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Question 1History and Theory of Architecture

The Vitruvian triad sets out three qualities that a building should possess. Which set of terms names them?

  1. Firmitas, utilitas, venustas Correct answer.
  2. Firmitas, claritas, aeternitas
  3. Venustas, proportio, modulatio
  4. Utilitas, symmetria, decorum

Explanation

Vitruvius began De architectura by requiring a building to be durable (firmitas), useful (utilitas) and beautiful (venustas). This triad became the canonical summary of architectural quality for later theorists.

Question 2History and Theory of Architecture

Which classical Greek order is conventionally shown with the column shaft resting directly on the stylobate, without a separate base?

  1. Ionic
  2. Composite
  3. Corinthian
  4. Doric Correct answer.

Explanation

In the canonical Greek Doric order the shaft rises straight from the stylobate with no base moulding. Bases are a standard feature of the Ionic, Corinthian and Composite orders.

Question 3History and Theory of Architecture

The pointed arch, a defining structural element of Gothic architecture, allowed medieval builders to do which of the following?

  1. replace stone masonry with timber framing
  2. direct thrust more steeply and span varied bay widths Correct answer.
  3. reduce the overall weight of the stone vault
  4. eliminate the need for any external supporting buttress

Explanation

A pointed arch produces a steeper thrust line than a semicircular one, so loads are carried down more vertically and the apex can rise while the springing stays level. This let vaults cover rectangular bays of differing widths with one system.

Question 4History and Theory of Architecture

The Bauhaus school of art and design, founded in 1919, was established by which architect?

  1. Walter Gropius Correct answer.
  2. Mies van der Rohe
  3. Le Corbusier
  4. Hannes Meyer

Explanation

Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in Weimar in 1919 by merging the former Grand-Ducal School of Arts and Crafts with the Academy of Fine Arts. Mies and Meyer only directed the school later.

Question 5History and Theory of Architecture

The traditional Filipino bahay kubo is best described as which of the following?

  1. a masonry townhouse with capiz shell windows
  2. a multi-storey concrete apartment block
  3. a coral-stone church with massive buttresses
  4. a raised timber house with nipa roof and bamboo frame Correct answer.

Explanation

The bahay kubo is a raised timber and bamboo dwelling roofed with nipa thatch. Elevating it on posts responds to flood, humidity and ventilation needs while providing usable space below.

Question 6History and Theory of Architecture

The Roman development of the semicircular arch and its derived vaults was significant mainly because it did which of the following?

  1. allowed the construction of the first free-standing stone columns
  2. eliminated the need for mortar in masonry walls
  3. introduced the pointed arch to western Europe
  4. permitted wide interior spans without close-spaced columns Correct answer.

Explanation

Semicircular arches, barrel vaults and groin vaults carry load in compression across a wide span. Roman builders could therefore roof large halls such as basilicas and baths without a dense grid of columns.

Question 7History and Theory of Architecture

Raising a building on slender freestanding columns to free the ground plane is one of Le Corbusier's Five Points. Which term names those columns?

  1. fenêtre en longueur
  2. toit-jardin
  3. pilotis Correct answer.
  4. plan libre

Explanation

Pilotis lift the building mass off the ground, freeing the site for circulation and allowing the façade to be independent of the structural frame. They are the first of Le Corbusier's Five Points.

Question 8History and Theory of Architecture

In Gothic cathedrals the flying buttress was developed principally to do which of the following?

  1. support the timber roof trusses over the nave
  2. carry the weight of the nave floor down to the crypt
  3. counteract the outward thrust of the high vaults Correct answer.
  4. frame the stained-glass windows of the clerestory and tribune

Explanation

Flying buttresses carry the lateral thrust of the nave vaults across the aisle to heavy external piers. This let builders thin the upper walls and open them up with large glazed clerestories.

Question 9History and Theory of Architecture

Brunelleschi's dome for Florence Cathedral was a remarkable achievement chiefly because of which feature?

  1. its reliance on an encircling ring of flying buttresses
  2. its self-supporting herringbone brick construction without centering Correct answer.
  3. its early use of reinforced concrete ribs and a lightweight pumice aggregate
  4. its status as the first dome ever raised on pendentives

Explanation

Brunelleschi avoided a full timber centering by using a herringbone brick bond together with stone and iron tension chains. The dome thus supports itself during construction, an achievement documented by his contemporaries.

Question 10History and Theory of Architecture

Andrea Palladio's Villa Rotonda near Vicenza is characterised by which of the following?

