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12.0 Glossary

Urban Design: The attempt to give form, in terms of both beauty and function, to selected
urban areas or to whole cities. Urban design is concerned with the location, mass, and design
of various urban components and combines elements of urban planning, architecture, and
landscape architecture.

Urbanized Area: Urbanized area means a central city or a group of contiguous cities with a
population of 50,000 or more, together with adjacent densely populated areas having a
population density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile. A Lead Agency shall determine
whether a particular area meets the criteria in this section either by examining the area or
by referring to a map prepared by the U.S. Bureau of the Census which designates the area
as urbanized. Use of the term “urbanized area” in Section 15182 is limited to areas mapped
and designated as urbanized by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. (State CEQA Guidelines,
Section 15387).

Use Permit: The discretionary and conditional review of an activity or function or operation
on a site or in a building or facility.

Utility Corridors: Rights-of-way or easements for utility lines on either publicly or privately
owned property.

Variance: An adjustment in regulations. Variances are based on discretionary decisions and
may be granted to allow deviations from ordinance regulations governing such development
factors such as setbacks, height, lot coverage, lot area and width, signs, off-street parking,
landscaping, and wall, fencing, and screening standards. Variances may not be granted to
authorize a use or activity which is not otherwise expressly authorized by the zone
regulations governing the property. A variance usually is granted only upon demonstration
of hardship based on the peculiarity of the property in relation to other properties in the
same zone district.

Vegetated buffers: Strips of natural vegetation along wetlands and waterways designed to
mimic natural systems, slow down surface runoff, capture storm water to improve
infiltration, and filter out contaminants. In addition to protecting surface waters, vegetated
buffers can improve groundwater supplies by promoting recharge and filtering
contaminants.

Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT): The total number of vehicle miles traveled over a specified
length of time (e.g., daily, monthly, or yearly) or over a specified road or transportation
corridor.

Vehicle Trip: Vehicle trip describes the number of vehicles traveling from point to point.

Vehicle Trip Ends: A single or one-direction vehicle movement with either the origin or
destination inside a traffic study site.

Vehicles Per Day (VPD): Similar to ADT, but more typically applied to trip generation (i.e.,
the amount of traffic generated by a given amount of land use).

R:\Projects\PAS\CEN\000306\Draft EIR\12.0_Glossary-051017.docx 12-86 Centennial Project
Draft EIR