Planning Quote of the Day

definition: asset-based development

"Asset-based development can be defined as a strategy that builds on existing resources -- natural, cultural, structural, and leadership -- to create valued products and services that can be sustained for local benefit.  ... The key is to identify the potential within a community and maximize its impact, developing new revenue streams by turning perceived liabilities into strengths, or developing untapped natural and cultural resources into desired products and services."

-- from Asset-Based Development Regional Initiative, Appalachian Regional Commission

For more on the origins and aims of asset-based development, see "Asset Based Community Development: A Model for Nebraska Communities?" by John C. Allen (pdf file). See also The Asset-Based Community Development Institute web site.

definition: belisha beacon

Belisha beacon is a flashing orange globe atop a tall black and white pole. They appear on either side of the road at zebra crossings in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in the former British crown colonies of Singapore and Hong Kong. They are named after Leslie Hore-Belisha (1895-1957), the Minister of Transport who introduced them in 1934. Their function is to provide additional visibility to zebra crossings for motorists. From Wikipedia.

Note: for more on belisha beacons, see Is there a Belisha Beacon in Your Neighborhood? on our PlannersWeb blog.

definition: POPOS

"San Francisco’s privately-owned public open spaces ("POPOS") have multiplied in the last twenty years, and as major new development is poised to begin downtown, they promise to become even more common. Taking the form of courtyards, plazas, rooftop gardens, and corporate atriums, fourteen POPOS have been created since 1985. San Francisco’s Downtown Plan enabled developers to build high density commercial development in return for providing spaces that were to be 'open to the public' during certain hours and provide amenities such as restrooms, shade, and protection from the sun and wind.

However, what appears to be win-win for developers, citizens, and open space advocates masks a deeper question: just how 'public' are these spaces?"

-- posted by the COMMONspace project

note: POPOS are increasingly common in cities, as zoning codes authorize the granting of density bonuses in return for providing open space accessible during certain times of the day to the general public.

definition: eco-municipality

"An eco-municipality, (also known as an eco-town) is a local government government that has adopted ecological and social justice values in its charter. ... The distinction between an eco-municipality and other sustainable development projects (such as green building & alternative energy) is the focus on community involvement and social transformation in a public agency as well as the use of a holistic systems approach."

-- from Wikipedia, Eco-municipality

Note: for more on the origins of eco-municipalities, and the interest in them by U.S. cities, see the post Eco-Municipalities Step Forward Naturally on our PlannersWeb blog.

definition: edible landscaping

"Edible landscaping, simply put, replaces plants that are strictly ornamental with plants that produce food. Edible landscaping will allow you to create a multi-functional landscape that provides returns (fruits, vegetables, etc.) on your investment of water, fertilizer, and time. An edible landscape can be just as attractive as a traditional one; in fact, the colorful fruits and foliage of many edibles are quite beautiful."

-- from Edible Landscaping, by Eva C. Worden and Sydney Park Brown, University of Florida Extension Service web page.

Note: take a look also at Charlie Nardozzi's Edible Landscaping on the National Gardening Association web site.

definition: localvores

"Localism blossomed. Vermont embraced local foods as a way to support our small farms, cut our carbon footprint (less transporting), and keep the money we spend on food bouncing around inside our state. The Eat Local Challenge of August made temporary localvores out of Gov. Douglas, House Speaker Gaye Symington, and many others."

-- from The Top Five Environmental Developments of 2007, by Daniel Hecht in the Vermont Environmental Consortium's Green Grapevine (Jan. 8, 2008).

definition: faux loft

"Much like fake fur, the faux loft may share the name loft but not share the essence of the original, which descended from decommissioned factory or warehouse spaces. Unlike their Industrial Era brethren, faux lofts are brand-spanking-new construction in which the loft name is used to attract buyers."

-- from "A Condominium Primer," in New England Condominium (June 2006).

