Urban Planning Terminology

noun a situation or course of action that leads to nothing

• The investigation led them down a blind alley with no new leads.
• We hit a blind alley when trying to find the shortcut to the party.
• Don't waste your time going down that blind alley, there's nothing there.
• His stubbornness was like a blind alley, leading him nowhere in the argument.

noun A large motor vehicle used for carrying passengers, especially along a fixed route on a regular schedule

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• The bus arrived at the station right on time.
• I'll catch the bus to get to the mall later.
• Let's hop on the bus and head to the beach.
• Being a leader is like driving a bus - you have to know where you're going and how to get there.

adjective relating to or involving a community or group of people

• The communal kitchen in the dormitory is shared by all residents.
• We all pitch in to keep the communal garden looking nice.
• Let's throw a party in the communal area tonight!
• Their communal spirit brought the neighborhood together during the crisis.

noun a raised edge along the side of a road that prevents vehicles from driving off it

verb to restrain or control

• The city council implemented new regulations to curb excessive water usage during the drought.
• I need to curb my spending if I want to save money for vacation.
• I'm trying to curb my junk food cravings, but it's so hard!
• She tried to curb her anger, but it eventually boiled over.

noun a point where a road or passage ends, often with no way out

adjective having no further options or solutions

• The path led to a dead end, forcing us to turn back.
• We hit a dead end and had to find another way around.
• We were totally lost and ended up at a dead end.
• His career seemed to hit a dead end after the company downsized.

noun a private road leading up to a house or garage

• The driveway of the mansion was lined with beautiful flowers and perfectly trimmed hedges.
• I parked my car in the driveway and ran inside to grab my keys.
• Let's hang out in the driveway and chill for a bit.
• The driveway to success is paved with hard work and determination.

noun a portion of territory surrounded by a larger territory whose inhabitants are culturally or ethnically distinct

• The embassy is located within a diplomatic enclave in the city.
• The neighborhood is like its own little enclave, everyone knows each other.
• We found a cool enclave to hang out and chill in the city.
• Her mind was like an enclave, closed off from the outside world.

noun the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates

• It is important to consider the impact of industrial activities on the environment.
• We should think about how our actions affect the environment.
• Dude, don't mess with the environment, it's not cool.
• The environment is like a delicate ecosystem that needs to be protected.

noun A structure outside a building, typically made of metal, that provides a means of escape in the event of a fire.

• The building's fire escape is located at the back for emergency exits.
• If there's a fire, just head to the fire escape and we'll meet outside.
• Let's sneak out through the fire escape and grab some food.
• She used humor as her fire escape from uncomfortable situations.

noun a person who studies or is an expert in geography

adjective relating to the physical features of an area

• The geographic location of the city makes it vulnerable to natural disasters.
• I love studying maps and learning about different geographic features.
• I'm not sure about the geographic layout of this place, can you show me on a map?
• The geographic boundaries of our friendship extend beyond just physical distance.

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, in this case, the action of moving in a particular direction without turning

adjective a word naming an attribute of a noun, in this case, describing the direction of movement

adverb a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb, in this case, modifying the verb 'go' to describe how to go

• When you reach the intersection, go straight and you will find the building on your left.
• Just go straight down this road and you'll see the store on the right.
• Dude, just go straight ahead and you'll hit the mall in no time.
• If you want to succeed in life, you need to stay focused on your goals and go straight towards them.

adjective adjective: harmful to health or well-being

• The insalubrious living conditions in the overcrowded tenement buildings were a serious health concern.
• I wouldn't eat at that insalubrious restaurant if I were you.
• That place is so insalubrious, it's gross.
• The insalubrious atmosphere of the meeting made it hard to focus on the task at hand.

noun a point or line where two things intersect

verb to cross or meet at a point; to intersect two lines

• The two lines intersect at a single point on the graph.
• The roads intersect just up ahead, so we need to turn left.
• Our interests totally intersect, we should hang out more often.
• The themes of love and loss intersect in this beautiful poem.

noun a complex and confusing network of passages or paths, typically designed as a puzzle

• The hedge maze in the garden is a popular attraction for visitors.
• Let's try to find our way out of this corn maze before it gets dark.
• I feel like I'm stuck in a maze trying to navigate through this paperwork.
• Her mind was like a maze, full of twists and turns that were difficult to understand.

