LIVING LANDSCAPE FOR LARE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS UPDATED 2026
# Term Definition
1 project planning and comprehensive
planning Project planning involves designing a specific object
such as a dam, highway, harbor, or an individual build-
ing or group of buildings. Comprehensive planning
involves a broad range of choices relating to all the
functions of an area.
2 Environmental planning
Environmental planning is “the initiation and operation
of activities to manage the acquisition, trans-
formation, distribution, and disposal of resources in a
manner capable of sustaining human activities, with a
minimum distribution of physical, ecological, and social
processes”
3 Ecosystem management
Ecosystem management is the deliberate process of
understanding and structuring an entire region with the
intention of maintaining
sustain- ability and integrity
4 ecological planning
, 5 landscape plan
landscape plan is used here to emphasize that such
plans should incorporate natural and social
considerations. A landscape plan is more than a land-
use plan because it addresses the overlap and
integration of land uses. A landscape plan may involve
the for- mal recognition of previous elements in the
planning process, such as the adoption of policy goals.
The plan should include written statements about
policies and implementation strategies as well as a
map showing the spatial organization of the landscape.
6 performance standards
performance standards, or criteria, are established and
must be met before a certain use will be permitted.
These criteria usually involve a combination of
economic, environmental, and social factors.
# Term Definition
7 eight benefits of public participation:
(1) improved quality of decisions, (2) the minimization
of costs, (3) consensus building, (4) increased ease of
implementation, (5) the avoidance of worst-case
confrontations, (6) the maintenance of credibility and
legitimacy, (7) the anticipation of public concerns and
attitudes, and (8) the development of public expertise
and creativity.
8 engagement techniques
task forces, citizens’ and technical advisory committees,
neighborhood planning councils, group dynamics, nom-
inal-group workshops, focus groups, and Delphi
9 task force
A task force is an ad hoc agency-sponsored citizens’
committee with a well-defined problemsolving or
specific task and charge relating usually to a single
problem or subject. Such a specific task may be
establishing goals for a plan. The existence of task
forces is temporary.
, 10 Citizens’ advisory committees
Citizens’ advisory committees are presumed to
represent the ideas and attitudes of local groups. Their
purpose is to advise some decision-making body such
as a planning commission, an agency staff, or a
developer. share the following characteristics: lim- ited
power and authority, large membership (50 to 100
members), agency staff providing technical assistance,
a life span that is tied to the particular program or
project, and infre- quent meetings of full membership
11 Technical advisory committees
Technical advisory committees are groups that
represent bodies of technical or scientific information
important to a planning commission, agency, or
developer. Often these groups are interdisciplinary or
multidisciplinary. Citizens’ and technical advisory
committees may be organized similar to task forces.
However, their role encompasses a broader scope than
an individual task.
12 Neighborhood planning councils
Neighborhood planning councils are organizations
formed by citizens or an outside commu- nity organizer
that engage in a number of neighborhood programs as
well as in advocacy and advice
# Term Definition
13 Group dynamics
Group dynamics is a generic term for a variety of
problem-solving techniques used to clarify goals,
encourage group interaction, and resolve conflicts
within citizen groups Small-group involvement; Skilled
leadership; Structured process; Timing.
14 Nominal-group
Nominal-group workshops are one form of group
dynamics. big group then small groups one issue written
by each person without discussing - present the issue -
vote - ranking
AND ANSWERS UPDATED 2026
# Term Definition
1 project planning and comprehensive
planning Project planning involves designing a specific object
such as a dam, highway, harbor, or an individual build-
ing or group of buildings. Comprehensive planning
involves a broad range of choices relating to all the
functions of an area.
2 Environmental planning
Environmental planning is “the initiation and operation
of activities to manage the acquisition, trans-
formation, distribution, and disposal of resources in a
manner capable of sustaining human activities, with a
minimum distribution of physical, ecological, and social
processes”
3 Ecosystem management
Ecosystem management is the deliberate process of
understanding and structuring an entire region with the
intention of maintaining
sustain- ability and integrity
4 ecological planning
, 5 landscape plan
landscape plan is used here to emphasize that such
plans should incorporate natural and social
considerations. A landscape plan is more than a land-
use plan because it addresses the overlap and
integration of land uses. A landscape plan may involve
the for- mal recognition of previous elements in the
planning process, such as the adoption of policy goals.
The plan should include written statements about
policies and implementation strategies as well as a
map showing the spatial organization of the landscape.
6 performance standards
performance standards, or criteria, are established and
must be met before a certain use will be permitted.
These criteria usually involve a combination of
economic, environmental, and social factors.
# Term Definition
7 eight benefits of public participation:
(1) improved quality of decisions, (2) the minimization
of costs, (3) consensus building, (4) increased ease of
implementation, (5) the avoidance of worst-case
confrontations, (6) the maintenance of credibility and
legitimacy, (7) the anticipation of public concerns and
attitudes, and (8) the development of public expertise
and creativity.
8 engagement techniques
task forces, citizens’ and technical advisory committees,
neighborhood planning councils, group dynamics, nom-
inal-group workshops, focus groups, and Delphi
9 task force
A task force is an ad hoc agency-sponsored citizens’
committee with a well-defined problemsolving or
specific task and charge relating usually to a single
problem or subject. Such a specific task may be
establishing goals for a plan. The existence of task
forces is temporary.
, 10 Citizens’ advisory committees
Citizens’ advisory committees are presumed to
represent the ideas and attitudes of local groups. Their
purpose is to advise some decision-making body such
as a planning commission, an agency staff, or a
developer. share the following characteristics: lim- ited
power and authority, large membership (50 to 100
members), agency staff providing technical assistance,
a life span that is tied to the particular program or
project, and infre- quent meetings of full membership
11 Technical advisory committees
Technical advisory committees are groups that
represent bodies of technical or scientific information
important to a planning commission, agency, or
developer. Often these groups are interdisciplinary or
multidisciplinary. Citizens’ and technical advisory
committees may be organized similar to task forces.
However, their role encompasses a broader scope than
an individual task.
12 Neighborhood planning councils
Neighborhood planning councils are organizations
formed by citizens or an outside commu- nity organizer
that engage in a number of neighborhood programs as
well as in advocacy and advice
# Term Definition
13 Group dynamics
Group dynamics is a generic term for a variety of
problem-solving techniques used to clarify goals,
encourage group interaction, and resolve conflicts
within citizen groups Small-group involvement; Skilled
leadership; Structured process; Timing.
14 Nominal-group
Nominal-group workshops are one form of group
dynamics. big group then small groups one issue written
by each person without discussing - present the issue -
vote - ranking
