AICP Trivia 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'inclusionary zoning'?
- A policy requiring all land uses to be integrated within a single zone
- A requirement that new residential developments include a percentage of affordable housing units (Correct answer)
- A zoning technique that includes natural features within urban development areas
- A policy mandating mixed-income housing in all transit zones
Correct answer: A requirement that new residential developments include a percentage of affordable housing units
Inclusionary zoning requires or incentivizes developers to set aside a percentage of new residential units as affordable to low- or moderate-income households.
Question 2: What planning concept describes the idea that development costs should be borne by those who create the demand for services?
- Tax increment financing
- Impact fees (Correct answer)
- Special assessment districts
- General obligation bonds
Correct answer: Impact fees
Impact fees charge new developments for the cost of public infrastructure and services necessitated by that development, applying the 'growth pays for growth' principle.
Question 3: Who wrote 'The Death and Life of Great American Cities' (1961), a seminal critique of urban renewal and modernist planning?
- Lewis Mumford
- Jane Jacobs (Correct answer)
- Robert Moses
- William Whyte
Correct answer: Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs wrote 'The Death and Life of Great American Cities' in 1961, arguing that diversity, density, mixed uses, and old buildings are essential to vibrant urban neighborhoods.
Question 4: What is a 'non-conforming use' in zoning law?
- A use that violates building code standards
- A lawfully established use that no longer conforms to current zoning regulations due to a subsequent zoning change (Correct answer)
- A use requiring a special use permit in any zone
- A temporary use allowed only by variance
Correct answer: A lawfully established use that no longer conforms to current zoning regulations due to a subsequent zoning change
A non-conforming use is one that was legally established prior to a zoning change and is allowed to continue despite no longer complying with current regulations.
Question 5: Which model of urban spatial structure, developed by Harris and Ullman in 1945, argues that cities grow around multiple centers rather than a single downtown?
- Concentric Zone Model
- Sector Model
- Multiple Nuclei Model (Correct answer)
- Urban Realms Model
Correct answer: Multiple Nuclei Model
The Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris and Ullman, 1945) proposes that cities develop around several distinct nuclei or centers, each specialized in different activities.
Question 6: What is 'transit-oriented development' (TOD)?
- Development funded primarily through transit agency grants
- Mixed-use, compact development concentrated within walking distance of transit stations (Correct answer)
- A federal grant program for bus rapid transit infrastructure
- Zoning that prohibits automobile-dependent development near rail lines
Correct answer: Mixed-use, compact development concentrated within walking distance of transit stations
TOD is a planning strategy that concentrates higher-density, mixed-use development within approximately a quarter- to half-mile radius of transit stops to maximize ridership and walkability.
Question 7: Under the AICP continuing education requirement, how many CM (Certification Maintenance) credits must certified planners earn every two years?
- 16 CM credits
- 24 CM credits
- 32 CM credits (Correct answer)
- 40 CM credits
Correct answer: 32 CM credits
AICP requires certified planners to earn 32 Certification Maintenance (CM) credits every two-year reporting period to maintain their certification.
AICP Trivia 5
What is 'inclusionary zoning'?