Planetizen AICP Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• How many acres are in one hectare?
• What is the common characteristic of facilitation and mediation as methods for structuring public participation?
• Which is a key element of the brainstorming process to assist groups in identifying key goals for the planning process?
• General Fertility Rate is defined as births per 1,000 women aged 15-44.
• Which of the following represents a joint planning effort between active military installations, surrounding communities and other agencies?
• How does the Delphi technique encourage consensus among participants?
• Which statement about land use and agriculture in the United States is true?
• The planning director is asked to participate in a charity golf tournament sponsored by a local historic preservation nonprofit. The director should:
• Non-conforming use typically refers to a use that was legal prior to a zoning change but is not permitted under the new zoning. Which option best describes this concept?
• Not a common method of achieving agreement on a course of action?
• Which city is home to the first historic preservation commission in the United States?
• What is the difference between a Council of Governments (COG) and a regional council?
• What was a central belief of the City Beautiful movement?
• What is the most commonly used measure for traffic volume?
• What is the key distinction between the two main types of local governments?
• Which statement about participatory rural appraisal describes its typical characteristic?
• What method is best for determining aggregate resident preferences about the look of the natural and built environment?
• Which terms are generally interchangeable with Council of Governments?
• Which organization began in 1917 as the American City Planning Institute?
• What is the preferred metric for assessing housing affordability in a community?
• By 2030, what percentage of the U.S. population is projected to be over the age of 65?
• Which limitations might prevent citizens from participating in planning?
• In a social accounting matrix (SAM), which element is commonly included?
• After a private meeting with the mayor regarding a major project, what is the appropriate action for the planning director?
• Which analysis is used to assess geologic, hydrologic, soil, and other physical data to determine land development potential?
• The National Scenic Byways Program is administered by which federal agency?
• For annexation of 200 acres, which cost analysis method would be most appropriate to study fiscal effects?
• Which organization is known for promoting inclusive planning and broad community input?
• What is the primary goal of testing a null hypothesis in research?
• For a hazard mitigation town hall, which method best encourages broad participation?
• Which demographic group is primarily responsible for the aging trend in the United States?
• Which statement correctly describes the relationship between the Fair Housing Act and Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968?
• Which action would be inappropriate while publicizing an upcoming planning event with a biased local news source?
• The National Scenic Byways Program was established under which act?
• In a city with a majority Hispanic population, which survey method is most effective for reaching young adults aged 24-36?
• You live in a riverfront community and want to engage regulatory authorities about water quality improvements. Which organizations should you engage?
• What is the correct order of elements in the Message Pyramid?
• According to the B.18 ethics policy on moonlighting, which statement is correct?
• Which public participation technique best ensures inclusive brainstorming among a vocal minority and a silent majority?
• What are the sources of land use law in the United States?
• In a Future Search, which task would not be involved?
• An urban growth boundary is described as a regional boundary that limits sprawl by doing what inside and outside?
• In the case Associated Home Builders of Greater East Bay v. City of Livermore, which issue was central?
• Which entity primarily enables zoning and subdivision regulations through statutes?
• In a car-sharing program, when a vehicle is parked on a residential street, what is a typical destination?
• In traffic forecasting, the projections are broken down into which geographic units?
• What survey method would be most appropriate for gathering input from residents in a southeastern neighborhood with limited access to the internet?
• Under the standard from Agins v. Tiburon, a regulation constitutes a taking if:
• You face an ethical dilemma that could impact your AICP certification. What is the best course of action?
• Which of the following is not true of the Delphi technique?
• The policy tool that ties building permits to infrastructure availability to control growth is called what?
• Greyfields are typically former commercial and retail sites often characterized by large parking areas.
• A city planner receives complaints about car-sharing vehicles parked overnight on residential streets. What is the best approach to addressing these complaints?
• If you want to assess how opinions change over time in response to a new policy, which type of survey is appropriate?
• How would you use a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) to support your work?
• As an AICP sole practice consultant, you misrepresent your qualifications to a potential client in the health indicators project. Is this a violation of the AICP Code?
• For a city facing vacancy issues, which visualization best conveys geographic concentration of vacant housing?
• According to the APA's Ethical Principles in Planning, the planning process must continuously pursue and faithfully serve what?
• Which statement about costs of community services (COCS) is accurate?
• Is a binary variable an example of a two-value data type such as yes or no?
• The concept of the Comprehensive Plan owes much to the work of which planners?
• Which case established zoning as a constitutional use of government police power?
• A city Planning Director interviewed for a position with a consulting firm in another state without notifying city officials. Which statement is true regarding the AICP Code of Ethics?
