When allowing a crowd to decide the name of something important, make sure to add a layer of self-control.
The city of Brussels recently crowd-sourced a naming process for 28 streets in the Belgian capital, and it went a lot better than other crowd-sourced naming processes have gone since the dawn of Boaty McBoatface.
"The city crowdsourced the names as part of an ongoing regeneration project in the Tour & Taxis district—a formerly industrial area now set to become one of the city’s cultural and residential meccas," reports Edmund Heaphy.
"After receiving nearly 1,400 suggestions from the public, the final list was chosen by a jury of city officials, historians, and the site’s property developer, Extensa," according to Heaphy, so the process included a check on the worst tendencies of the Internet mob.
Still, the jury seemed capable of a hint of humor. Included on the list are lots of mentions of food, one to beer, and another to Belgian artist René Magritte’s most famous surrealist paintings. The latter homage would be paid in a street called Ceci n’est pas une rue (This is not a street).
More coverage of the naming process is available from Jennifer Rankin, writing for The Guardian.
FULL STORY: Belgians chose “This is not a street” as one of 28 new Brussels street names
Another City to Offer Free Transit on Bad Air Days
Brussels is the latest city to provide incentives for commuters willing to take transit in the name of air quality.
Friday Happy Hour: A Beer Pipeline in Belgium
What was once a "pipe dream" will soon be reality.
Satirical Ad Campaign Pitches Belgian Traffic Jams as World Heritage Sites
The "war on cars" and its pushback has a achieved a singular pitch in Belgium, where the national rail service has canvassed the country with a satirical ad campaign excoriating the country's horrible congestion.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research