noun a central part of a city, typically where the main business and commercial areas are located

• The new office building is located in the heart of midtown Manhattan.
• Let's grab lunch at that new cafe in midtown later.
• I heard there's a cool party happening in midtown tonight.
• His mind was like a bustling midtown street, filled with thoughts and ideas.

adjective relating to or coming from the northwest direction

• The weather forecast predicts a northwesterly wind for tomorrow.
• We can expect a northwesterly breeze blowing through the area.
• I heard there's gonna be a bit of a northwesterly chill coming our way.
• His opinions always seem to come from a northwesterly direction, never changing.

noun a large public green area in a town, used for recreation

verb to bring a vehicle to a stop and leave it temporarily

• The city council approved the construction of a new park in the downtown area.
• Let's meet at the park after work for a picnic.
• I heard that new skate park is lit!
• His mind was a park of endless possibilities.

noun a person or thing that is moving past or going by

verb to go past or move by

• As I was passing by the store, I noticed they had a sale on electronics.
• I saw you passing by the park earlier, did you enjoy your walk?
• I was just passing by when I saw the new food truck on the corner.
• The idea of success was just passing by, waiting for me to grab onto it.

noun a plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent or achieve an end

verb to form a plan or scheme

• The chef carefully arranged the food on the plat before serving it to the guests.
• I always make sure to use a nice plat when I have friends over for dinner.
• That restaurant serves up some fancy plats, but the portions are so small!
• She felt like she was stuck on a spinning plat, unable to escape the chaos around her.

noun the outer covering of a building's roof

adjective relating to or situated on a rooftop

• The rooftop of the building offers a stunning view of the city skyline.
• Let's hang out on the rooftop and enjoy the sunset.
• We snuck up to the rooftop to chill and avoid the crowd.
• Being on the rooftop symbolizes reaching new heights in life.

verb to begin a journey or a task, to start moving towards a destination or goal

• The explorers set out on their journey to chart the unknown territory.
• We set out early in the morning to beat the traffic.
• Let's set out as soon as possible before it gets too crowded.
• She set out to achieve her dreams no matter the obstacles in her way.

noun the process of becoming less strong or widespread

• The building suffered from subsidence due to the unstable foundation.
• The house is sinking because of subsidence issues.
• The ground is caving in, probably because of subsidence.
• Her confidence experienced a subsidence after the criticism she received.

noun the things or area that are around a particular place or thing

adjective describing or indicating the area or space around something

• The report discussed the issues surrounding the new legislation.
• There's a lot of gossip surrounding their relationship.
• The drama surrounding that party was insane!
• She felt like a bubble surrounded by sharp objects in that hostile environment.

noun A road or path forming a route between two places.

• The main thoroughfare through the city is always busy with traffic.
• Let's take a shortcut through this alley instead of walking down the main thoroughfare.
• I heard there's a cool new food truck parked on the thoroughfare by the park.
• In order to succeed in business, you must navigate the thoroughfare of competition with skill and determination.

noun a person who lives in a town or is closely associated with a town

• The townee was welcomed by the local council upon his arrival.
• The townee seemed lost trying to find the nearest coffee shop.
• The townee was totally vibing with the music at the festival.
• As a townee in the big city, he felt like a fish out of water.

adjective describing something that is not blocked or hindered

• The view from the top of the mountain was unobstructed, allowing us to see for miles.
• I love sitting by the window with an unobstructed view of the city skyline.
• I found a spot on the beach with an unobstructed view of the waves.
• With clear communication, our path to success is unobstructed.

adjective describing something that occurs without prior intention or preparation

• The unplanned meeting with the client turned out to be quite productive.
• We ended up having an unplanned picnic in the park.
• I can't believe we ran into each other at that unplanned party!
• Life is full of unplanned events that shape our journey.

noun a person who is involved in local politics and is often associated with machine politics

• The ward heeler was responsible for mobilizing voters in the local district.
• The ward heeler knows everyone in the neighborhood and can get things done.
• That ward heeler is always working the angles to get ahead.
• In a political sense, the ward heeler can be seen as a puppet master pulling the strings behind the scenes.