  1. a single dominant façade facing a formal garden
  2. a fortified medieval keep surrounded by a moat
  3. four identical porticoes on a centralised, symmetrical plan Correct answer.
  4. an irregular, organic plan that follows the contours of the site

Explanation

The Villa Rotonda places four identical temple-front porticoes on a square, centrally planned block. The building therefore addresses all directions equally rather than presenting one principal façade.

Question 11History and Theory of Architecture

The pendentive, a device that lets a circular dome sit over a square plan, is most closely associated with which building tradition?

  1. Roman thermae
  2. Byzantine churches such as Hagia Sophia Correct answer.
  3. Gothic cathedrals
  4. Baroque palaces

Explanation

A pendentive is the spherical triangle that fills each corner between a square base and the circular ring of a dome. Hagia Sophia is its most celebrated early example.

Question 12History and Theory of Architecture

The Athens Charter produced at CIAM IV in 1933 advocated urban planning based on which principle?

  1. monumental axial planning derived from Baroque models
  2. functional zoning of dwelling, work and recreation Correct answer.
  3. garden-city decentralisation into a ring of satellite towns
  4. the restoration of medieval street patterns

Explanation

CIAM IV sorted urban life into the functions of dwelling, work, recreation and circulation, and proposed separating them through zoning and a hierarchy of traffic routes. The charter became a key text for modernist planning.

Question 13History and Theory of Architecture

The Garden City concept, with a greenbelt limiting growth and a balanced mix of uses, was proposed by which figure?

  1. Patrick Geddes
  2. Clarence Stein
  3. Tony Garnier
  4. Ebenezer Howard Correct answer.

Explanation

Ebenezer Howard set out the garden city in his 1898 book Tomorrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform. He proposed self-contained towns of limited size, ringed by agricultural greenbelts.

Question 14History and Theory of Architecture

Le Corbusier's Ville Radieuse, or Radiant City, proposed which form of urban layout?

  1. low-density detached houses arranged along leafy cul-de-sacs
  2. densely packed perimeter blocks with internal courtyards
  3. a linear city strung along a single transport artery
  4. tall towers set in open parkland with segregated traffic Correct answer.

Explanation

The Radiant City replaced the traditional street with tall slab and cruciform towers standing in a continuous park. Pedestrians occupied the ground plane while motor traffic ran on separate, elevated arteries.

Question 15History and Theory of Architecture

Robert Venturi's book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture argued in favour of which position?

  1. the abolition of ornament in favour of structural expression
  2. a return to Beaux-Arts axial symmetry and monumental scale
  3. a 'difficult whole' embracing ambiguity and contradiction Correct answer.
  4. strict adherence to Miesian 'less is more'

Explanation

Venturi attacked orthodox modernism's purism and celebrated hybridity, ambiguity and the ordinary commercial landscape. His later phrase 'less is a bore' summed up the argument.

Question 16History and Theory of Architecture

Deconstructivist architecture, as presented in the 1988 Museum of Modern Art exhibition, is characterised by which of the following?

  1. symmetrical composition with a clearly articulated structural frame
  2. faithful reproduction of classical orders and proportions
  3. fragmented, distorted forms that challenge structural stability Correct answer.
  4. modular prefabrication and rigorous standardisation

Explanation

The exhibition, curated by Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley, gathered architects such as Gehry, Eisenman, Libeskind, Hadid and Coop Himmelb(l)au. Their work uses fractured geometry that seems to destabilise structure and composition.

Question 17History and Theory of Architecture

Which Filipino architect designed the Church of the Holy Sacrifice in Diliman and the Cultural Center of the Philippines?

  1. Jose Maria Zaragoza
  2. Francisco Mañosa
  3. Pablo Antonio
  4. Leandro Locsin Correct answer.

Explanation

Leandro Locsin is known for both works, and both are recognised as National Cultural Treasures. The Church of the Holy Sacrifice was a collaboration with artists including Arturo Luz, Napoleon Abueva, Vicente Manansala and Ang Kiukok.

Question 18History and Theory of Architecture

Who was the first Filipino honoured as National Artist for Architecture?

  1. Leandro Locsin
  2. Juan Nakpil Correct answer.
  3. Ildefonso Santos
  4. Pablo Antonio

Explanation

Juan Nakpil received the award in 1973, making him the first architect declared a National Artist. His works include the reconstruction of Quiapo Church and the University of the Philippines Administration Building.

