Supplement of additional and amended entries to The Dictionary of Urbanism
A note on the entries
Words
printed in small capitals refer
the reader to other entries (many of them in the printed dictionary
rather than in this on-line supplement),
where further information on the topic or a related topic will
be found. Dates in brackets immediately after a name – such
as Patrick Geddes (1905) or (Patrick Geddes, 1905) – refer
to a work listed in the references. Bracketed dates that do not
follow
a name serve to date an example or a publication, but do not reference
it. Semi-colons are used in listing different ways of describing
meanings that are the same or similar. Bold numerals indicate different
meanings of the same term.
Many of the terms described in the dictionary
are used internationally. There are many, though, that relate to
the law or practice of a particular
country. Unless otherwise indicated, references to statutes and
regulations are to law and practice in England; England and Wales;
or the United
Kingdom (UK). For example the letters (US) indicate that the meaning
is specific to the United States. Terms in languages other than
English are included only when they are used (at least occasionally)
by English
speakers and writers. Acronyms are included only when they make
words.
A few of the entries are distinctly rural. This
reflects the fact that urban and rural issues are inextricably mixed.
Large parts
of rural Britain are within city regions. According to many definitions
urban design includes design in villages. And at the UK government’s
Urban Summit in 2002, deputy prime minister John Prescott defined
the event’s remit as including villages and rural areas.
Many of the entries could be classified as slang, being very
informal words or phrases that readers would be unwise to use
in professional
writing or polite company. But to mark them as such in this dictionary
might suggest that all the other entries are part of the mainstream
language – or at least of a specialist language of urbanism.
In reality, a large proportion of the entries are likely to cause
bafflement, confusion or offence if used in the wrong context.
So instead of classifying each problematic entry as slang, jargon,
dialect,
legalese, obfuscation, technospeak, govspeak, regenbabble or
anything else, readers are advised that in communicating with
words, context
is everything.
The dictionary is not prescriptive. It describes
how words are used, on the basis of the evidence of the contexts
in which they
have appeared.
It does not lay down how the words should be used or define
correct meanings. A word means whatever the person who speaks or
writes
it intends it to mean. The only real test is whether that meaning
is
understood.
Browse the additional and amended entries by initial
letter:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z