Plan Making

Question 1

What are the 5 levels of public involvement?

Answer 1

Inform
Consult
Involve 
Collaborate
Empower

Question 2

What are the three basic types of map projection?

Answer 2

Conic, cylindrical, and planar.

Question 3

What are contour lines?

Answer 3

Lines of equal elevation (on a topo map).

Question 4

What is a contour interval?

Answer 4

The distance between contour lines. The closer together the contour lines are, the steeper the terrain.

Question 5

How is slope calculated?

Answer 5

The change in elevation divided by the horizontal distance.

Question 6

What are some general slope guidelines for urban development?

Answer 6

0-0.5% = no drainage, not suited for development;
0.5-1% = no problems, ideal for all types of development;
1-3% = slight problems for large commercial areas; acceptable for residential;
3-5% = major problems for commercial/industrial/large scale residential;
5-10% = suitable only for specially designed development.

Question 7

What is cost-benefit analysis?

Answer 7

Estimates the total monetary value of the benefits and costs to the community of a project(s) to determine whether they should be undertaken.
Cost-benefit analysis requires that all costs and benefits be converted to a monetary value.

Question 8

What is the CE ratio of cost-effectiveness analysis?

Answer 8

The cost-effectiveness ratio is the CE Ratio = (cost of new strategy - cost of current practice)/(effect of new strategy - effect of current practice).

Question 9

What is Net Present Value?

Answer 9

Net Present Value shows the net monetary value of a project, discounted to today’s present value.

Question 10

What is linear programming?

Answer 10

Linear programming is a project management method that attempts to find the optimum design solution for a project. This system takes a set of decision variables within constraints and comes up with an optimum design solution.

Question 11

What is critical path method?

Answer 11

Critical Path Method (CPM) is a tool to analyze a project by focusing on decision making. The analysis results in a “critical path” through the project tasks. Each project task has a known amount of time to complete and cannot be completed before the previous one is completed.

Question 12

What is the timeframe for a Capital Improvements Program?

Answer 12

5-7 years

Question 13

Who is credited with creating advocacy planning? What is the theory?

Answer 13

Paul Davidoff.
Planners should work to correct social injustices by giving participants equal footing in the planning process. Planners should work on behalf of special interest groups – not just broad objectives.

Question 14

What are Arnstein’s 3 levels of citizen participation?

Answer 14

Nonparticipation, tokenism (checking the box), and citizen power

Question 15

Who was Saul Alinsky?

Answer 15

Community organizer in Chicago who advocated for direct local action

Question 16

When are focus groups most appropriate?

Answer 16

If there is a specific issue that needs to be addressed, or when the topic at hand is a bit more sensitive.

Question 17

What are the disadvantages of using a mail survey?

Answer 17

Low response rate and slow response time

Question 18

What is the significance of the Oregon Model of community visioning?

Answer 18

It was an early use of community based visioning in the planning process.

Question 19

How is a charrette different from other planning processes?

Answer 19

Compressed work sessions, short feedback loops, extends over at least 3 consecutive days, held near project site

Question 20

What are the two main types of E-government?

Answer 20

Tools for information vs. tools for interaction

Question 21

How does APA define social justice?

Answer 21

Planning for diverse or underserved communities, elevating social empowerment.

Question 22

How can planners increase diversity in the planning process?

Answer 22

Be proactive:

• Use recruiters to cultivate future leaders
• Use community ambassadors to help spread the word
• Have a presence in a local grocery store
• Link to other meetings/events

Question 23

What are two examples of local-option taxes that are not property tax?

Answer 23

Local sales tax and individual income tax

Question 24

What is difficult about a Community Benefits Agreement?

Answer 24

They can be challenging politically; there may not be a consensus as to who represents the community.

Question 25

What is the difference between a General Obligation Bond and a Revenue Bond?

Answer 25

GO bonds are backed by the credit of the issuer and their power to tax (e.g., a city). Revenue bonds are backed by a specific stream of revenue (like from building a stadium).

Question 26

How is a CIP related to a comprehensive plan?

Answer 26

CIP is a key way the Comp Plan is implemented. CIP should be reviewed for its compliance with a CP.

Question 27

What is a “cap rate”?

Answer 27

Rate of return on a real estate investment property based on the income it’s expected to generate. Calculate by dividing net operating income by real market value.

Question 28

What is the difference between fiscal impact analysis and economic impact analysis?

Answer 28

Economic impact analysis looks at effects on cash flow to the private sector (jobs, etc.). Fiscal impact analysis looks at effects on cash flow to the public sector.

Question 29

Participatory rural appraisal

Answer 29

citizen-centered method of development, which aims to empower communities by engaging local residents in the processes of identifying issues, implementing solutions, and monitoring evaluation.

Question 30

How many acres in a hectare?

Answer 30

2.47