AICP key terms

A population projection technique that moves a population forward in age cohorts, applying assumed birth, death, and migration rates to each age-sex group to estimate future population totals and composition.

Computer software for storing, mapping, and analyzing data tied to geographic locations, letting planners overlay layers such as parcels, roads, and floodplains to reveal patterns and test alternatives.

A study estimating the public revenues a new development will generate compared with the public costs it creates, such as services, infrastructure, and schools.

A structured forecasting method in which a panel of experts answers questionnaires anonymously over several rounds, with summarized results shared between rounds, until opinions converge.

A facilitated meeting method in which participants first write ideas independently, then share and rank them in a fixed sequence, limiting dominance by outspoken members and producing a prioritized list.

A parcel-by-parcel survey recording how land is currently used, classified into categories such as residential, commercial, industrial, and open space, forming a baseline for plans and forecasts.

The conventional zoning approach that divides a jurisdiction into districts and lists permitted uses and dimensional standards for each district, rather than regulating building form.

A planning approach that directs development toward existing communities and transit, mixes uses, preserves open space, and offers varied housing and transportation choices instead of dispersed, auto-oriented sprawl.

A design movement promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods with connected streets, a clearly defined public realm, and a range of housing types, often implemented through form-based codes.

Compact, relatively dense, mixed-use development sited within easy walking distance of a transit station, designed to raise ridership and reduce dependence on automobiles.

State statutes that authorize local governments to plan, zone, and regulate land use; without such delegated authority, local land-use regulations are generally invalid.

An intensive, multi-day collaborative design workshop in which planners, designers, and community members work together to produce concept plans and build agreement on a project or plan.

The process of identifying the individuals and groups affected by or interested in a decision, assessing their interests and influence, and planning how and when to engage them.

A framework describing five levels of public involvement-inform, consult, involve, collaborate, and empower-each matched to the degree of influence the public has over a decision.

A long-range document adopted by a local government stating community goals and policies on land use, housing, transportation, utilities, and related topics, guiding later regulations and capital spending.

A participatory process in which residents and stakeholders describe the future they want for their community, producing a shared statement of goals that anchors subsequent plan and policy decisions.

A method of developing and comparing several plausible alternative futures, such as different growth or transportation patterns, so decision makers can weigh tradeoffs before adopting a plan.

A structured assessment listing an organization's or community's internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats, used to frame goals and strategies.

The local law that establishes zoning districts, lists permitted and conditional uses, and sets dimensional standards such as minimum lot size, height limits, setbacks, and density.

An administrative or quasi-judicial approval granting relief from a specific zoning standard when strict application would cause an unnecessary hardship unique to the property.

A zoning approval allowing a use listed as conditional in a district, granted after review of site-specific impacts and attached conditions such as buffering, operating hours, or access management.

A zoning technique allowing a unified site design with mixed uses or clustered buildings in exchange for public benefits, replacing lot-by-lot compliance with negotiated site-wide standards.

A one-time charge on new development used to pay for the off-site public capital facilities, such as roads, water lines, sewer, or parks, needed to serve that development.

A market-based mechanism letting owners of land designated for preservation sell unused development rights to owners of receiving areas where higher density is permitted.

A land development regulation that controls the physical form of buildings and streets-such as placement, height, and frontage-as the primary standard, with use restrictions playing a secondary role.

A local regulation tying development approval to demonstrated capacity in roads, schools, water, or sewer, often through a concurrency requirement that facilities be available when impacts occur.

A multi-year schedule of public capital projects and major purchases, matched to funding sources and typically linked to the growth assumptions of the comprehensive plan.

An appointed local board that reviews and recommends comprehensive plans and zoning changes and, in many communities, decides subdivision and site plan applications.

A local quasi-judicial body that hears appeals of zoning decisions and rules on variances and special exceptions, applying adopted standards to specific properties.

A leadership process that sets an organization's mission, long-term goals, and priorities, assesses internal capacity and external conditions, and assigns actions, timelines, and accountability for results.

The federally designated regional body that prepares the long-range transportation plan and short-range program for an urbanized area receiving federal transportation funds.

A document required for major federal actions significantly affecting the environment, describing likely impacts, reasonable alternatives, and mitigation, and opening the proposal to public comment.

The process under the National Historic Preservation Act by which federal agencies consider how federally funded, permitted, or licensed projects affect historic properties and consult with interested parties.

Previously developed land that is abandoned or underused because of actual or perceived contamination, typically requiring environmental assessment and cleanup before it can be redeveloped.

A policy requiring streets to be planned and designed for all users-pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and drivers of all ages and abilities-rather than prioritizing vehicle throughput.

A situation in which a planner's financial interest, family tie, or other private benefit could improperly influence official judgment, requiring disclosure and often recusal from the decision.

Contact about a pending quasi-judicial matter between a decision maker and one side outside the public hearing, which can compromise fairness and due process unless disclosed on the record.

The ethics rules binding certified planners, organized as aspirational principles, enforceable rules of conduct, and procedures for advisory ethics opinions and disciplinary action.