The Urbanist's
Pocketbook
An Urbanism+ Project
PREAMBLE
During the creation of Urbanism+, I have collected the largest repository of Urbanism and adjacent terms that exists--believe me, I looked. That would have made my job way easier. This project has been a long time coming. Initially I had planned on creating this in Adobe Indesign since I have some experience with that in college, but the free Scribus was also something I'm familiar with and I started working on it there on and off, with the idea of releasing this as a free .pdf.Â
Now that this website is live, I'm shifting gears and I'm just going to build it here. This will be an incremental approach and I hope everyone finds some value in this. Either way, I think this is a cool project. Feel free to save this webpage as a .pdf and share it. Pretty please keep this attribution: www.urbanism.plus
And please share some images! I'd like these examples to come from the community and you will receive a credited caption :) Feedback on definitions are also welcome!
Table of contents at the bottom. I'll move it up here when I can make it collapsible/nicer :)
Beg Button
P-p-p-please sir can I cross the road? Beg buttons, also known as pedestrian walk buttons, are an insult to pedestrians everywhere. They signal to us that our cities are made for cars and we must ask for permission to cross the street.
Bike Bus
placeholder image
Bike Share
Bollard
God's gift. A holy pillar that comes in many styles brought forth to protect humanity from the evils of the automobile.
Bulb-out (curb extension)
Safety infrastructure that extends a sidewalk into the street into street parking to reduce the crossing distance. Bulb-outs can be found at intersections or at mid-block crossings.
Carbrain
A derogatory term for a condition caused by long-term car dependency. Carbrained people are often blissfully unaware of their car-centrism, but when they are they'll find ways to justify this to themselves or are openly proud of it.
Cars ruin cities
A phrase popular among the enlightened. If you know, you know.
Car bloat
See Autobesity
Car Storage
Car-dependency
Cities and countries that prioritize cars as the only functional way to get around at the expense of all other forms of transportation (walking, cycling, public transit). Car dependency is more than a lack of public transit--sprawl, Euclidean zoning, and more also uphold car dependency and harm the viability of all other forms of transportation.Â
Carwalking
The act of walking on top of a car at an intersection that has stopped in the pedestrian crossing, instead of walking around in front of behind the offending motorist's vehicle. Carwalking sends a clear message to a motorist that the crosswalk is a pedestrian space. Carwalk at your own risk. Motorists are unhinged.
Continuous Sidewalk
Sidewalks that continue into the street at grade level, keeping pedestrians elevated higher than street level. This is particularly beneficial for the visibility of children and wheelchair users, especially as vehicles continue to grow in size. Continuous sidewalks double as a traffic-calming measure, slowing down motorists and eliminating the need for curb cuts.