• How many tasks are there in a Future Search event?
• Which option describes a strategy to connect areas separated by a freeway by placing a park over the freeway?
• A building permit is an exercise of which government power?
• Which term describes occupying government-owned land with the expectation of obtaining title by undertaking specified actions?
• In a comprehensive plan, abandoned industrial sites suspected to be contaminated are referred to as
• In what decade did large-scale federal aid programs begin?
• In the same context, the state’s authority to regulate for public health, safety, and welfare is known as what power?
• Which term describes a variable with only two possible values, such as 0 and 1?
• In a plan illustrating transit-oriented development, what walking radius is typically shown as the distance pedestrians are willing to walk to transit?
• During site plan review for a 120-unit apartment complex on 15 acres, which item would you exclude from consideration?
• Greenfields refer to land that is not currently used for development.
• Which statement best describes the null hypothesis in research?
• What threshold indicates unaffordability for housing when using the affordability index?
• The City Humane Movement occurred in which decade?
• Which method would best authorize a farmer to continue farming land beyond his property boundary when fences exist in the wrong location?
• Which statement about moonlighting is true?
• What is the primary role of Councils of Governments in the United States?
• Which item is not a physical feature of a site?
• What does PAS Report 582 say about accreditation for planning agencies?
• To counter a perceived barrier for convention visitors crossing a highway to reach a nearby district, a planner would propose which option?
• Under state law, would an amortization ordinance that starts at the date of billboard prohibition be legal?
• Approximately how many hours is each Future Search task intended to take?
• Which overlay district was described as unusual?
• In a large development project with on-site infrastructure, which mechanism best clarifies what infrastructure will be provided as part of the development?
• Which example is least likely to be included in an explanation of biophilic design?
• The most appropriate solution to downtown issues like panhandling and unkempt sidewalks is
• The Neighborhood Unit Concept emphasizes providing residents with convenient access to which amenities?
• Approximately how many people are typically involved in a planning cell?
• Bridging helps communicate a clear message by using a transitional phrase to stay on message when the question could take you off topic.
• After a bill has been approved in the House, what happens next?
• Which population estimation method uses the population at the time of the last Census divided into five-year age groups and gender, applies a death rate to each group, and creates new groups based on birth rates and net migration?
• The historic architecture in a community uses locally available materials. What is this design approach called?
• As a planning director, which groups should be represented on an neighborhood redevelopment advisory committee?
• Which description best characterizes a regional planning organization (COG)?
• Which body enacts zoning ordinances through a legislative process?
• Among the following, who was a co-founder of the Regional Planning Association of America?
• What did the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 accomplish?
• To reduce the number of buildable lots due to infrastructure constraints, which tool would be most appropriate?
• Which audience engagement tool would be most effective for ensuring maximum participation at a town hall meeting?
• What planning tool best supports virtual collaboration for residents in a large planning area?
• The primary purpose of the Census is to fairly apportion the number of seats in the United States House of Representatives for each state.
• Which could be potential goals of a coalition?
• Using a 10% discount rate, should the city proceed with the building addition now or wait four years?
• A cross-sectional survey collects data from a representative subset at one point in time. Which statement is true?
• Which method is best for identifying interests and priorities of opposing groups in public participation?
• In preparing a staff report for an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan to allow affordable, multi-family housing in the downtown area, which statement would you NOT include?
• What is the primary purpose of visioning in the comprehensive planning process?
• Which participatory process involves participants weighing project alternatives against a set of citizen goals and produces recommendations to decision-makers?
• You are presenting before the Chamber of Commerce on economic development versus environmental protection, and you are known as an environmental advocate. Is presenting the economic value of environmental protection to the Council a violation of the AICP Code?
• Per household, how many acres are reported to be needed to feed the U.S. population using the bio-intensive method?
• In which case did the respondent argue that the city had violated the Telecommunications Act by discriminating against a commercial enterprise?
• Cities undertake efforts to create a specific image of the city in the minds of the public.
• In a city extraterritorial jurisdiction with rapid septic tank adoption near wells, which regulatory technique would be most appropriate?
• Oregon's Measure 37 requires compensation under what condition?
• Which statement best describes the historical relationship among the American Planning Association, the American Institute of Planners, and the American Society of Planning Officials?
• If you are unsure whether a social media post from a city government is a public record under Sunshine Laws, what should you do?
• Which of the following would NOT be used to graphically compare two data sets?
• In human resources planning, what does the classification scheme primarily define?
• In a zoning ordinance amendment that includes design criteria for new large-scale retail development, which aspect should the staff report emphasize?
