LA 243 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Floor Area Ratio, Farming Today, Sustainable Design
Cultural features create opportunities and constraints for the design of sustainable
● Redeveloping land is important for smart growth and green design because it leaves
more natural areas, but not all sites can be redeveloped for what you may intend to do
with the site.
● Depending on a sites prior use you may or may not be able to design what you want.
Heavy metals and other toxic compounds
Land Use Type and Intensity
● Just as industrial uses can contaminate a site so can agricultural uses. Farming today is
being done with little to no concern for topsoil loss or filling the land with chemicals from
fertilizers and pesticides
● Another factor when assessing a site is the land use types and intensities on adjoining
properties. 3 ways to measure intensity/density:
● Building height
● Floor area ratio (FAR)
● Dwelling units per area
Property Ownership and Value
● Appraisal will tell you how much your site is worth for your desired use
● Property appraisals consider:
○ Size
○ Existing uses of site
○ Site improvements
○ Buildings
○ Landscaping
○ Market of nearby area
○ Attractive nearby area
○ Scenic views
○ Convenient vehicular traffic
○ Accessibility of water
Land Use regulation
● When you own a property there are regulations:
○ Federal Regulations: Americans with Disabilities (ADA)
○ National Coastal Zone Management
■ Preserve protect, develop and restore the resources of the nation’s
coastal zone
○ State regulations: another level of development controls in some cases
development incentives. Maryland and NY are directing new infrastructure
investments
○ Local Plans and Regulations: comprehensive plans: community level plans that
articulate a vision for how a community intends to grow and develop, physically
and economically, 20-30 years. IMplemented through zoning codes and
supplementary land use regulations. A zoning code
○ Typically a city’s zoning map may have hundreds of zones or districts in which
certain uses are permitted, others are allowed under certain circumstance and all
others are prohibited. ONly if you project is deemed to be in the best interest of
the community will they change the code for that area.
○ Residential, commercial, or industrial
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Document Summary
Cultural features create opportunities and constraints for the design of sustainable. Redeveloping land is important for smart growth and green design because it leaves more natural areas, but not all sites can be redeveloped for what you may intend to do with the site. Depending on a sites prior use you may or may not be able to design what you want. Just as industrial uses can contaminate a site so can agricultural uses. Farming today is being done with little to no concern for topsoil loss or filling the land with chemicals from fertilizers and pesticides. Another factor when assessing a site is the land use types and intensities on adjoining properties. Appraisal will tell you how much your site is worth for your desired use. When you own a property there are regulations: Preserve protect, develop and restore the resources of the nation"s coastal zone. State regulations: another level of development controls in some cases development incentives.