See also this use from another article from New England Condominium posted on LoftsBoston.com: "Dana Schaefer, of Paragon Properties of Boston, says she has seen faux-lofts in the South End in new construction like Wilkes Passage, Laconia Lofts, and Gateway Terrace. ... 'I think some of the buildings that they are saying are lofts might be stretching the meaning. I guess the true, true sense of a loft is an old industrial building with high ceilings and period architecture. But I think that now there are a lot of buildings in which they've done a wonderful job and [they] are loft-like. I would definitely call them lofts,' she says."

definition: cake eater

"... if you want to thrive in the 21st century, it pays to be a cake eater."

-- from "Pittsburgh Still a Player in Steel Industry," NPR, Morning Edition (Dec. 19, 2007)

Note: Adam Davidson's NPR report on the decline and transformation of the steel industry in Pittsburgh mentions how the engineers and white collar workers in the steel industry traditionally used to be referred to as cake eaters by the "mill hunks" who did the blue collar labor inside the mills. But today, the specialized steel support companies that still exist in the Pittsburgh area, Davidson reports, almost exclusively employ "cake eaters."

But umbrage was taken to the NPR story by Pittsburgh blogger (and law professor) Mike Madison: "To top it off (or make it worse, or both), [guides for] Rivers of Steel encouraged the [NPR] reporter in the idea that the phrase 'cake eaters' is a fair description both for the white collar managers of steel works long gone and for the white collar owners and employees of steel firms today. Ouch! If there's cake-eating in Pittsburgh today, it's being done by the domestically-inclined Cupcake Class, which is a far cry from steel, especially if you take yours rolled cold."

definition: sleeping policeman

"During the last three years there have been 17 accidents between the Wigan North Western bridge and Library Street – three quarters of them involving pedestrians. The Metro's controversial solution involves banning cars between King Street and King Street West although buses and taxis will still be allowed. ... But some angry traders claim the move will drive them out of business. ... 'We firmly believe that they can do something about it without closing the road off. We want them to take a new look at things like the introduction of a 20mph area or introducing sleeping policeman.' "

-- from "Firms hit out in road war," on Wigan.net web site (Nov. 21, 2007)

Note: For origins of the phrase "sleeping policeman," see Language Log: Beware of Sleeping Idioms (on how the phrase came to describe speed humps or bumps). While the phrase is more often used in Great Britain, it is also sometimes used in the U.S. Of course, it can also be used in its more literal sense! For example, see this posting on Mayor Sam's blog: "But in Compton, sleeping policemen are not speed bumps. They are school district policemen, asleep, on the job, even at the wheel."

definition: arabbers

"On the streets of Baltimore, it is getting harder and harder to hear the holler of arabbers. These street vendors, peddling produce and seafood on horse-drawn carriages, have been a part of Baltimore life for decades. But with less than a dozen arabbers on the street today, along with new city regulations on their horses and the potential loss of the stables they use, the cries of the arabber may be a thing of the past."

-- from The Wanderers' Songs: The Last of Baltimore's Arabbers -- Horse-and-Cart Vendors -- Are Fading Away (Preservation Online; Nov. 2, 2007)

definition: food desert

Food desert: "an urban district with little or no access to foods needed to maintain a healthy diet, but often served by plenty of fast food restaurants."

-- from Wikipedia.

For those interested in the origins of the term "food desert," this is from the fooddeserts.org web site:

"Food deserts were defined, by the Low Income Project Team in 1996, as ‘areas of relative exclusion where people experience physical and economic barriers to accessing healthy food’. The actual term ‘food desert’ is quoted, by S CUMMINS (British Medical Journal, 2002, Vol.325, p.436), as having been originally used by a resident of a public sector housing scheme in the west of Scotland in the early 1990s."

Note: for a recent discussion about food deserts see Matthew Yglesisas' blog. We also recently published two related articles in the Planning Commissioners Journal (available to order & download), Community Food Needs & Opportunities, by Amy Souza, and Wanted: Downtown Grocery Stores, by Kennedy Smith.