• Advocacy planning does which of the following?
• Which act is associated with Base Realignment and Closure to streamline military base operations?
• To what level of government are regional councils or councils of government (COGs) accountable?
• Which would you advise to organize community support for a light rail expansion into a neighborhood?
• What is the optimal committee size for planning future renovation needs of schools within a school district?
• When did large-scale federal aid programs begin in U.S. history?
• Which item could be legally discussed in a Planning Commission's closed session?
• Which case specifically addresses freedom of association in zoning-related litigation?
• CORBOR funding referred to which programs?
• In a neighborhood unit concept with a central school, which street type would be most appropriate to place adjacent to the elementary school?
• How does the American Community Survey collect data?
• Which statement about area-wide planning organizations is true?
• If you waited four years and spent $500,000, what would be the equivalent cost in today's dollars, given a 10% discount rate?
• Which technique is most appropriate for limiting the expansion of infrastructure and public services in a region facing a fiscal crisis due to rising demand?
• Communicative Planning Theory calls for which of the following processes?
• As a Planner II, if a COG moratorium conflicts with annexation, what should you do first?
• If a planner is trying to resolve a conflict over river development among environmentalists, property owners, and local officials, which approach is most appropriate?
• Which planning movement focused on reviving civic centers to attract the wealthy, eradicate social ills, and establish parity for U.S. cities with their European counterparts?
• If a project is at the request-for-proposals stage and you fear you cannot adequately manage the zoning ordinance, what is the best action?
• Which statement about the cross section of a street is NOT usually true?
• Which of the following is probably not a good use for brainstorming as a method for public participation in the planning process?
• Which eminent domain case upheld the use of eminent domain for aesthetic purposes?
• Amitai Etzioni proposed which theory as a 'third approach' to public policy decision making?
• In 2016, what percentage of households were multigenerational?
• Which of the following could be key considerations for a downtown commercial district in a city with a historic town square and a central courthouse?
• In traffic forecasting, which geographic unit is used to divide a region into similar land-use areas for modeling?
• Which statement about New Urbanism charrettes is correct?
• Which action does not adhere to the AICP Code of Ethics?
• Which steps are necessary to address environmental justice in an Environmental Impact Statement?
• Which policy statement best reflects Richard Florida's view on attracting the Creative Class?
• Which measure is recommended to reduce cut-through traffic near a grocery store on an arterial?
• Which tools are typically used to regulate land use at the local level?
• In the Message Pyramid, what is the role of the second piece of evidence that follows the concise key statement?
• A variable that can take a finite number of values is called what?
• Which amendment prohibits governments from taking private property without just compensation?
• Which buffer type accounts for the curvature of the earth and is used at large regional or global scales?
• An easement in gross is typically associated with which type of beneficiary?
• Which instrument addresses land-use coordination with local governments around a military base?
• Which policy instrument would be least likely to apply to planning for a U.S. Army installation?
• As a director promoting new regionalism, which of the following should you emphasize?
• When using ArcGIS, mapping data can be obtained from which sources?
• As Planning Director, you are asked to develop an economic development strategy that includes incentives for retailers, even though you oppose incentives that don't create basic jobs. What should you do?
• To promote agritourism effectively in a largely agricultural county, which approach would be most effective?
• Clarence Perry's Neighborhood Unit Concept (1929) was published in which plan?
• When should the public be involved in a countywide planning process?
• To illustrate a 50-foot setback from streams, the staff would create a map using which GIS concept?
• Which objective is included in the AICP Code’s social justice principle?
• In the neighborhood unit concept, what is a common feature used to anchor the community's design?
• When preparing an application to create a National Historic District, which factor is most important to consider?
• What should be the main principle guiding public participation in a public involvement plan for an environmental restoration project at a DoD installation?
• The concept of acquiring title to a property by possession after a period of time is known as?
• As the Economic Development Planner, which marketing option would be least useful for attracting e-commerce firms?
• If you have data about a population, which type of statistics could you use to describe your data?
• The AICP Code calls for professional competence. In a case where you understand why incentives may be logical but your report may go against city wishes, what should you do?
• What is the Message Pyramid as used in public communication?
• Which item is NOT required in addressing environmental justice considerations within an EIS?
• Which statement best describes how the American Community Survey collects data?
• In transforming a disused commercial district, which approach is best to encourage housing while preserving historic features?
• What is the intended outcome of a Future Search?
• Open meetings laws require that which meetings be open to the public?
• Which theoretical perspective most influenced the AICP Code's emphasis on social justice and expanding opportunities for all?
