Glossary: U-V

Upkeep #

Low: Similar effort to maintaining a lawn.
Medium: Similar efforts to maintaining a lawn and garden with multiple plants.
High: Responsible for delicate ecosystems or elaborate details.

Urban Forest #

A system of trees living in a city. (All publicly and privately owned trees in a city.) Urban forests provide many benefits — they clean our air and water, create shelter and food for wildlife, and make shade when it is hot.

Vacant Lot #

A structure-free parcel, or a lot without a building on it.

Vacant Property #

A building that is perceived to be absent of active care, residents, or stewardship.

Vegetation #

A collective term referring to things with leaves—trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs at a group or in mass cluster.

Vegetation and Visibility/Privacy #

How much will this lot design change the visibility from the street to the alley? Some designs encourage privacy, others create and preserve open viewsheds.