| Real estate transfer taxes | A real estate transfer tax is a levy on property sales. It is typically a small percentage of the purchase price and is usually paid by the buyer. | American Farmland Trust, Farmland Information Center, Fact Sheet, January, 1999. http://www.farmlandinfo.org/fic/tas/tafs-pacefund.html |
| Response time | The number of minutes required for an emergency vehicle (ambulance, police, or fire) to travel from its station or patrol to the site of an emergency. | "Getting the Growth You Want (Part One): A citizen's guide to subdivisions and smart growth," by the Montana Smart Growth Coalition, and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Montana Smart Growth Coalition , 1st printing, September 2002, Page 31. |
| Riparian restoration | Riparian ecosystems are declining throughout the southwestern United States, where many have disappeared completely. The rapid decline of these ecosystems has made riparian conservation a focal issue in the debate over land preservation and development in the Southwest. However, the science of repairing damaged riparian ecosystems is relatively young. Scientists are still seeking to answer fundamental questions on riparian ecosystem processes and the impacts of human activities. In addition, little is known about past riparian recovery efforts because the results of only a relatively small number of projects have been evaluated. One important tool has emerged that can help in the evaluation of the condition of degraded riparian ecosystems so that effective strategies for improving their condition can be developed. Authored, by Mark Briggs, director of research at the Rincon Institute in Tucson, Arizona, Riparian Ecosystem Recovery in Arid Lands: Strategies and References serves as a resource for public land managers, planners, developers, scientists, private landowners, and concerned citizens for developing site-specific riparian recovery strategies.
For more information, contact: Mark Briggs, Director of Research Sonoran Institute 7650 E. Broadway Blvd, Suite 203 Tucson, AZ 85710 Phone: (520) 290-0828 Fax: (520) 290-0969 Email: Sonoran@sonoran.org To order Riparian Ecosystem Recovery in Arid Lands, contact: University of Arizona Press 1-800-426-3797 (voice/fax) |
http://www.sonoran.org/library/terms/Riparian.Html; accessed October 30, 2001 |
| Severance tax | A tax imposed on the value of oil, gas, timber, or other natural resources extracted from the earth. | Black’s Law Dictionary – Deluxe Seventh Edition; West Publishing Company; St. Paul; 1999; page1471. |
| Shared roadway | Bicyclists and motorists share the travel lanes. | "Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practioners," National Center for Bicycling and Walking, May 2002, Page 19. |
| Shared-use path | A facility separated from motor vehicle traffic by an open space or barrier, and typically used by pedestrians, joggers, skaters and bicyclists as two-way facilities. | "Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practioners," National Center for Bicycling and Walking, May 2002, Page 21. |
| Shoulder bikeway | Paved and smooth roadway shoulder at least 4 feet wide. | "Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practioners," National Center for Bicycling and Walking, May 2002, Page 20. |
| Sidewalk | An improved facility for pedestrians that is usually, but not always, located in the public right-of-way next to a roadway and constructed of concrete or other hard, smooth surface. | "Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practioners," National Center for Bicycling and Walking, May 2002, Pages 13, and 15. |
| Smart growth | Community development pattern that is economically sound, environmentally friendly and supportive of community livability. | "Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practioners," National Center for Bicycling and Walking, May 2002, Pages 6, and 24. |
| Socioeconomic data | Involving social as well as economic factors; "socioeconomic status" | WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University |
| Socioeconomic impact assessment | In the United States, social impact assessment (SIA) is the primary mechanism that has been developed to plan in advance for the social effects of development. SIA is usually an aspect of a broader socioeconomic impact assessment, which is tied, in turn, to an environmental impact statement. These studies, commonly prepared by consultants working for the developer of the project -- an oil company, a utility, or a governmental agency -- are ultimately submitted to the state or federal agency that must approve the project. The techniques for conducting an SIA are varied, with little consensus on any single best method. Generally the social assessment is done in conjunction with the assessment of economic, demographic, service, and fiscal impacts, to which it is obviously closely related. Besides the technical issues involved in the choice of a methodology, two other, more basic issues must also be addressed when an SIA is being designed. First, are impacts projected in the aggregate, for the community as a whole, or are separate projections made for different groups, such as elderly people, women, or newcomers? Second, what is the extent of community involvement in the assessment? Computerized socioeconomic assessment models are now commonly used to assess economic and demographic impacts of a project. | So, Frank S., Judith Getzels, editors. "The Practice of Local Government Planning," Second Edition, International City Management Association, 1988, pages 349-350. |
