Core concepts
The handful of concepts — pre-development, site intelligence, projects, parcels, zoning, feasibility, site lookups, deliverables, and people — that show up across every part of Bucky.
A few concepts appear across every part of Bucky. Learn these once and the rest of the docs — the platform, MCP, and the CLI — will read naturally.
Pre-development
Pre-development is the work before construction starts: site exploration, zoning, feasibility, design intent, budgeting, approvals, and team formation. Bucky is built for this stage, not for running the job site once you break ground.
Site intelligence
Site intelligence is the parcel, ownership, zoning, entitlement, and context data connected to a property. Bucky assembles this from local sources and attaches a citation to what it can, so you can tell what's sourced from what still needs verification.
BuckyAssist and Project Scout
BuckyAssist is Bucky's AI planning assistant — ask in plain language in chat. On the Projects map, the same assistant appears as Project Scout in the map dock, focused on exploring blocks, comparing site options, and assessing development potential. See Site exploration and Prompting BuckyAssist.
Project
A project is the container for a piece of planning work. It ties together the parcel you're studying, the analysis you run against it, and the services you engage. Most workflows start by creating or opening a project.
Parcel
A parcel is a specific piece of land. It carries the geographic and physical facts Bucky reasons about — boundaries, lot dimensions, and the identifiers a jurisdiction uses to refer to it. A parcel is the anchor for zoning and feasibility: almost every question ("what can I build?", "does it pencil?") resolves against a parcel.
Zoning
Zoning is the set of rules a jurisdiction places on a parcel — what uses are allowed and the limits that shape what can be built. Bucky interprets the applicable zoning for a parcel and cites the bylaw behind each answer, instead of asking you to read it cover to cover.
Buildable envelope
The buildable envelope is the three-dimensional volume allowed by setbacks, height, coverage, and related site rules. Bucky derives it from the cited zoning on the parcel.
Feasibility
Feasibility is the analysis of whether a project is viable on a given parcel under its zoning. It's where the physical facts and the rules meet the numbers, helping you decide whether an idea is worth pursuing before you commit time and money.
Site lookup
A site lookup is one authenticated resolve of an address, coordinates, or
parcel into sourced site context. The same meter is shared across the web
app, prepaid /api/v1, and gated MCP tools. See
Plans and site lookups.
Entitlement pathway
The entitlement pathway is the permits, variances, rezonings, reviews, and decision bodies a proposal has to move through to advance. Bucky tracks the open questions on that path inside the project, rather than as a separate research exercise.
Site option
A site option is a named candidate site on a project — often created after map exploration with Project Scout. Before you save a project, exploration candidates appear as unsaved site options on the map; Review & create or Save option makes them durable inside the project.
People on a project
A project can name team members (login access), partner companies (no login), stakeholders (tracked contacts, no login), and viewers or share recipients who only need to see the workspace. Company-account seats are separate from project access. See people on a project.
Services
Services are the people and providers who do the work — builders, designers, and architects — discoverable through Bucky's marketplace. Once a project has a direction, services are how you connect it to the right team.
Deliverable
A deliverable is a reusable output built from a project's cited analysis — a feasibility report, investment memo, RFP package, or permit package — for the next decision maker: a client, lender, council, or partner.
How they fit together
The through-line
Use Project Scout on the map to explore land and compare site options. A project studies a parcel. The parcel's zoning defines what's allowed, feasibility tests whether it works, people decide who sees the work, services connect the project to the people who build it, and a deliverable carries the record to the next decision.
Each concept has a deeper home in the Platform section. For map and chat prompts, see Prompting BuckyAssist. When you're ready to do something concrete, head to the quickstart.
Last updated on