LBCS Site Dimension with Descriptions

Code

Site with Descriptions

Color

Combine those areas normally referred to as vacant or open space. Avoid using "vacant" designation anywhere in land-use classifications.

Apply this category for sites that are under construction or otherwise in transition to becoming developed sites.

2100

Site that is graded with no structures or active use

Includes sites that have been prepared for development.

2200

Site with temporary structures

Any site that may temporarily house structures (tents, stands, stages, etc.,).

Site is not in natural state.

Site is not in natural state, but is used for a variety of purposes, such as outdoor storage, parking, and whole host of other functions and activities.

4100

Outdoor storage areas, graded or ungraded

Use this category for classifying outdoor storage areas, such as those used for dumping, container stacking, lumber stacks, etc. These include areas that may or may not be graded.

Site is not in natural state or in crop or other resource use, but is functional nevertheless.

5100

Developed site with landscaped or ornamental features

Apply this category for sites that are developed with landscaping and ornamental features, such as traffic islands.

5200

Developed site with billboards, signs, etc.

These sites may be in natural state or otherwise undeveloped, but because of such structures as signs, billboards, towers, pillars, and other features, they may not qualify as a site in natural state or a developing site.

5300

Developed site with roads, train tracks, and other linear structures

Apply this category to sites primarily with linear and other nonlinear features, such as roads, train lines, trails, etc.

5400

Developed site with tanks, reservoirs, etc.

Use this category for large and small areas that have a functional use for storage, but have structures and other nonbuilding features on the site.

Developed sites with buildings, irrespective of their size or configuration, should be classified in this category. For differentiating building types, use the structure dimension. For differentiating the size the building, use additional fields in the database to keep track of number of floors, square footage, height, etc. Also apply this category for sites (except parks) that have other site development characteristics besides buildings.

Parks have a range of complex site development characteristics. They may include or more of the above site dimension categories. That is, park lands may be developed or undeveloped, with or without structures and buildings, etc. Because they have specific functional and activity purposes that require separation from other categories in the site dimension, they have their own set of categories. The functional subcategories reflect the local, state, regional, and federal planning needs. Substitute the terminology to reflect local applications, but retain the classification hierarchy and coding numbers. For tracking specific activity characteristics in parks, use the activity dimension. Although some of the subcategories overlap with functional distinctions (state versus national parks, for instance), having them in the site dimension serves to clarify activity and functional characteristics of parks. Although such distinction may not be useful, many park planning applications depend on knowing the precise activity and functional characteristics within parks. For example, when a park has a concession stand run by a private company, the function for that part of the park will take the appropriate function code. Similarly, parking areas in parks will take the appropriate activity characteristics. Besides the activity and function dimension, parks can further be characterized by using the structure and ownership dimensions as well.

7100

Local parks and recreational sites

7110

Neighborhood or local park

7120

Community park

7130

Regional park

7200

State, national, or other parks and recreational sites

7210

Recreational parks

Recreational parks serve a variety of leisure activities besides camping and hiking. Many provide facilities for a variety of outdoor recreation and interpretive programs. They may also provide amenities, such as laundromats, playgrounds, boat launch facilities, picnic tables, and toilets and showers.

7211

National or state park

Protected large natural places with significant natural resources, sometimes of significant historic value. Most parks restrict hunting, mining, and similar consumptive activities.

7212

National recreation area

Most of them (12 by last count) are located around large reservoirs and emphasize water-based recreational activities. Some (five by last count) are near major population centers; they focus on preserving scarce open space and historic resources for easy access to large numbers of people.

7220

Historic sites or parks

Historical parks emphasize the protection of historical and cultural resources, in an outdoor setting.

7221

National historic park

A designated area that extends beyond single properties or buildings that are historic. Use this category to include lands beyond historic sites that the National Park Service maintains.

7222

National historic site

A site containing a historical feature that was directly associated with its subject. The Historic Sites Act of 1935 allowed the establishment of select sites of national historic significance by the secretary of the Interior and, sometimes, by specific acts of Congress.

7223

National monument

These are located on lands owned by the government. The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorized the president to declare by public proclamation landmarks, structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest.

7224

National memorial

A commemorative memorial of a historic person or episode. Sometimes it may be on a site not connected with its subject.

7225

National battlefield

Term adopted by National Park Service in 1958 to include national battlefield, national battlefield park, national battlefield site, and national military park.

7226

National cemetery

Fourteen national cemeteries in the National Park System comprise this category. They are all administered in conjunction with another park or historic site and typically not accounted for separately. This is included here for completeness of the classification system.

7230

Natural environment parks

Natural environment parks protect the landscapes and special features of the natural region in which they are located. Some provide for limited activities, such as swimming and camping.

7231

Nature reserve

Nature reserve parks protect natural habitats including significant land forms. Public access in most reserves is restricted because of concerns for the fragile nature of the habitats protected. Most allow research and educational activities.

7232

National preserve

Similar to national parks in purposes and activities except that Congress has permitted other activities, such as hunting, trapping, extraction, and oil and gas exploration. Currently, many preserves would qualify as national parks if not for sport hunting.

7233

Wilderness parks

Usually large protected natural areas where access is limited. Some may allow travel on foot or canoe. Most do not provide any facilities.

7240

Waterway parks

They are mainly located along lakeshores, seashores, and riverbanks. Most activities revolve around the river corridor. They may include facilities for boating, canoeing, historical river travel.

7241

National seashore

Located on the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts, the National Park Service maintains 10 of these--some with facilities, many remain in natural state. They allow hunting on many of these sites.

7242

National lakeshore

Similar to National seashore designations but refer to the Great Lakes.

7243

National river

This category includes other designations, such as national river and recreation area, national scenic river, wild river, etc. Although the first established National River was in 1964, many others were added to this designation following the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.

7250

Other special purpose parks

7251

National parkway

A parkway is a roadway in combination with adjacent parkland paralleling the roadway that often connects cultural or historic sites. The primary activity here is scenic motoring along a protected corridor.

7252

National trail

These are linear parklands and sometimes referred to as national scenic trails and national historic trails. The National Trails System Act of 1968 authorized more than 3,600 miles of such trails.

7253

Special designations for park-like areas

Sites not officially designated as a park, yet maintained like one by the National Park Service. They may include historic sites (White House), cross-border locations that are significant between the two countries (Canada and US), and other special forest areas (Prince William Forest Park, for example).

Use this code as a permanent code for those records that will never be classified in this dimension. It is normal for land-use databases to have records that may never be classified and left blank instead. But LBCS recommends that all records have a code because some computer applications may not be able handle blank entries (null values in database terminology).

Useful for remotely-sensed data that is unclear or doubtful. Also, use this category as a temporary placeholder for site development characteristics that cannot be grouped anywhere until the classification scheme is updated. Check the LBCS web site to see how others have dealt with such unique activities before revising the classification scheme.

9900

To be determined

Use this code as a placeholder until an appropriate code can be assigned.