New Urbanism is a planning and design movement that shapes towns around walkable neighbourhoods, mixed uses, connected street networks and clearly defined public space rather than car dependent sprawl. Organized by the Congress for the New Urbanism in the 1990s, it treats street sections and building form as the primary...
To calculate FAR, divide the total floor area of a building by the area of the lot it sits on. A 2,000 square metre building on a 1,000 square metre lot has a floor area ratio of 2.0. The ratio sets how much you may build, not how tall or...
A conditional use permit (CUP) is a zoning approval that allows a specific land use in a district where that use is not permitted outright, provided the applicant meets conditions set by the local planning body. The permit does not rezone the property. It attaches requirements to one project on...
A site plan is a scaled drawing that looks down on an entire property and shows how a building sits within it. It maps the parcel boundaries, setbacks, existing and proposed structures, driveways, parking, landscape and levels. Planning departments treat it as the record of where construction is allowed to...
Space planning is the act of determining how interior or exterior areas will be used, organized, and connected within an architectural project. It goes well beyond arranging furniture or drawing walls on a floor plan.