• In what year did the American Planning Association form through consolidation?
• The share of multigenerational households approached the peak observed in which decade?
• Which design approach is best to address safety concerns along a commercial corridor when redevelopment standards are established?
• Which federal body is responsible for the review of historic preservation applications at the federal level?
• Which issues would a state Food Policy Council typically address?
• What is the present value today of $500,000 due four years from now at a 10% discount rate?
• In regard to enforcement duties for potential violations by an AICP member, which statement is NOT true?
• Which statement best describes the difference between Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and Councils of Governments (COGs)?
• An information notice about a proposed project must be provided to all properties within the prescribed radius even if some are outside the city's jurisdiction. Which statement is correct?
• As the planner for a small village, you notice code enforcement violations in your neighborhood. What is the best way to handle this situation?
• What is the defining characteristic of an arterial street?
• Which mechanism pays for off-site improvements?
• The Fair Housing Act is also known as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
• Which group did not precede the City Humane Movement?
• Which item is NOT a physical feature of a site?
• What is the calculated future value of $300,000 after four years at a 10% discount rate?
• Which form of zoning prescribes development standards rather than use standards?
• A volume-to-capacity ratio (V/C) of 1 indicates which condition in traffic flow?
• If your brother asks you to advise him about the planning process and possibly represent him before the City Council, what should you do?
• Must ordinances imposing conditions on development permits meet the specified constitutional criteria including nexus, rough proportionality, and related provisions?
• How long had the zoning ordinance been since last overhauled?
• Which public participation method is best at the early stage of a planning project to help identify goals?
• In facilitating a volatile meeting, which practice best preserves objectivity?
• Which case upheld the use of planned unit developments in Pennsylvania?
• Which statement correctly describes the history and current regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
• The restriction on making alcohol for personal use was tested under which constitutional principle?
• Which description best captures the nature of a New Urbanism charrette?
• The incrementalism theorist in planning
• What concern did the representative from the League of United Latin American Citizens raise regarding public engagement?
• Which technique is most appropriate for communicating with a community with low literacy levels?
• Advocacy planning was championed by which planner?
• What authority does the Board of Adjustment typically have under the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act?
• City Functional gained prominence in which decade?
• Which type of government coordinates plans and programs at the regional level in the United States?
• When expanding the staff of a growing town, which topic is best to discuss first with the Human Resources Director?
• Cohort Survival is also known as which demographic concept?
• Which Supreme Court case produced a landmark ruling subjecting government agency decisions to judicial review and spurred environmental activism?
• Which statement best captures effective outreach strategy for public participation in planning events?
• In a Message Pyramid, which of the following is not an example of a second proof point?
• A mean is an appropriate summary for which data types?
• What is a key feature of conservation zoning?
• What public participation method is most appropriate to determine aggregate resident preferences for the appearance of the built and natural environment?
• Which planning practice involves retaining historic features during adaptation for a new use?
• Richard Florida's concept of the Creative Class cites which three 'Ts' as essential?
• The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition included the White City; who designed it?
• In Florida's framework, which attribute embodies a 'live and let live' ethos?
• What statement best describes the advantages of visioning in a comprehensive planning process?
• Which statement about topographic maps is not accurate?
• Which statement best describes the free rider problem?
• An ethical planner principally serves which of the following?
• When integrating air pollution plans with state and regional planning, which component would you expect to be integrated into the State Implementation Plan (SIP)?
• Based on the Quick Response Urban Travel Estimation Techniques and Transferable Parameters, which land use would have the lowest average vehicle trips per unit?
• Regarding seeking informal ethics guidance, which statement is true?
• Under AICP Code ethics, if there is a possibility of direct personal or financial gain from a planning action, what must a planner obtain?
• Why is it inappropriate for a planner to ask a staff member in another area to handle violations you are reporting?
• Concerning honesty in the use of information, which statement is NOT true?
• During a master planning process for a large university proposing to eliminate central campus parking, which public engagement approach would gather the most effective feedback?
• Which equation defines the Dependency Ratio?
• Squatters rights are a specific form of which legal concept?
• Which legal framework underpins environmental justice concerns?
• To fund improvements within a district through higher taxes on property owners, which mechanism is used?
• Which option describes the Planning Cell approach?
• Which statement accurately describes the status of formal accreditation programs for planning departments?
• In evaluating a subdivision near wetlands, which test is commonly used to assess soil suitability for septic systems?
• Who was the first president of the American Society of Planning Officials (ASPO)?
• Which organization provides a policy guide on security for planning and designing secure spaces?
• Which term describes a measurement that tracks environmental conditions over time?