noun a display or show of moving water, such as fountains or waterfalls

• The city's waterworks department is responsible for maintaining the water supply infrastructure.
• I heard they're doing some repairs on the waterworks down the street.
• Let's go cool off at the waterworks park this weekend.
• Her tears were like a broken waterworks, flowing endlessly.

noun a region or area distinguished by some distinctive feature or quality

verb to divide into or assign to zones

• The industrial zone is designated for manufacturing purposes only.
• Let's meet up in the food court zone for lunch.
• I can't believe he's still in the friend zone with her.
• She has really pushed herself out of her comfort zone to try new things.

noun a method of organizing land use through regulations and restrictions in a specific area

• The city council is currently reviewing the zoning regulations for commercial properties.
• I heard they're changing up the zoning rules for building heights downtown.
• The zoning laws in this area are a real pain in the neck.
• She felt like her life was stuck in a zoning pattern, unable to break free and explore new opportunities.

noun a town that exists only on paper or in theory, but not in reality

• The cartographer mistakenly labeled a non-existent town on the map as a paper town.
• I heard that paper town is actually just a ghost town with a funny name.
• Let's go check out that paper town on the outskirts of town, it's supposed to be pretty cool.
• She felt like she was living in a paper town, where everything seemed fake and superficial.

noun a type of house designed and built using environmentally friendly materials and technology

• The ecohouse was designed to be energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
• I heard that they're building an ecohouse down the street.
• Check out that cool ecohouse with all the green features!
• Living in an ecohouse is like living in harmony with nature.

noun a person who supports the idea of urban development, typically in the form of increased housing density in cities

• The YIMBY movement advocates for increased housing development in urban areas.
• I consider myself a YIMBY because I believe in building more homes to address the housing shortage.
• YIMBYs are all about saying yes to new housing projects!
• Being a YIMBY means being a supporter of growth and progress in our communities.

noun a public road in a city or town, typically with houses and buildings on one or both sides

adjective relating to or occurring at ground level, especially in a city or town

• The street level of the building is where most of the shops are located.
• I'll meet you at the street level entrance of the mall.
• Let's hang out at the street level and see what's going on.
• She's always been at the street level of the industry, never reaching the higher echelons.

noun a zoning practice that involves reducing the allowable density of development in a certain area

• The city council is considering downzoning certain areas to limit the height of new buildings.
• They're talking about downzoning parts of the neighborhood to keep out those big fancy condos.
• They're gonna downzone that whole block, man. No more high-rises allowed.
• Sometimes we need to downzone our expectations in order to appreciate what we already have.

noun A parking lot is a designated area where vehicles can be parked.

• The parking lot was full, so I had to find a spot on the street.
• I hate trying to find a parking spot in this crowded parking lot.
• Let's meet up at the parking lot before heading to the concert.
• Her mind was a cluttered parking lot of thoughts, making it hard to focus.

noun a proper noun referring to a specific name, place, or thing

• The Zil lane is designated for high occupancy vehicles during peak hours.
• Let's take the Zil lane to avoid traffic.
• I always zip through the Zil lane to get to work faster.
• She navigated through life's challenges like a pro in the Zil lane.

noun a bicycle painted white and left as a memorial at the site where a cyclist was killed

• The city council approved the installation of a ghost bike at the intersection where the fatal accident occurred.
• Have you seen that ghost bike on Main Street? It's a memorial for the cyclist who was hit by a car.
• Dude, did you check out that spooky ghost bike on the corner? So sad.
• The abandoned house looked like a ghost bike, a reminder of a past life left behind.

noun a gathering where people work together to create or update maps

• The organization is hosting a mapathon to update the digital maps of the city.
• Hey, are you joining the mapathon this weekend to help with mapping the neighborhood?
• I heard the mapathon is gonna be lit, you should definitely come through!
• Participating in the mapathon felt like charting a new course for the future.

noun the quality or state of being in the air or of being like air

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• The artist's work explores the concept of aeriality through intricate aerial perspective drawings.
• I love watching drone videos because they capture the aeriality of the landscape so beautifully.
• That drone shot really shows off the aeriality of the cityscape.
• Her dreams always had a sense of aeriality, as if she was flying high above her worries.