Glossary
Amenity: something that contributes to an area's needs, whether social, environmental, or cultural
Articulation: architectural detail that gives a building interest and added richness
Boulevard: area between the curb and the sidewalk for: street trees, newspaper boxes, parking meters, light poles, bike rings etc. so that sidewalks are kept free and clear for pedestrians
Built form: buildings and structures
Compatible / Compatibility: when the density, form, bulk, height, setbacks, and/or materials of buildings are able to co-exist with their surroundings.
Curb cut: a break in the curb for car access from the street onto a property
Driveway: a private way across land used for vehicular access from a public street - includes a private right-of-way
Glazing: clear or lightly tinted glass windows
Façade: the principal face of a building (also referred to as the front wall)
Fascia: a plain horizontal band along the façade, often where the building’s sign is placed
Frontage Zone: the area in the right-of-way between the building and the sidewalk can include planting, outdoor patios etc.
Gateway: a main point of entrance into a district or a neighbourhood and a good location for intensification.
Hard landscape: landscape features other than plant materials e.g. decorative pavers, planter boxes, walks, fences, retaining walls, etc.
Impervious surface: surface of land where water cannot infiltrate back into the ground (e.g. roofs, driveways, streets and parking lots)
Intensification: higher, bigger and more compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development
Lane: a narrow street at the back of buildings, generally used for service and parking
Light pollution: light created from excessive illumination, by unshielded or misaligned light fixtures, and by inefficient lamp sources, with health implications to humans and wildlife
Mews: small pedestrian passageway to link parking to public sidewalks, parks to sidewalks etc.
Nodes: occur at gateways, intersections, as key locations to highlight, feature or intensify
Parking lot: a lot or other place used for the temporary parking of four or more passenger vehicles
Pedestrian scale: a size of building, space that a pedestrian perceives as not dominating or overpowering
Pedestrian travel route: the unobstructed portion of the sidewalk
Pedestrian walkway: sidewalk on private property
Permeable surface: a surface formed of material that allows infiltration of water to the sub-base
Property line: the legal boundary of a property
Public realm: the streets, lanes, parks and open spaces that are free and available to anyone to use
Right-of-way: a public or private area that allows for passage of people or goods, including, but not limited to, freeways, streets, bicycle paths, alleys, trails and pedestrian walkways.
Scale: the size of a building or an architectural feature in relation to its surroundings and to the size of a person
Screening: vegetation, landforms, or structures that serve to reduce the impact of development on nearby properties
Setback: the required distance from a road, property line, or another structure, within which no building can be located
Sidewalk: unobstructed concrete or paved area for pedestrian travel in the public right-of-way
Soft landscape: planting such as trees, shrub, vines, perennials and annuals
Stacking lane: an on-site queuing lane for motorized vehicles, which is separated from other vehicular traffic and pedestrian circulation by barriers, markings or signs
Streetscape: the overall character and appearance of a street formed by buildings and landscape features that frame the public street. Includes building façades, street trees and plants, lighting, street furniture, paving, etc.
Street frontage: the front of the property facing the street
Street Section: a street cross-section, which includes the horizontal line of the street plus the vertical edges of the buildings, on either side, that face it
Streetwall: street edge, along which a line of buildings can occur and defines the limits of the right-of-way.
Urban design: the analysis and design of the city's physical form
Urban form: the pattern of development in an urban area
Figure Credits
| Figures | Description |
|---|---|
| Figure 1: | Regional Road Corridor Design Guidelines. Region of Ottawa-Carleton |
| Figure 3, 15, 17: | Ottawa, Ontario. City of Ottawa |
| Figure 4: | Toronto, Ontario. |
| Figure 5, 16: | Vancouver, B.C. |
| Figure 8: | From the St. Joseph Boulevard Corridor Study, March 2003: The Planning Partnership, Sterling Finlayson Architects, D.J. Halpenny & Associates, Royal LePage Advisors |
| Figure 9: | California, USA. Bousfields Inc. |
| Figure 10: | Illinois, USA. Bousfields Inc. |
| Figure 12: | USA. Bousfields Inc. |
| Figure 13: | Mississauga, Ontario |
| Figure 14: | Toronto, Ontario. City of Ottawa |
| Figures 21, 22, 24, 25, 26: | Ottawa, Ontario. City of Ottawa |