure also includes the location and types of activity centers, public transport corridors, public space, community facilities, and urban infrastructure. Whether at the scale of a city, town, neighborhood, precinct or large development site, it is the interrelationship between all of the elements of urban structure, rather than their individual characteristics, that together make a place.

  • The design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability.

  • The pattern of lots and blocks and streets.

V

  • In roadway design, a vertical edge is a visual traffic calming device which may include street trees, buildings, or other vertical design elements within drivers’ field of vision along roadways.

W

  • The extent to which the built environment supports walking for transport and for recreation, where the walking environment is safe, connected, accessible, and pleasant—not just the distance between two places.

  • An area where travel on foot is made easy, direct, and as safe as possible for all members of the community including children, people with strollers or shopping carts, and those using mobility aids.

  • Design elements that help people navigate through an area (e.g. signs, landmarks, continuous street walls).

X

Y

Z

Don't see a term you would like to know the meaning of? Send it to us at imagine@lexingtonky.gov

Add a Word

The Urban Design Decoder is a learning tool to aid in the education of the planning process of the community. Made in conjunction with the Urban Design series, this booklet can help guide you through some of the unfamiliar jargon within the Comp Plan or start as a jumping-off point for those who want to get more involved with planning.

The purpose of the Decoder is to:

  • Make planning language accessible to the community

  • Provide information on planning processes to the greater community

  • Increase the knowledge of the planning process

Urban Design Decoder