| TMP Collection:
Town Planning Terms |
 The language we need to deliver “sense of community” as well as economic value requires a set of familiar, multi-dimensional, historically-based terms that describe urban form to a diverse audience.
This seven article series, originally titled A New Urbanist Lexicon by Minneapolis based town planner Rich McLaughlin aims to explain and standardize the terminology used by urban planners and designers. The integration of a common nomenclature is extemely important for the public design event. All of the stakeholders need to be on the same page, speaking the same language in order to maximize the utility of time and to eliminate confusion. Professionals often become very comfortable in the vocabulary of the trade, which often is interpereted as jargon to those outside the profession. One key aspect of information gathering is to be sure that all of the stakeholders are familiar with local vernacular and the terms used in the planning profession.
The following articles give great definitions of planning terms, outline the priciples of how to make a neighborhood truly work, and lay out solid theory behind the move towards TND and New Urbanist planning and development.
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| | | TMP Article:
Town Planning Terms - Part: 1
| The language we need to deliver “sense of community” as well as economic value requires a set of familiar, multi-dimensional, historically-based terms that describe urban form to a diverse audience. |
Date: April 2002
| | TMP Article:
Regional Development Pattern
Town Planning Terms - Part: 2
| The New Urbanist paradigm defines urban form in terms of scale, activity and building type. Its driving force is a pattern articulating a well-crafted public realm. |
Date: April 2002
| | TMP Article:
Neighborhood Typology
Town Planning Terms - Part: 3
| “…traditional neighborhood models demonstrate that the manner in which urban environments are crafted and maintained has much more to do with inherent property value than designated land use, zoning criteria, or the age of buildings.” |
Date: April 2002
| | TMP Article:
Neighborhood Composition
Town Planning Terms - Part: 4
| Using common-sense relationships between urban components, we can offer opportunities to enhance neighborhood quality of life and the “sense of community.” |
Date: April 2002
| | TMP Article:
Planning the Public Realm
Town Planning Terms - Part: 5
| The public realm is the cohesive fabric of an authentic neighborhood… it is this dominant neighborhood amenity people find attractive and desirable, even if they cannot describe all if its component characteristics. |
Date: April 2002
| | TMP Article:
Studying Context: The Four Landscapes
Town Planning Terms - Part: 6
| “…we can learn how to choreograph new neighborhood form to accommodate today’s lifestyles, local forces, and traditional urban values.” |
Date: April 2002
|  | TMP Article:
Introduction to Charrettes: Five Advantages
Town Planning Terms - Part: 7
| In many ways, a charrette is a creative “tornado in reverse.” The event begins with a multitude of information scattered about and, with a flurry of activity, concludes in a coherent vision for a real place. |
Date: April 2002
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