Question 19History and Theory of Architecture

Tomas Mapua holds which distinction in the history of Philippine architecture?

  1. he designed the Manila Metropolitan Theater
  2. he founded the first fine arts school in the country
  3. he was the first Filipino to be registered as an architect Correct answer.
  4. he introduced the bahay na bato building type

Explanation

Tomas Mapua is recognised as the first Filipino registered architect and helped professionalise practice through the forerunner of the licensing board. He also founded the Mapúa Institute of Technology.

Question 20History and Theory of Architecture

Rockefeller Center in New York, with its stepped massing, vertical emphasis and stylised relief ornament, is a representative work of which style?

  1. International Style
  2. Brutalism
  3. Art Nouveau
  4. Art Deco Correct answer.

Explanation

Rockefeller Center's limestone shafts, setbacks and geometric ornament exemplify Art Deco. The style combined modern machine imagery with stylised decorative motifs.

Question 21History and Theory of Architecture

Leon Battista Alberti's treatise De re aedificatoria is modelled structurally on which earlier work?

  1. Palladio's Quattro Libri
  2. Vignola's treatise on the five orders
  3. Vitruvius's De architectura, in ten books Correct answer.
  4. Serlio's Tutte l'opere d'architettura

Explanation

Alberti followed Vitruvius by dividing the subject into ten books, covering setting out, materials, construction, public works, private works and restoration. Written around 1450 and printed in 1485, it was the first great Renaissance architectural treatise.

Question 22History and Theory of Architecture

Colin Rowe's essay The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa sets up a formal comparison between which two buildings?

  1. Michelangelo's St Peter's and Wright's Guggenheim Museum
  2. medieval Gothic cathedrals and twentieth-century art museums
  3. Borromini's San Carlo and Aalto's Viipuri Library
  4. Palladio's Villa Foscari and Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye Correct answer.

Explanation

Rowe compares Palladio's Villa Foscari at Malcontenta with Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye. He shows that both are governed by comparable mathematical and proportional systems despite their different stylistic idioms.

Question 23History and Theory of Architecture

Aldo Rossi's The Architecture of the City is best known for which argument?

  1. treating the city as collective memory embodied in monuments and types Correct answer.
  2. proposing the dissolution of cities into linear sprawl
  3. arguing for the substitution of Euclidean zoning by performance standards
  4. advocating the megastructure as the basic urban unit

Explanation

Rossi argued that cities grow around permanent elements, namely monuments and recurring building types, which carry collective memory. This position underpins Italian tendenza and later neo-rationalism.

Question 24History and Theory of Architecture

In Christian Norberg-Schulz's phenomenology of architecture, the term genius loci denotes which idea?

  1. the proportional system underlying a façade
  2. the political symbolism of public buildings
  3. the distinctive character or spirit of a place Correct answer.
  4. the structural rigidity of a building frame

Explanation

Norberg-Schulz drew on Heidegger to argue that architecture should interpret the spirit of a place. Buildings should belong to their landscape and culture rather than standing as placeless objects.

Question 25History and Theory of Architecture

Kenneth Frampton's idea of critical regionalism proposes that architecture should do which of the following?

  1. mediate between modernism and local climate, context and craft Correct answer.
  2. adopt a single universal language for all cultures
  3. prioritise decoration derived from historical styles
  4. reject all modern technology in favour of vernacular building

Explanation

Frampton proposes a dialectical practice that resists both placeless universal modernism and nostalgic vernacular revival. It engages local topography, climate, light and craft while remaining modern.

Question 26History and Theory of Architecture

Vitruvius, in De architectura, held that a building must satisfy three qualities. Which triad does he set out?

  1. Firmitas, utilitas, venustas Correct answer.
  2. Symmetria, eurythmia, decor
  3. Integritas, consonantia, claritas
  4. Ordinatio, dispositio, distributio

Explanation

Vitruvius opens De architectura by stating that every building must be soundly built, usefully arranged and pleasingly composed, usually rendered as firmitas, utilitas and venustas. The other Latin triads listed belong to different schemes: ordinatio and the rest are his six-part analysis of arrangement, while integritas and its companions come from later medieval aesthetics.

Question 27History and Theory of Architecture

Who served as the first director of the Bauhaus when it was founded in 1919?

  1. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
  2. Johannes Itten
  3. Hannes Meyer
  4. Walter Gropius Correct answer.

Explanation

Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in Weimar in 1919 by merging the art academy and the school of crafts, and led it until 1928. His successors in the directorship were Hannes Meyer and then Mies van der Rohe, while Itten was a master of the preliminary course.

