AICP Fundamental Planning Knowledge 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal legislation established the framework for metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs)?
- The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1962 (Correct answer)
- The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
- The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)
Correct answer: The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1962
The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1962 required the establishment of MPOs for urbanized areas over 50,000 population as a condition for receiving federal transportation funding.
Question 2: In environmental planning, what does a 'categorical exclusion' under NEPA mean?
- A project is automatically exempt from all environmental review
- A category of actions that normally does not significantly affect the environment and requires no EA or EIS (Correct answer)
- Certain species are excluded from Endangered Species Act protections
- A private project is excluded from NEPA review because it uses no federal funds
Correct answer: A category of actions that normally does not significantly affect the environment and requires no EA or EIS
A categorical exclusion (CE) under NEPA applies to classes of actions that have been determined through experience not to individually or cumulatively cause significant environmental effects.
Question 3: The concept of 'induced demand' in transportation planning refers to:
- Demand for transit created by new residential development
- New vehicle trips generated by adding road capacity that would not otherwise occur (Correct answer)
- Demand forecasting errors caused by inaccurate land use projections
- Transit ridership increases driven by fare reductions
Correct answer: New vehicle trips generated by adding road capacity that would not otherwise occur
Induced demand describes the phenomenon where expanding road capacity generates new vehicle trips, often negating congestion relief and undermining the rationale for highway expansion.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a 'regulating plan' in form-based code?
- It establishes the schedule of permitted and prohibited land uses
- It maps the specific street types, building frontage types, and zones applied to each block and parcel (Correct answer)
- It regulates the approval process for discretionary permits
- It sets the maximum density allowed in each zoning district
Correct answer: It maps the specific street types, building frontage types, and zones applied to each block and parcel
In form-based codes, the regulating plan is the key map that assigns specific frontage types, building types, and public space standards to individual parcels and streets.
Question 5: Which population projection method uses historical cohorts tracked by age and sex over time?
- Trend extrapolation
- Employment-based forecasting
- Cohort-component method (Correct answer)
- Land capacity analysis
Correct answer: Cohort-component method
The cohort-component method tracks populations in age-sex groups (cohorts) over time, accounting for births, deaths, and migration within each cohort for more accurate projections.
Question 6: A 'taking' in constitutional law most commonly occurs when government action:
- Rezones private property to a lower-intensity use
- Deprives a property owner of all economically beneficial use of their land (Correct answer)
- Requires a conditional use permit for non-residential development
- Establishes a historic preservation district
Correct answer: Deprives a property owner of all economically beneficial use of their land
Under Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council (1992), a regulatory taking occurs when government action deprives an owner of all economically beneficial use of property, requiring just compensation.
Question 7: The 'jobs-housing balance' concept in planning refers to:
- Ensuring that employment centers have adequate parking supply
- Matching the number and types of jobs in an area with the number and price range of nearby housing units (Correct answer)
- Requiring mixed-use development in all employment zones
- Balancing public sector jobs with private sector employment
Correct answer: Matching the number and types of jobs in an area with the number and price range of nearby housing units
Jobs-housing balance aims to reduce commute distances and vehicle miles traveled by ensuring workers can afford to live near where they work.
AICP Fundamental Planning Knowledge 3
Which federal legislation established the framework for metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs)?