A participant in some of Seattle's most consequential planning processes puts out a call for a more inclusive use of language.
There's been a lot of talk about the effects of planning jargon already this year, but Laura Bernstein provides a new angle on the subject for The Urbanist. Bernstein is a former member of the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) focus group member and former representative at the Northeast District Council, where there was constant exposure to acronyms that leave "newcomers feeling left out and overwhelmed." Bernstein wonders by urbanists seem so willing to use abbreviations like FAR, TOD, MHA, ROW, and MIZ. She asks the pointed questions: "Are they showing off? Are they in a hurry to try to convince you of something? Is it an essential part of every nerd subculture?"
Bernstein writes at greater length about the negative consequences of the esoteric language of urbanists:
I have observed people intimidated to speak up because of the jargon. It is imperative that the city fund “Land Use 101” education like the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association. I suspect that much of the mistrust of city officials is a lack of shared language to discuss land use decisions. When planning professionals–often nervously and defensively standing in front of a concerned crowd–use a secret code, it hurts the transparency of the process. We need more plain human everyday speech to demystify land use terms.
The article concludes with definitions of the acronyms above, including a special focus on PLUZ, which stands for the city of Seattle’s Planning, Land Use, and Zoning Committee.
FULL STORY: What Is The PLUZ Committee?
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Orlando Pledges to Improve Walkability
A city report highlights successes and failures in building safer transportation infrastructure and reducing VMT in 2023.
New York Transit Agency Launches Performance Dashboard
The tool increases transparency about the agency’s performance on a variety of metrics.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.