Question 28History and Theory of Architecture

Which feature distinguishes the Ionic order from the Doric order in Greek temple architecture?

  1. A plain, cushion-shaped echinus without a base
  2. An acanthus-leaf capital crowned with volutes
  3. A volute capital set on a moulded base Correct answer.
  4. A square pier with a painted antefix above

Explanation

The Ionic capital carries paired spiral volutes and the column sits on a moulded base, giving a slenderer proportion than the Doric. The Doric capital instead uses a simple echinus resting directly on the stylobate without a base.

Question 29History and Theory of Architecture

The Arts and Crafts movement associated with William Morris argued for which position?

  1. Handwork should resist mechanisation and recover pre-industrial conditions Correct answer.
  2. Ornament should be eliminated entirely from buildings and household objects
  3. Machine production should be embraced as the natural expression of the modern age
  4. Design should be standardised nationally through state-run trade schools

Explanation

Morris and his circle saw industrial division of labour as degrading to both worker and object, and promoted honest handicraft, medieval precedent and the unity of design and making. The movement was therefore backward-looking in its means even as it was socially progressive in its critique.

Question 30History and Theory of Architecture

The undulating convex-concave façade of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome is the work of which Baroque architect?

  1. Carlo Maderno
  2. Francesco Borromini Correct answer.
  3. Pietro da Cortona
  4. Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Explanation

Borromini designed San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, including its small domed interior and the late, rippling two-storey façade, and his work is noted for geometric complexity built from simple modular figures. Bernini was his great rival, while Maderno belongs to the preceding generation at St Peter's.

Question 31History and Theory of Architecture

Under Spain's Laws of the Indies, a newly founded colonial town in the Philippines was required to be organised around which core?

  1. A fortified port with the customs house at the centre
  2. A central plaza flanked by church, cabildo and government buildings Correct answer.
  3. A mission compound set well outside the settlement
  4. A railway terminus surrounded by commercial lots

Explanation

The Leyes de Indias prescribed a gridiron layout with the plaza mayor at its heart, fronted by the church, the municipal hall and the royal and commercial houses, the pattern behind the plaza compleja of many Philippine towns. The church and government thus framed the public open space at the centre of the settlement.

Question 32History and Theory of Architecture

The 1932 Museum of Modern Art exhibition that popularised the term International Style was curated by which pair?

  1. Nikolaus Pevsner and Julius Posener
  2. Sigfried Giedion and Walter Gropius
  3. Colin Rowe and Fred Koetter
  4. Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson Correct answer.

Explanation

Hitchcock and Johnson organised the 1932 exhibition and wrote its accompanying book, codifying modern architecture around volume rather than mass, regularity rather than symmetry, and the avoidance of applied ornament. The show gave a single name to work being produced across Europe and the United States.

Question 33History and Theory of Architecture

In Learning from Las Vegas, Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour contrast the 'decorated shed' with which alternative approach to building?

  1. The monument
  2. The container
  3. The pavilion
  4. The duck Correct answer.

Explanation

The authors use 'duck' for a building whose whole form is shaped into a symbol, and 'decorated shed' for a conventional shelter that carries its meaning in applied sign and ornament. They argue for the second, treating communication as a separate layer from structure and space.

Question 34History and Theory of Architecture

In his essay 'Ornament and Crime' (1908), Adolf Loos argued that...

  1. Ornament should be applied only to the interiors of middle-class dwellings
  2. Ornament should be abstracted from nature rather than copied literally
  3. The absence of ornament is a mark of cultural and spiritual maturity Correct answer.
  4. Ornament should be reserved for public buildings as civic expression

Explanation

Loos linked the suppression of applied ornament to the evolution of culture, holding that the unadorned object is the sign of a developed civilisation and that ornament wastes labour and material. His polemic became a touchstone for later arguments about plain surfaces and truth to material.

Question 35Principles of Planning

Ebenezer Howard's Garden City concept proposed a self-contained town that was primarily characterized by which feature?

  1. A permanent greenbelt limiting town growth Correct answer.
  2. Linear development along a transport corridor
  3. Towers spaced widely apart in a park
  4. A grid of superblocks served by expressways

Explanation

Howard's 1898 scheme set a town of roughly 32,000 people on about 1,000 acres, ringed by a permanent agricultural belt that was never to be built over. Growth was to be accommodated by founding new garden cities rather than by expanding the original one. The greenbelt is therefore the defining device that caps the town's size.

