PCATP Town Planner flashcards

31 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Floor Area Ratio

Total gross floor area of all buildings on a plot divided by the plot area. It caps overall building bulk regardless of how many storeys are used.

Plot Coverage

The proportion of a plot covered by building footprint at ground level. It controls open space, drainage, and daylight at street level, independent of building height.

Nonconforming Use

A land use that lawfully existed before a zoning regulation made it non-permitted. It may usually continue but cannot be enlarged or re-established after abandonment.

Conditional Use

A use permitted in a zone only after discretionary review and approval, because its impacts depend on site-specific design, location, and mitigation measures.

Gross vs Net Density

Gross density counts all land including roads and open space; net density counts only developable residential land. Net density is therefore always the higher figure.

Transit-Oriented Development

Higher-density, mixed-use development concentrated within roughly 400 to 800 metres of a transit station, designed for walking and reduced car dependence.

Environmental Impact Assessment

A structured process of predicting environmental effects before approval. Screening decides if it is needed; scoping sets its terms of reference.

Development Control

The regulatory process that tests a development proposal against zoning, plot ratio, setbacks, height, parking, and access standards before granting a permit.

U-Value

Thermal transmittance of a building element in watts per square metre per kelvin. A lower U-value indicates better insulation performance.

Means of Escape

The protected routes, stairways, and exit widths that let occupants reach a place of safety. Widths are sized from occupant load, not floor area alone.

Fire Compartmentation

Division of a building into fire-resisting zones by rated walls, floors, and doors, limiting the spread of fire and smoke for a specified period.

Accessible Route

A continuous path free of steps and obstructions, with compliant clear widths, gradients, and level landings, connecting entrances to all usable spaces.

Window-to-Floor Ratio

The area of glazing expressed as a percentage of the floor area it serves, used to regulate daylight and sometimes natural ventilation in habitable rooms.

Universal Design

Design usable by everyone regardless of age or ability, based on equitable use, flexibility, simplicity, perceptible information, error tolerance, low effort, and adequate space.

Building Line

The minimum required distance between a building facade and the street boundary. It shapes street enclosure, privacy, and daylight access.

Economical Concrete Span

Reinforced concrete floor slabs are generally economical up to about six to eight metres. Longer clear spans usually favour steel or post-tensioned systems.

Protected Title

A professional designation that only registered persons may lawfully use. Using it without registration is a statutory offence in most jurisdictions.

Continuing Professional Development

Ongoing learning required to maintain registration. A set number of hours or points per year must be logged, partly in core planning topics.

Professional Indemnity Insurance

Cover protecting a practitioner against claims of negligent advice. It is claims-made, so cover must be active when the claim arises.

Conflict of Interest

A personal or financial interest that could bias professional judgement. It must be declared, and the affected decision-maker must withdraw from the decision.

Professional Negligence

A claim requiring a duty of care, a breach of that duty, causation, and actual loss. Contemporaneous file notes are the primary defence.

Disciplinary Tribunal

The body that hears complaints against registered practitioners and may impose sanctions from caution and conditions through to suspension or deregistration.

Lump Sum Fee

A fixed price agreed for a defined scope of professional work. Scope, assumptions, and exclusions must be documented, since variations are charged separately.

Validation of Application

The check that a planning application is complete and correct before assessment begins. Invalid applications are returned rather than determined.

Accreditation Cycle

The fixed period, commonly three to five years, for which a planning programme is accredited, ending in a full re-accreditation review.

Learning Outcome Mapping

Matching each programme outcome to a professional competency and showing the assessment that evidences it, rather than merely claiming it is taught.

Substantial Equivalence

Recognition of an overseas qualification whose outcomes match the accredited standard, even though its structure or duration differs from the domestic programme.

External Examiner

An independent academic or practitioner who reviews standards and assessment integrity, providing external verification for accreditation panels.

Accreditation Conditions

Requirements imposed by a panel that must be met within a stated timeframe. Failure to satisfy them can result in lapse of accreditation.

Graduate Attributes

The transferable capabilities a programme guarantees, typically communication, research, ethical practice, sustainability awareness, and teamwork, evidenced through portfolios or capstone work.

Studio Component

A structured practical design or planning class where students apply theory to a real or simulated project, commonly required for programme accreditation.