Glossary of Terms

This page provides definition for frequently used terms and abbreviations in STLCO 2050.

Term/Acronym Definition
Active Transportation Human-powered mobility, such as biking or walking.
Adaptive Reuse Transforming existing structures for new uses, prioritizing preservation and existing building features.
ADU Accessory Dwelling Unit. A smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a stand-alone (i.e., detached) single-family home.
AV Autonomous Vehicle. A motor vehicle capable of operating with reduced or no human input. AV are responsible for all driving activities, such as perceiving the environment, monitoring important systems, and controlling the vehicle, which includes navigating from origin to destination.
Blight Deterioration of a neighborhood or city due to neglect, disinvestment, abandonment, and/or policy failure.
Brownfield Development Reusing and redeveloping previously occupied land, often for industrial or commercial purposes, that may be contaminated or have environmental issues.
CDBG Program Community Development Block Grant Program. Administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the CDBG program provides annual grants on a formulaic basis to states, cities, and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.
CDC Community Development Corporation. A nonprofit organized to provide programs, services, engagement, and other activities that promote and support community development. Activities include economic development, education, community organization, and real estate development.
CMAQ Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality. A flexible funding source to State and local governments for transportation projects and programs to help meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act, including the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone, carbon monoxide, or particulate matter.
Community Benefit Agreement A legally binding contract between a developer and community representatives outlining specific benefits the developer will provide the community in exchange for their support.
Complete Neighborhood A community in which residents can access all their daily needs within a short, convenient distance, including walking or biking.
Complete Streets A roadway designed and operated to enable safe, accessible, and convenient access for all users regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation.
Conservation Subdivision A small lot subdivision that clusters development and maintains a significant portion of common open space.
Corridor A generally linear area used to facilitate multiple modes of transportation and resulting economic systems.
CSA Community Supported Agriculture. An economic system of producing and distributing food supplies more locally to the consumers. Most CSAs operate as a partnership between regional farmers and consumers.
Density Bonus Program A zoning tool that incentivizes developers to build more housing units than typically allowed under standard zoning by providing a defined public benefit, such as affordable housing.
ECR Existing Conditions Report. A data-drive baseline assessment of specific geographic area.
Environmental Design The process of addressing surrounding environmental parameters when devising plans, programs, policies, buildings, or products. It seeks to create spaces that will enhance the natural, social, cultural and physical environment of particular areas.
EV Electric Vehicle. A motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity, as opposed to internal combustion.
EWGCOG East-West Gateway Council of Governments. (Metropolitan Planning Organization). An organization created and designated to carry out metropolitan transportation planning processes. MPOs are required to represent localities in all urbanized areas (UZAs) with populations over 50,000, as determined by the U.S. Census.
Food Forest Mimicking the structure and function of a natural forest ecosystem by providing layers of plants chosen to provide a variety of food and other useful natural plant byproducts.
Food Desert A geographic area lacking affordable or nutritious food options often in underserved communities.
Green Infrastructure A network of natural and semi-natural areas, as well as human-designed features, that are strategically planned and managed to deliver a range of ecosystem services and enhance biodiversity.
Greenway Natural and open space areas linked together to create interconnected systems for recreation, conservation, and community benefit.
Heat Island An area where the effects of replacing natural land cover with pavement/buildings/manmade surfaces lead to a lack of heat retention and absorption causing significantly higher temperatures.
HOPE VI A U.S. HUD program that aimed to revitalize severely distressed public housing projects by replacing them with mixed-income communities.
HUD Opportunity Zones Federally designated economically distressed communities defined by census tract where under certain conditions new investments may be eligible for preferential tax treatment.
Indentures Indentures are written agreements that restrict or limit property use or activities in a subdivision. Indentures also detail the rules and procedures under which the subdivision will operate. These regulations and restrictions appear in deed records and are private contracts between private property owners and are not enforced by St. Louis County. Indentures are legally binding documents, recognized by the State of Missouri and recorded with the St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds.
Infill Developing vacant, underutilized, or blighted land within the established fabric of a city.
Infrastructure Essential systems and services needed for a community to function.
Last Mile Services The final leg of a service's delivery process, where the product or service is delivered to the end customer.
LEED Metrics Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) measures the sustainability of buildings and construction projects across various categories.
Legacy Communities Post-industrial communities that have and continue to grapple with the ripple effects of a rapid restructuring of the American economy away from manufacturing, including vacancy and population decline.
LMI Low- and Moderate-Income communities. Communities that in certain geographies that have income levels that fall between certain ranges, as determined by the Census Bureau. A low-income community means there is a median family income of less than 50 percent of the area median income. A moderate-income community means that the median family income is at least 50 percent and less than 80 percent of the area median income.
Mixed-Use An approach to development in which multiple land uses are integrated into a single development area rather than segregating them.
Missing Middle Housing Medium density housing between single-family residences and multiple-family apartment complexes. This term includes two-, three-, and four-family units, cottage courts, townhouses, live-work units, etc.
Mobility Hub A designated location serving as a central point for accessing multiple transportation methods.
Mode Share The percentage of different transportation modes used by people to travel from one place to another.
Multimodal Network A transportation system that integrates various modes of transport, such as walking, biking, driving, and public transit, with the goal of creating an interconnected mobility experience.
Nexus Points Major connection points between issues and plan recommendations that are intertwined with each other.
Overlay District A zoning technique in which a special zoning district is created that applies on top of any base zoning regulations.
Placemaking An approach to planning, designing, building and maintaining public spaces in a way that focuses around the people that use and benefit from the space.
Purchase of Development Rights A mechanism in which a local government or non-profit organization buys the right to develop a property from a landowner.
Resilience Hub(s) A community-serving facility designed to enhance a community's ability to withstand and recover from various disruptions, including emergencies and climate-related events.
SITES A rating system for designing, developing and managing sustainable and resilient landscapes and other outdoor spaces; improving public health and providing economic benefits.
Shared use path A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is "designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists."
Smart Growth A development approach that promotes compact, mixed-use development and transit-oriented development to reduce sprawl and enhance community livability.
Thoroughfare Plan A long-range strategy document that identifies the location and type of roadway facilities that are needed to achieve long-term development goals. A thoroughfare plan establishes a vital link between land use and transportation facilities and services needed to support growth and development.
Traffic-Calming A mixture of physical design and other measures to reduce negative impacts of motor vehicle use, such as speeding, congestion, and accident rates.
Transfer of Development Rights A tool that allows property owners to sell their development rights on one property to others in a different zone.
Transformative Recommendation A policy recommendation that addresses multiple Key Issues and planning topic areas, allowing the County to better prioritize actions to achieve maximum policy co-benefits.
Universal Design Creating environments, products, and services that are usable by all people to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaption or specialized design.