Would you know a “grayfield” or “inter-modal center” if you saw one? You’ll hear some terms used in the Blueprint Project that may be unfamiliar to you. These terms are often used by planners to describe types of land or development. Here’s a quick glossary of some key words and phrases you should know:

Brownfields: Obsolete industrial sites that may be contaminated but are possible development sites after clean-up. Old railroad yards, for example, are often considered to be brownfields.

Greenfields: Land, often at the fringe of urban areas, that has never been developed. Greenfields may or may not be slated for eventual development.

Grayfields: Obsolete commercial sites, such as closed factories or under-performing shopping centers in older suburban areas, that are a potential location for development or revitalization.

Gross Density: A measurement of how heavily a land area is populated with development. Gross density calculations are based on factors including the amount of land employed for residential use, non-residential and commercial areas, open spaces, and streets and other infrastructure. Gross density describes the ratio of residents or employees to the total land in the area.

Infill: Development that takes place within an established urban environment. Infill development could include building on small vacant parcels, or replacing retail facilities with mixed-use commercial and residential buildings, or a multi-family townhome project on a small piece of land within an established neighborhood.

Mixed-use Development: A development that contains space for more than one type of use, such as residential or office space over ground-floor retail space.

MTP for 2025: The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for 2025, or the plan that guides funding and development of transportation projects for the Sacramento region. The MTP was developed by SACOG and approved by its Board of Directors in 2002.

Net Density: A density measurement that, unlike gross density, only includes the private parcels containing development in its calculations. Net density describes the ratio of residents or employees to the amount of private land.

Park-and-Ride: Parking lots associated with a transit station where people can park their cars and transfer to light rail, buses or carpools.

Smart Growth: Growth based on several principles that promote compact development, minimize environmental damage, enhance economic viability and lead to a sense of community for residents.

Sustainability: Growth and development that improves quality of life but doesn’t stretch natural resources beyond their ability to support the development on an ongoing basis.