A collection of planning and transportation experts humbly submits a list of words and terms that have lost their value (if they ever had any to begin with).
Josh Cohen uses the occasion of the new year to think about improving the use of language related to cities.
Like any subculture, urbanists and city planners and transportation nerds have their own jargon. And though sometimes industry-specific terms are necessary and helpful, they often obscure meaning and keep the subculture insular.
Citing the continued need to improve the planning language (sometimes called "plannerese" here at Planetizen), Cohen spoke to a collection of transportation and planning experts to produce a list of eight candidate terms to retire in 2017, including "Smart Cities," Cyclist and Pedestrian," "Road Diet," and more.
FULL STORY: What Planning Jargon Do You Want to See Disappear?
Toward a Vocabulary of Micromobility
All these newfangled devices and no universal nomenclature.
No More 'Manholes' in Berkeley
In removing all gendered language from its civil code, the city of Berkeley is tossing out some familiar nomenclature.
Good Jargon and Bad
Some planning jargon actually clarifies rather than confuses.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service