| Species | In modern biology, species are regarded conceptually as a population or series of populations within which free gene flow occurs under natural conditions. This means that all the normal, physiologically competent individuals at a given time are capable of breeding with all the other individuals of the opposite sex belonging to the same species or at least that they are capable of being linked genetically to them through chains of other breeding individuals. By definition they do not breed freely with members of other species. | Wilson, E.O., "Biodiversity," National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1998, page 5-6. |
| Sprawl | Sprawl is dispersed, low- density development with poor connectivity between related land uses. In Suburban Nation, Duany et al. present the characteristics of sprawl very precisely. They put forth five key characteristics, which help identify sprawl: 1. Housing Subdivisions, Clusters or Pods: Housing subdivisions have only one function - to house people. Developers give them quaint names like Highlands Ranch, which indicates what was there before the development. Developers may refer to them as "villages, towns or neighborhoods" even though these developments have little or no resemblance to traditional American communities. 2. Shopping Centers, Strip Centers, Shopping Malls or Big-Box Retail: Shopping centers are also designed for only one purpose: shopping. These "centers" do not allow for mixed use, such as offices or living quarters above the shops. It is difficult to walk from home to the shopping center or mall because these areas are almost always surrounded by a huge parking lot and there are few sidewalks. 3. Office Parks or Campuses: The so-called office park or campus has characteristics similar to the shopping center and subdivision. It is a single-use facility, and that use is work. Developers want to convey the idea that these are "pastoral workplaces," but instead, the facilities are metal and glass compounds in the center of huge parking lots located just off the nearest freeway. 4. Civic Institutions: Modern civic buildings, such as churches, schools and city or county government buildings in traditional communities are places for community members to congregate. In sprawling development this mission is distorted; buildings are nondescript in their design, isolated from residential areas so no one can walk to them, and isolated from other civic buildings. Unlike traditional American communities, their location does not mark a focal point in the community. And again, they are surrounded by huge parking lots. 5. Parking Lots Connected by Expansive Roadways: Pavement is the link between subdivisions, shopping "centers," offices and civic institutions. Wide, pedestrian-unfriendly streets, freeways, and huge parking lots ensure that the only traffic between these components of suburbia will be of the wheeled kind. |
Duany, Andres, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Jeff Speck. "Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream. North Point Press." New York. pp. 5-7. |
| Subdivider | A person who creates a division of land where one of the "new" parcels is less than 160 acres. | "Getting the Growth You Want (Part One): A citizen's guide to subdivisions and smart growth," by the Montana Smart Growth Coalition, and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Montana Smart Growth Coalition , 1st printing, September 2002, Page 31. |
| Subdivision | A division of land where one of the "new" parcels is less than 160 acres. | "Getting the Growth You Want (Part One): A citizen's guide to subdivisions and smart growth," by the Montana Smart Growth Coalition, and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Montana Smart Growth Coalition , 1st printing, September 2002, Page 31. |
| Subdivision regulation | The importance of subdivision regulation is often underestimated, particularly in suburban and rural areas. As one authority has put it, "subdivision regulation has become so important that [it] is a more important public control than is zoning with respect to land being developed or redeveloped." Yet the nature of subdivision regulation has changed dramatically over the years. Subdivision regulations are just one of a number of means communities use to carry out their planning programs. To be effective, subdivision regulations must be integrated with other local government plans, policies, and ordinances, such as the comprehensive or general plan and its capital improvement components, the zoning ordinance, the official map, utility extension policies, street improvement policies, environmental impact statement requirements, and various other development and environmental health regulations. The most important of these may be the comprehensive or general plan and the capital improvements program, which should provide the policy and analytical basis for the design and improvement standards included in the subdivision regulations. | So, Frank S., Judith Getzels, editors. "The Practice of Local Government Planning," Second Edition, International City Management Association, 1988, pages 198-203. |
