Definitions
Definitions and Terms related to Greenspace
For a more detailed explanation of the various methods of land acquisition, please see the Land Acquisitions page.
- AASHTO
- American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
- ADEM
- Alabama Department of Environmental Management
- Bargain sale
- a method of land acquisition characterized by the sale of property by a landowner to the city for less than the appraised fair market value of the land
- Chicane
- a series of narrowings or curb extensions, used at midblock locations only, that alternate from one side of the street to the other forming S-shaped curves; a traffic calming technique
- Choker
- a curb extension at midblock or intersection corners that narrows a street by extending the sidewalk or widening the planting strip; a traffic calming technique
- Closures
- a traffic calming technique including diagonal diverters, half closures, full closures and median barriers, the purpose of which is to reduce cut-through traffic by obstructing traffic movements in one or more directions
- Conservation easement
- a method of land acquisition; a flexible land protection tool involving a legal agreement between a landowner and the city that permanently limits the uses of the land in order to protect its conservation or recreation values; also called "purchase of development rights"
- Fee simple acquisition
- a method of land acquisition involving the outright sale of land by a private landowner to the city for a greenway based on an agreed upon price
- Floodplain
- the lowland that borders a stream, creek, river, or water conveyance and is subject to flooding when the waterway overflows its banks
- Geotextile fabrics
- woven and non-woven fabric mats used to strengthen the subgrade, subbase, and surface of a trail, especially in areas where soft or unsuitable soils are present
- Greenspace
- used interchangeably with the term open space
- Greenways
- interconnected linear corridors of natural land, preserved as open space, which follow natural, water, or man-made features. They connect people and places together, and when they include trails, they provide routes for alternative non-motorized transportation; a specific type of greenspace
- Horizontal shifts
- a traffic calming technique which includes neighborhood traffic circles and chicanes
- Impact fees
- one-time monetary charges levied by the local government on new development to offset some of the cost of additional public facilities required due to the new development
- Land trust
- a non-profit, community-based organization that collaborates with citizens, governmental entities, developers, and businesses to preserve the quality of life through land use acquisition and preservation
- Land Trust of East Alabama
- a non-profit community-based organization that was formed in September 2000, dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and protection of land for the benefit of the citizens of East Alabama, including the counties of Macon, Russell, Chambers, Tallapoosa, and Lee
- Land donation
- a method of land acquisition involving an outright donation of land for the purpose of serving as open space
- Open space
- a protected area of land whose primary purpose is to remain 'open' or undeveloped; used interchangeably with the term greenspace
- Purchase of development rights
- see conservation easement
- Riparian
- situated on the banks of a waterway; associated with a river or creek
- Riparian buffer
- a vegetated system managed to protect the area adjacent to a shoreline, wetland, or stream
- Roadway narrowings
- a traffic calming technique which includes chokers and center island narrowings
- Traffic calming
- any combination of mainly physical measures meant to reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users
- Trail tread
- the surface of a trail
- Vertical deflections
- a traffic calming technique which includes speed humps, speed tables, and raised intersections
- Watershed
- the land area that contributes runoff to a particular point along a stream