No More 'Manholes' in Berkeley

In removing all gendered language from its civil code, the city of Berkeley is tossing out some familiar nomenclature.

1 minute read

July 20, 2019, 9:00 AM PDT

Bobby D. White / Flickr

The Berkeley City Council has given initial approval of a new ordinance that will ban the use of gendered language in the civil code, reports Patrick May. Any references to "he" or "she" in the civil code will be replaced with "they," explains May.

Most of the civil code relies on masculine terms, and the list of gendered terms that will soon be exchanged for gender neutral terms includes

Manholes, which become "maintenance holes."
Manpower, which becomes "human effort."
Manufactured, which becomes "machine-made."

The full list is included on the Municipal Code Revision [pdf].

FULL STORY: Bye-bye, manhole: Berkeley bans gendered language from its city code

Thursday, July 18, 2019 in The Mercury News

Government / Politics Infrastructure California Berkeley Manholes Language Plannerese Planning View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Get 25% Off Your Subscription

Advertise with us

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.