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.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
In These Cities, Most New Housing is Under 441 Square Feet
With loosened restrictions on “micro-housing,” tiny units now make up as much as 66% of newly constructed housing.
Albuquerque’s Microtransit: A Planner’s Answer to Food Access Gaps
New microtransit vans in Albuquerque aim to close food access gaps by linking low-income areas to grocery stores, cutting travel times by 30 percent and offering planners a scalable model for equity-focused transit.
This City Will Pay You to Meet Your Neighbors
A North Kansas City grant program offers up to $400 for residents to throw neighborhood block parties.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)