AICP Environmental and Sustainability Planning 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A coastal city is updating its general plan to address sea level rise. Which approach best represents 'managed retreat'?
- Building higher seawalls along the entire coastline
- Relocating development away from vulnerable coastal areas over time (Correct answer)
- Elevating existing structures above projected flood levels
- Installing living shoreline features to absorb wave energy
Correct answer: Relocating development away from vulnerable coastal areas over time
Managed retreat involves strategically relocating structures, infrastructure, and communities away from chronically flooded or eroding coastal areas rather than defending them in place.
Question 2: Under Clean Water Act Section 404, which federal agency issues permits for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States?
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Army Corps of Engineers (Correct answer)
- Fish and Wildlife Service
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Correct answer: Army Corps of Engineers
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers administers the Section 404 permit program for discharge of dredged or fill material into wetlands and other waters of the United States.
Question 3: Which planning tool specifically requires local governments to inventory natural hazards and develop policies to reduce risk as part of a state-mandated process?
- Specific Plan
- Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (Correct answer)
- General Plan Safety Element
- Environmental Impact Report
Correct answer: Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
Local Hazard Mitigation Plans, required under the Stafford Act and administered by FEMA, require communities to identify hazards, assess vulnerability, and adopt mitigation strategies to remain eligible for pre-disaster mitigation grants.
Question 4: Bioswales and rain gardens in urban areas primarily serve which stormwater management function?
- Increasing stormwater runoff velocity to prevent flooding
- Filtering and infiltrating stormwater to reduce runoff volume and pollutant loads (Correct answer)
- Storing stormwater for potable water reuse
- Channeling stormwater directly to treatment plants
Correct answer: Filtering and infiltrating stormwater to reduce runoff volume and pollutant loads
Bioswales and rain gardens are green infrastructure practices that slow, filter, and infiltrate stormwater runoff, reducing both the volume discharged to receiving waters and the pollutant loads carried by runoff.
Question 5: A planner is applying the precautionary principle to a proposed chemical plant siting. This principle most closely means:
- Approving the project if economic benefits outweigh known risks
- Taking preventive action when there is credible evidence of harm, even without full scientific certainty (Correct answer)
- Waiting for conclusive scientific proof of harm before restricting a project
- Requiring the lowest-cost mitigation measure for any identified risk
Correct answer: Taking preventive action when there is credible evidence of harm, even without full scientific certainty
The precautionary principle holds that when an action raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause-and-effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.
Question 6: LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for a neighborhood development project would most directly incentivize which planning outcome?
- Maximizing gross floor area and density regardless of location
- Integrating sustainable site design, energy efficiency, and walkability at the neighborhood scale (Correct answer)
- Prioritizing historic preservation over new construction
- Requiring all buildings to achieve net-zero energy performance
Correct answer: Integrating sustainable site design, energy efficiency, and walkability at the neighborhood scale
LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rewards projects that integrate smart location, walkable design, green building, and infrastructure practices to create more sustainable communities.
Question 7: When a planner conducts a habitat connectivity analysis, the primary goal is to:
- Identify the most profitable land for conservation easements
- Evaluate and preserve wildlife movement corridors between fragmented natural areas (Correct answer)
- Determine the maximum buildable area within a wildlife refuge
- Map all invasive species locations within a planning area
Correct answer: Evaluate and preserve wildlife movement corridors between fragmented natural areas
Habitat connectivity analysis identifies and evaluates wildlife movement corridors that allow species to travel between fragmented natural areas, supporting biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.
AICP Environmental and Sustainability Planning 5
A coastal city is updating its general plan to address sea level rise.
Which approach best represents 'managed retreat'?