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CFTE Glossary
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G
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Gasoline
A complex mixture of relatively volatile hydrocarbons, with or without small quantities of additives suitable for use in spark-ignition engines. Motor gasoline includes both leaded and unleaded grades of finished motor gasoline, blending components and gasohol, which is motor gasoline blended with up to 10 percent ethanol or methane.
Gateway
In land-use planning, an architectural feature or landscaping that signifies a transition between one space and another.
General Plan
A statement of policies, including text and diagrams, setting forth objectives, principles, standards, and plan proposals for the future physical development of the city or county.
Gentrification
The rehabilitation of a deteriorated neighborhood by new residents who are wealthier than the long-time residents.
Geographic Information System (GIS)
generic name for computer programs used to integrate many kinds of data in a spatial display or map. Data can be streets, water features, gas lines, population, climate, plant or animal populations, watersheds, or just about any statistic that can be assigned to a geographic area. Simply put, a GIS combines layers of information about a place to give you a better understanding of that place. What layers of information you combine depends on your purpose, examples include finding the best location for a new store, analyzing environmental damage, viewing similar crimes in a city to detect a pattern, and so on.
GNSS
Global Navigation Satellite System: see "GPS."
Government Sponsored Enterprise (GSE)
A shareholder owned and operated financial institution, chartered by the federal government, that facilitates the flow of investment funds to specific economic sectors, thereby providing access to national capital markets. The activities of these private entities are not included in federal budget totals. But because of their special relationship to the government, GSEs provide detailed statements as supplementary information for budget presentation. Examples of GSEs include the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac).
Governmental Purpose Bond
A term in the Internal Revenue Code for a tax-exempt bond which is secured by governmental revenues or whose proceeds are used for a general governmental purpose (as opposed to a private activity bond).
GPS
Global Positioning Satellite: A space base radio position, navigation and time transfer system continuing to be developed by the U.S. Department of Defense. When fully deployed, the system is intended to provide highly accurate position and velocity information and precise time, on a continual basis, to an unlimited number of properly equipped subscribers. The system will be unaffected by weather and will provide a worldwide common grid reference system. The GPS concept is predicated upon accurate and continuous knowledge of the spatial position of each satellite in the system with respect to time and distance from a transmitting satellite to the user. The GPS receiver automatically selects appropriate signals from the satellites in view and translates these into a three-dimensional position, velocity and time. Predictable system accuracy for civil users is projected to be 100 meters horizontally. Performance standards and certification criteria have not yet been established.
Grade Crossing
The crossing of a rail track by a roadway at rail level.
Grade Separation
A crossing between two transportation rights-of-way that is separated vertically. A transit right-of-way may be fully grade-separated or partially grade-separated.
Grant
The award of government funds to an entity. Typically, federal funds are awarded either as "formula" or "block" grants, for which a pre-determined legislative process establishes the level of funding available to the entity; or as "discretionary" grants, for which the funding agency is free to determine how much, if any, funding the entity will receive.
Grant anticipation notes (GANs)
Short-term debt that is secured by grant money expected to be received after debt is issued. Financial institutions may buy anticipation notes on behalf of project sponsors in advance of receiving other financial assistance, to enable a faster project start. Helps project sponsors advance projects, especially when unable to access capital markets.
Green Building or Green Design
Building design that yields environmental benefits, such as savings in energy, building materials, and water consumption, or reduced waste generation.
Greenfields
Newly developed commercial real estate on what was previously undeveloped open space.
Greenprinting/Open Space Planning
Greenprinting or Open Space planning refers to the coordinated act of identifying, prioritizing and protecting open spaces- parks, trails, greenways, wetlands, etc- to guide growth, protect the environment and improve community quality of life and economic competitiveness. This technique emphasizes land conservation and utilizes a variety of techniques- conservation easements, transfer of development rights, purchase of development rights to conserve land.
Greenway
A greenway is a corridor of undeveloped land, usually in an urban area, which is set aside or used for recreation and/or conservation. Greenways usually follow natural features, such as ridges or streams, or parts of the human landscape, such as abandoned railways or canals.
Greyfield Development
Greyfields are abandoned, obsolete, or underutilized properties such as regional shopping malls or strip retail developments. Greyfield redevelopment is an opportunity to introduce new life and infill development in blighted commercial spaces. Declining shopping malls and strip commercial streets which often constitute large tracts of land can be converted into new mixed-use neighborhoods.
Grid street pattern
A network of parallel and perpendicular streets intersecting at 90-degree angles, forming rectangular blocks of land. The blocks typically are equal in size and their perimeters usually measure 800 -- 1600 feet.
Grievance arbitration
The process of resolving a labor dispute involving the application or interpretation of a collective bargaining agreement, by asking an impartial third party to make a decision after both labor and management have presented their cases.
Growth cap
A numerical cap on the number of new dwellings that can be approved by a planning commission within a given period of time.
GRT
Group rapid transit
GTS
Ground transportation services
Guarantee
A contract in which a financial institution agrees to take responsibility for all or a portion of a project sponsor's financial obligations for a project under specified conditions.
Guaranteed Ride Home
Program that encourages employees to carpool, use transit, bike or walk to work by guaranteeing them a ride home in case they cannot take the same mode home (e.g., if they need to work late or if an emergency occurs
Guideway
A fixed facility for the operation of transit vehicles, with a vehicle guidance system such as rails or beams.
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