| Suburban sprawl | One of the earliest uses of the word "sprawl" in terms of land use was in a 1937 speech by Earle Draper, then director of planning for the Tennessee Valley Authority: "Perhaps diffusion is too kind of word. ... In bursting its bounds, the city actually sprawled and made the countryside ugly ..., uneconomic [in terms] of services and doubtful social value." While there's no universally accepted definition, the Vermont Forum on Sprawl concisely defines sprawl as "dispersed development outside of compact urban and village centers along highways and in rural countryside." | Planners Web, http://www.plannersweb.com/sprawl/define.html, accessed March 3, 2003. |
| Taking | In criminal law and torts, the act of laying hold upon an article, with or without removing the same. It implies a transfer of possession, dominion, or control. | Black's Law Dictionary -- Abridged Sixth Edition; West Publishing Company; St. Paul; 1991; page 1012. |
| The Conservation Fund | The Conservation Fund is a national nonprofit organization that seeks sustainable conservation solutions, emphasizing the integration of economic and conservation goals. The Fund protects land and water through partnerships with corporations, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies. Since its inception in 1986, The Conservation Fund has acquired and protected some 1.3 million acres of land, including wetlands, wildlife refuges, scenic areas, historic and battlefield sites, and other significant lands. In addition to land conservation efforts, the Fund assists in the development and maintenance of trains and greenways, promotes efforts to preserve Civil War battlefield sites, develops economically feasible and environmentally sound approaches to freshwater resources, and provides assistance with land-use planning and ecological assessment. For more information, contact: The Conservation Fund; 1800 N. Kent Street, Suite 1120; Arlington, VA 22209;
Phone: (703) 525-6300; Fax: (703) 525-4610 |
http://www.sonoran.org/library/terms/consfund.html; accessed October 30, 2001 |
| Tipping fees | Tipping fees are charged for dumping large quantities of trash, particularly construction waste, into landfills. As landfills have begun to reach capacity, these fees have have increased and restrictions have been placed on what can be landfilled. In fact, according to the National Solid Waste Management Association, tipping fees almost quadrupled between 1985 and 1995 in all regions of the country.
Communities are using higher tipping fees to create incentives for builders to recycle, salvage, and reduce waste during the construction process. Higher tipping fees have spurred some creative solutions. In Wake Forest, North Carolina, salvage materials from a refurbished building were donated to the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity for use in affordable housing projects. For more information, contact: Rocky Mountain Institute 1739 Snowmass Creek Road Snowmass, CO 81654-9199 Phone: (970) 927-3851 Fax: (970) 927-3420 |
http://www.sonoran.org/library/terms/tipping.html; accessed October 30, 2001 |
| Tract of Land | A lot, piece or parcel of land, of greater or lesser size, the term not importing, in itself, any precise dimension, though term generally refers to a large piece of land. Term is synonymous with parcel of land and does not have reference to size but to contiguous quantity of land. See also "Parcel." | Black's Law Dictionary -- Abridged Sixth Edition; West Publishing Company; St. Paul; 1991; page 1037. |
| Transfer of development rights (TDR) program | A program that allows landowners to transfer the right to develop one parcel of land to a different parcel of land to prevent farmland conversion. TDR programs establish "sending areas" where land is to be protected by agricultural conservation easements and "receiving areas" where land may be developed at a higher density than would otherwise be allowed by local zoning. Landowners in the sending area sell development rights to landowners in the receiving area, generally through the private market. When the development rights are sold on a parcel, a conservation easement is recorded and enforced by the local government. In some cases, the local government may establish a "TDR bank" to buy and sell development rights. The development rights created by TDR programs are referred to as transferable development rights (TDRs) or transferable development credits (TDCs). | American Farmland Trust, Farmland Information Center, Fact Sheet, Glossary, September, 1998 http://www.farmlandinfo.org/fic/tas/tafs-gloss.html. |
| TE | Transportation Enhancement. | "Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practioners," National Center for Bicycling and Walking, May 2002, Page 33. |
| TEA-21 | Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century. | "Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practioners," National Center for Bicycling and Walking, May 2002, Page 31. |
| TIP | Transportation Improvement Program. | "Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practioners," National Center for Bicycling and Walking, May 2002, Page 29. |
| Traffic calming | A set of techniques that reduce the speed and aggressiveness of traffic. | "Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practioners," National Center for Bicycling and Walking, May 2002, Page 23. |
| TND | Traditional Neighborhood Development. A human scale, walkable community with moderate to high residential densities and a mixed-use core. | "Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practioners," National Center for Bicycling and Walking, May 2002, Page 6. |