a reduction in the price of a property due to the

discovery of some problem that tends to decrease the

propertys value

a building whose function is secondary to

that of the main structure

desirable features of a building or near a building

that have the effect of increasing the property's value

the payment of a loan over the life of the loan

using equal payments at equal intervals. Each payment

provides for a portion to be applied to the principal and

the remainder to be applied to the interest.

a natural, underground reservoir from which wells

draw water

the value given to a piece of property by a

local jurisdiction, to be used to assess taxes on the property.

The assessed value is a percentage of the actual

value, that is, the value that the property would command

on the open market.

a region or small town that contains

mainly housing and offers few employment opportunities

an area of a city that has been determined to

contain buildings and infrastructure that are in a state of

decay and in need of improvement

a standard portion (generally a paragraph or

more) of a written document, such as a contract or architectural

specification, that appears in all similar documents

a piece of land used to separate two incompatible

uses

an amount of money used to make

physical improvements to a property to enhance the

property's value over an extended period of time

the amount of money that is net income from a

property after expenses are paid

abbreviation for "covenants, conditions, and

restrictions," which are all the rules that apply to a property

owner in a subdivision, condominium, or cooperative

housing facility

a particular type of housing development in

which the houses or apartments are placed close to each

other and have access to nearby common open spaces

a portion of a building or development that is

available for the use of all the tenants or unit owners. Typically,

common areas are owned by the property owners

in the development or homeowners' association, and

property owners subsequently pay the maintenance fees

a permit given by a city or

other zoning jurisdiction for a proposed use that would

otherwise not be allowed in a particular zoning district.

The conditional use permit provides the zoning jurisdiction

with the means to impose special conditions on the

proposed development, to ensure that the development

will not adversely affect the surrounding neighborhood

or the public safety and welfare.

a development in which residents own their

own living units but share common areas, which are

maintained by the condominium corporation

the act of transferring an interest in a property

to another person, or the document written to formalize

such a transfer

a type of land ownership where the

residents of individual units own an interest in the corporation

that owns the entire property. Unlike the residents

of a condominium, the residents of a cooperative

do not own their own units directly.

a dead-end street that has only one way in and

often features a large circular turnaround space at the

end

the donation of a parcel of land by a developer

for public use, such as for a park or school

the shared wall between two leased spaces or

between two residential units. Often called a Demising

wall.

the legal ability of a developer to

develop a parcel of land

the rate of interest that reflects the time value

of money and that is used to discount future values to

present values or to calculate the future value of money

invested at the discount rate

a change in zoning resulting in a decrease of

allowable density

a portion of land of one ownership that another

owner or a governmental agency has the right to use for

a specific purpose

the right of a governmental jurisdiction to

take ownership of private property for the public good

while paying fair market value compensation to the

owner

an intrusion onto one property by the

improvement to an adjoining property

the amount of money an owner of a property keeps

after selling the property and paying off any mortgages;

that is, the difference between the fair market value of a

property and the amount of debt on the property

the rate of change in the price for a particular

good or service

the value of a piece of

property that a buyer would pay a seller in a free transaction

for the property

an item that is attached to a building and is typically

included in the sale of the building

a long-term lease of a property that allows the

tenant to use and improve the land, but that reverts to

the owner at the end of the lease

restrictions on the heights of buildings and

structures established by local laws

the ratio of the value of improvements on

a property to the value of the property alone

a remedy by a court for a private land

owner whose land has been taken away by a governmental

body. See also Eminent domain.

descriptive of a parcel of land that does not border

any public road

a legal arrangement in which the owner

of a property sells the property to someone else but then

immediately leases it from the purchaser

a claim placed against a

property's deed by someone who provided work or

materials to improve the property but was not paid for

the work. Typically just called a Lien.

a document that gives up a person's right to

claim a lien against property

the value of a piece of

property that a buyer would pay a seller in a free transaction

for the property

a claim placed against a

property's deed by someone who provided work or

materials to improve the property but was not paid for

the work. Typically just called a Lien.

a discount factor that

is used to convert an annual amount, which is changing

from year to year at a given escalation rate, to a timeequivalent

present value

the area of a building that is available for

rent, which does not include common areas, structure,

stairs, and the like

a document, issued by a citys building

department, giving permission for a building to be occupied.

More commonly called the Certificate of occupancy.

The occupancy permit is part of the building permit

process, and its cost is included in the building permit

fee paid by the contractor.

a separate location for development of retail space

near (but not in) a shopping center

the shared wall between two leased spaces or

between two residential units. Often called a Demising

wall.

a financial projection for a development project

meant to determine if the project is feasible, given estimates

on potential income and the cost of developing the

project

a limit on how the owner of a property or building

can use or improve the property. Often called a

Restrictive covenant, it is usually contained in the deed to

the property.

the rights of a landowner to use or control

all or a portion of the water in a body of water bordering

his or her property

a minor or smaller tenant in a shopping center.

