Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

PART V:Glossary of TermsThe terms defined here include specific language fromthe report, as well as some common terms used in themovements for smarter growth and more equitableregions.501(c)(3). The tax status of a nonprofit organizationobtained from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).This status allows gifts to the organization to be taxexemptand exempts the organization from all taxes.Affordable housing. Safe and sanitary shelter whosemonthly rent or mortgage payment, including taxes,insurance, and utilities, does not exceed 30 percentof a household’s gross annual income.Big box retail. Characterized by stores thattypically occupy more than 50,000 square feet;derive their profits from high sales volumes ratherthan price mark-up; are large, windowless,rectangular, single-story buildings; havestandardized façades; rely on auto-borne shoppers;and include acres of parking.Brownfield. An industrial or commercial parcel thatis abandoned or underused and oftenenvironmentally contaminated, especially oneconsidered as a potential site for redevelopment.Business Improvement District (BID). A businessimprovement district (BID)—also known as a specialimprovement district or a business improvementarea—is a public/private sector partnership in whichproperty and business owners of a defined area electto make a collective contribution to themaintenance, development, andmarketing/promotion of their commercial district.Charrette. An intensive process involving a series ofcollaborative design and public input cycles formultiple, consecutive days. A central element of thecharrette is the “design team,” a multidisciplinarygroup of professionals that provide the necessaryexpertise to create a feasible plan that considers allrelevant input.Density. The average number of people, housingunits, or structures per unit of land.Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT). An electronicsystem that allows recipients to authorize transfer oftheir government benefits from a federal account to aretailer account to pay for products received. It iscurrently being used in many states to issue foodstamp and other benefits (through the use of EBTcards). Nearly 100 percent of food stamp benefits arecurrently being issued by EBT.Equitable development. As defined by PolicyLink,equitable development connects the quest for fullracial inclusion and participation to local,metropolitan, and regional planning anddevelopment. It is grounded in four guidingprinciples: integration of people and placestrategies; reduction of local and regional disparities;promotion of “double bottom line” investments; andinclusion of meaningful community voice,participation, and leadership.Exurban. A region or settlement that lies outside acity and usually beyond its suburbs that often isinhabited chiefly by well-to-do families and/orfarmers.Fair share housing. Fair share housing is a policythat encourages proportionate and equitabledistribution of a range of housing choices and types,including low-income housing.Gentrification. The impact of steadily rising housingprices as a result of neighborhood improvements,which can result in displacement of lower-incomehouseholds.Geographic Information System (GIS). A systemfor capturing and manipulating data relating to theEarth. A common use of GIS is to overlay severaltypes of maps (for example, train routes, elevationdata, street maps) to determine useful data about agiven geographic area.Green building. Used to describe practices related tothe construction and development of buildings thatare environmentally responsible, profitable, andhealthy places to live and work.Greenbelt. A ring of connected parks, farmland,and/or uncultivated land surrounding a community.Greenfield. Undeveloped property, sometimes inagricultural use, that can be used for suburbandevelopment on the edges of or outside of existingurban areas.Greenspace. A term used to describe public parksand open spaces.Part V: Glossary of Terms122