Glossary of Planning Terms

Glossary is usually defined as an alphabetical list of technical terms in some specialized field of knowledge. This knowledge base glossary provides a collection of knowledge base documents that define many technical terms. These terms are arranged alphabetically, but you can quickly jump to a specific term by selecting its first letter from the index of the knowledge base glossary below.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Keyword

Term
Lan
Local area network. Computer data communications technology that connects computers at the same site. Computers and terminals on a LAN can freely share data and peripheral devices, such as printers and plotters. LANs are composed of cabling and special data communications hardware and software.
Land Use (Or Use)
The types of buildings and activities existing in an area or on a specific site. Land use is to be distinguished from zoning, the latter being the regulation of existing and future land uses.
Landscape Manual
Part of the County Zoning Ordinance, its purpose is to enhance the appearance of the County by improving the quality of landscaping, buffering and screening. The manual establishes minimum mandatory standards and provides options that will allow approval of alternative methods of compliance.
Level Of Service (Los)
a. A set of operating conditions describing the ability of a road network to handle traffic. Level A specifies the best traffic conditions; Level F indicates gridlock. b. The adequacy of the road and street network in the county transportation system is generally measured and expressed in terms of its LOS. Each level of service is one in a hierarchy of indices that evaluate the level and severity of automotive traffic congestion on a specific road segment or at specific intersections. The General Plan recommends the minimum acceptable LOS by Tier.
Librarian
A set of software tools to manage and access large geographic data sets in a map library. LIBRARIAN commands create and define a map library, move data in and out of a library, query the data in a map library, and display the results of a query.
Light Rail
Urban rail vehicles operating predominantly on private rights-of-way at surface level or fully grade separated, e.g., Metro.
Light Spill-Over
Light from nonnatural sources that covers areas beyond that needed for the lighting use or that trespasses onto another person’s property.
Lot Coverage
The percentage of a lot that is covered by buildings (including covered porches) and areas for vehicular access and parking of vehicles.