See also Anchor tenant.

an exemption from zoning regulations

given to a jurisdiction

the application of specific zoning regulations to

specific properties when nearby land is under different

zoning

property that is not producing the

maximum income it is capable of producing given its

size, zoning, and so on

a method of calculating the future

values of money to a present worth using the discount

rate

the discount factor that is

used to convert uniform annual values (costs) to a timeequivalent

present value

the amount of money that has to be

invested at today's value at a given interest rate (the discount

rate) to have a specified amount of money in the

future

the illegal practice of charging exorbitant interest

rates on a loan

permission granted by a local jurisdiction to deviate

from the literal provisions of a zoning ordinance

where strict adherence would cause undue hardship

because of conditions or circumstances unique to an

individual property

land that has development restrictions placed on

it because it is commonly flooded and may be environmentally

sensitive

part of a zoning regulation's setback requirements

that allows a building to be constructed up to the

property line with no setback

the set of zoning regulations established by a

local jurisdiction that regulates certain building practices

within the jurisdiction

Use compact forms with the smallest surface area possible relative to the volume.

Use large, south-facing windows with small windows on the east and west and with minimal or no windows on the north.

Use interior materials with a high thermal mass.

Include summer shading for glazed areas.

Use dark or medium-dark colors for the building exterior.

Plan rectangular buildings with the long direction oriented generally along the east-west axis and facing slightly to the east.l for suggested building orientations for various climatic regions.

Provide shade in the summer, and allow the sun to fall on glazing and the building in the winter.

Use south-facing openings to capture winter sunlight. Plan for the cooling effects of wind in the summer; block the wind in the winter.

Use medium colors for the building exterior.

If passive solar heating is to be used, orient the long axis of the building in the east-west direction so the southern collection surfaces face directly south or within approximately 15° of true south. Passive solar heating methods should be integrated with daylighting design. Both of these design strategies will result in a building that is long and relatively narrow.

If thermal mass is used it may be featured as a design element. Use deciduous trees to let sunlight fall on windows during the winter months and shade the glass during the summer. Either deciduous or evergreen trees

can be used on the east and west facades to block the low angle of morning and afternoon sun. However, even bare deciduous trees can block about 20% of winter solar heat gain.

Be aware that solar collectors on a building can make a significant adverse visual statement

unless they are placed on sloped roofs or are concealed

with parapets.

Position solar collectors so that they do not reflect

sunlight onto other buildings or occupied areas

around the building.

If solar collectors are used, locate them so that they

avoid shade from buildings and trees. If collectors

are to be mounted on the building, this factor can

dictate the building's location. If collectors are

mounted away from the building, an additional area

on the site must be designated for the accompanying

site disturbance.

started at the crossroads of two main streets and

was irregular in layout. cities were organized around the church and the market because these represented

the two most important aspects of life. The structures

were near the center of the city; and surrounding them

was an informal ring of streets loosely connected, with

intersecting streets running from the church to the gates of the city wall.

rebuilding of London after

the great fire of 1666. Reflection of renaissance and baroque approach Main avenues linking major religious and commercial facilities. Super imposed on a grind iron plan for other streets.

advocated straight, arterial boulevards connecting principal historic buildings, monuments, and open squares. During the period from 1853 to

1869, a large part of Paris was demolished to implement

his plan.

linear elements other than paths that form boundaries

between two districts or that break continuity

are strategic centers of interest that people can enter.

They may be the intersections of paths, places where modes of transportation change, plazas, public squares, or centers of districts.

are similar to nodes in that they are point references,

but people cannot enter them-they are viewed from the exterior.

                                                      slopes(%)

                                             min. preferred max.

ground areas for drainage          2.0     4.0

grass areas for recreation          2.0                3.0

paved parking areas                 1.5     2.5       5.0

roads                                     0.5                10.0

sanitary sewers

(depends on size)                  0.5-1.5

approach walks to buildings      1.0                 5.0

landscaped slopes                   2.0                 50.0

ramps                                    5.0                 8.33

a temporary fence designed to allow

water to pass through while filtering out sediment

Gravel: particles over 2 mm in diameter.

Sands: particles from 0.05 mm to 2 mm in diameter; the finest grains just visible to the eye.

Silt: particles from 0.002 mm to 0.05 mm in diameter; the grains are invisible but can be felt as smooth.

Clay: particles under 0.002 mm in diameter; smooth and floury when dry, plastic and sticky when wet.

stable when dry or damp but unstable when wet. It

swells and heaves when frozen and compresses under load. Generally, building foundations and road bases must extend below it or must be elastic enough to avoid damage. Some nonplastic silts are usable for lighter loads.

expands when wet and is subject to slippage. It is poor

for foundations unless it can be kept dry. It is also poor for landscaping and unsuitable for sewage drain fields or other types of drainage.