Question 36Principles of Planning

Which document is the principal land use policy instrument that guides the physical development of a Philippine city or municipality?

  1. The municipal building permit register
  2. The annual investment program
  3. The comprehensive land use plan Correct answer.
  4. The barangay development council resolution

Explanation

The comprehensive land use plan is the long-range policy document that allocates land to uses, sets development direction, and is adopted by the local legislative body. The zoning ordinance and other local measures implement it, while budgets and permit records are administrative follow-through.

Question 37Principles of Planning

On a topographic map, a series of contour lines drawn very close together indicates which condition?

  1. A uniform drainage channel
  2. A closed depression without an outlet
  3. A nearly flat plateau
  4. A steep slope Correct answer.

Explanation

Contour lines join points of equal elevation, so the horizontal spacing between them expresses the rate of change of elevation. Closely spaced lines mean a large rise over a short horizontal distance, which is a steep slope. Widely spaced lines indicate gentle or flat ground.

Question 38Principles of Planning

The Radiant City, a plan of tall cruciform towers set in vast open space with separated pedestrian and vehicular levels, was proposed by which architect-planner?

  1. Raymond Unwin
  2. Le Corbusier Correct answer.
  3. Frank Lloyd Wright
  4. Clarence Stein

Explanation

Le Corbusier developed the Ville Radieuse as a high-density, high-rise alternative to the traditional street, with buildings lifted on pilotis and traffic separated from pedestrian decks. It became a canonical model of modernist urban planning. Wright's counterpart vision was Broadacre City, which was low-density and dispersed.

Question 39Principles of Planning

Under Philippine accessibility regulations (Batas Pambansa 344), the maximum slope permitted for a ramp along an accessible route is which ratio?

  1. 1:16
  2. 1:8
  3. 1:12 Correct answer.
  4. 1:20

Explanation

The accessibility rules cap ramp gradient at 1:12, with a maximum rise of 1.20 metres per run and landings provided at the top, bottom, and at each change of direction. A steeper gradient is not usable by a person in a wheelchair without assistance. Gentle 1:16 and 1:20 slopes are acceptable but are not the maximum allowed.

Question 40Principles of Planning

Floor area ratio expresses which relationship on a development site?

  1. Building footprint divided by total floor area
  2. Parking slots divided by gross floor area
  3. Lot area divided by the number of dwelling units
  4. Total floor area divided by lot area Correct answer.

Explanation

Floor area ratio is the ratio of all buildable floor area on a site to the area of the site itself, so a 2.0 FAR on a 1,000 square metre lot permits 2,000 square metres of floor area. It is a bulk control applied through zoning, independent of how the mass is arranged. Site coverage and dwelling density are separate measures.

Question 41Principles of Planning

Anthropometric data are used in space planning primarily to establish which quantity?

  1. The acoustic rating of a partition assembly
  2. The reflectivity of interior finish surfaces
  3. The structural load carried by a slab
  4. Clearances needed for body movement and use Correct answer.

Explanation

Anthropometrics is the measurement of human body dimensions and reach, and it underpins the sizing of circulation widths, seat spacing, counter heights, and clear floor areas. Designers apply percentile ranges so that a space works for most users. Structural, optical, and acoustic properties come from other technical references.

Question 42Principles of Planning

A site lies within the mapped 100-year floodplain. This designation means the site has which probability of being inundated in any single year?

  1. A 0.1 percent chance
  2. A 100 percent chance
  3. A 10 percent chance
  4. A 1 percent chance Correct answer.

Explanation

Flood return periods express annual exceedance probability, so the 100-year flood has a 1-in-100, or 1 percent, chance of being equalled or exceeded each year. The label describes probability, not a schedule, so the event can occur in consecutive years. Over a 30-year period the cumulative chance of at least one such event is roughly 26 percent.

Question 43Principles of Planning

In a hot-humid climate, a planner sets a long rectangular building with its long axis running east-west. Which benefit does this orientation mainly provide?

  1. Broad facades face north and south, limiting low-angle sun Correct answer.
  2. The building receives maximum afternoon sun on its broadest walls
  3. Rainwater runoff is directed toward the long facades
  4. Prevailing winds are blocked from entering the narrow ends

Explanation

In tropical latitudes the sun climbs high and the most intense low-angle radiation comes from the east in the morning and the west in the afternoon. Turning the long axis east-west places the largest wall areas on the north and south, which receive only high-angle or diffuse sun. The narrow east and west ends can then be shaded or treated with few openings.

Question 44Principles of Planning

A school site experiences a steady prevailing breeze from the northeast during the hot season. Which site planning measure best takes advantage of this condition?

  1. Place the parking area on the northeast corner
  2. Erect a solid perimeter wall on the northeast boundary
  3. Locate a tall service building on the northeast corner
  4. Keep the northeast side open to admit breezes Correct answer.

Explanation

The windward edge of a site is the intake for natural ventilation, so it should be kept as open and low as possible, ideally with permeable planting rather than solid barriers. Buildings are then arranged to present their shorter faces and openings to that side. Solid walls, tall obstructions, and heat- or odour-generating uses should go to the leeward side.

Question 45Principles of Planning

In zoning practice, a non-conforming use is best described as which of the following?

  1. A use allowed in every zone subject to performance standards
  2. A use that breaches the zoning map and must cease at once
  3. A use permitted only when the local board grants a special exception
  4. A lawful use that no longer meets current zoning rules Correct answer.

Explanation

A non-conforming use was lawfully established before the current zoning took effect and is allowed to continue, usually with limits on expansion or reconstruction after long discontinuance. It is recognised because the owner acquired the right under the earlier rules. It differs from an illegal use, which was never permitted.

Question 46Principles of Planning

A 12-hectare residential site accommodates 480 dwelling units, and streets and rights-of-way occupy 3 hectares within it. Which statement correctly states the gross and net densities?

  1. Gross density is 40 units per hectare and net density is 53 units per hectare Correct answer.
  2. Gross density is 480 units per hectare and net density is 36 units per hectare
  3. Gross density is 40 units per hectare and net density is 40 units per hectare
  4. Gross density is 53 units per hectare and net density is 40 units per hectare

Explanation

Gross density divides all units by the entire site area, giving 480 divided by 12, or 40 units per hectare. Net density divides the same units by the net residential area after excluding streets and rights-of-way, so 480 divided by 9, or about 53 units per hectare. Net density is always the higher figure when land is deducted.

Question 47Principles of Planning

A site development plan proposes a cut-and-fill operation. Balancing the earthwork on the site means which condition?

  1. Topsoil is stripped and stockpiled before excavation
  2. Cut volume equals fill volume on the site Correct answer.
  3. Fill is imported to raise the whole site above flood level
  4. All cut material is hauled to an off-site disposal area

Explanation

Balancing matches the volume of soil excavated from high ground to the volume needed to fill low ground, so no material leaves or enters the site. This reduces haulage cost and avoids importing structural fill. A balance should also account for bulking and compaction factors so the volumes truly match in placed condition.

Question 48Principles of Planning

Transit-oriented development is best described by which planning approach?

  1. Gated residential enclaves with a single vehicular entrance
  2. Low-density detached housing spread along a highway corridor
  3. Industrial estates sited next to rail freight terminals
  4. Compact mixed use within walking distance of transit Correct answer.

Explanation

Transit-oriented development concentrates moderate to high-density housing, employment, and services in a walkable catchment around a rail or bus rapid transit station. The intent is to raise transit ridership and reduce car dependence by making everyday trips short and pedestrian-friendly. Density gradients typically step down away from the station.

Question 49Principles of Planning

Which principle is central to the New Urbanism movement?

  1. Uniform tower spacing to maximize sunlight between blocks
  2. Priority for freeway access over pedestrian networks
  3. Separation of land uses into large single-purpose districts
  4. Walkable mixed-use neighbourhoods with a public realm Correct answer.

Explanation

New Urbanism advocates compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly settlements with a clearly defined public realm of streets, squares, and civic buildings. It emphasises connectivity, a range of housing types, and buildings that address the street. These aims are a direct reaction to single-use zoning and automobile-dominated sprawl.

Question 50Principles of Planning

A new residential subdivision will abut an existing light industrial estate. Which planning measure is most appropriate to protect the residents?

  1. Raise the residential density along the boundary
  2. Orient bedroom windows toward the industrial buildings
  3. Reduce the residential lot frontages along the common boundary
  4. Provide a wide landscaped buffer along the boundary Correct answer.

Explanation

Incompatible uses are separated by a buffer that absorbs noise, dust, and visual intrusion, usually a planted strip of adequate depth combined with a wall or berm. The buffer should lie on the site of the more intrusive use or be secured through the zoning conditions. This is a standard land use compatibility device.