I always point out the oxymoronic absurdity of 'urban village'. 'Garden city' is hardly any better, as 'city' implies intensity of land use, though the best have generous public & other green elements. 'Garden village' for planned areas with plenty of green space beyond CBD? ✅

Some of them almost line up, but not quite. They are certainly not exterior fireplaces.

Anyone know what this feature is (there are several of them) on the former Elizabeth Allen's School (1824) in Barnet? I don't. Something to do with heating or ventilation, no doubt.

I don’t hate cars. Like most North American males I was raised to think cars are cool, and as a design nerd, few objects are more eye-catching. I hate surrendering our streets, our cities and our lives to them. Car dependence isn’t freedom. Great cartoon by @robcowan.bsky.social #CarDependency

BADGE ENGINEERING Giving a development a name that will make it seem something other than what it is, such as ‘URBAN VILLAGE’ or ‘GARDEN CITY’ for a place that has none of the qualities that might be expected. The term comes from the car industry. [Dictionary of Urbanism]

BACK-NICKING (Sheffield) Children getting into back gardens and yards through as many alleys and back passages as possible, and coming out in another street. [Dictionary of Urbanism]

Early start to get to the Gov annual planning conf in Leeds today. I’ve been asked to talk about ‘planning for large scale housing growth’ but I will be very consciously talking about large scale new communities. #planning #placemaking

MOTORNORMATIVITY A condition in which people are so used to owning and using cars that they are unable to conceive of other options. The Dictionary of Urbanism

THE ADVANTAGE OF DISADVANTAGE A consequence of a place that is not prosperous having cheaper property and empty spaces, giving scope for innovative urban action. The Dictionarry of Urbanism

HAUNTOLOGY (a combination of haunting and ontology [the study of being and existence, which it also sounds like, especially in French]) The legacies of the past influencing design in the environment. The term was coined by the philosopher Jacques Derrida. (The Dictionary of Urbanism)

FRILLY MASSING Buildings laid out with a variety of heights and bulk (The Dictionary of Urbanism)

📢 We're hiring! Osborn Research Assistant (New Towns & Garden Cities) This role works on a range of projects, with an emphasis on large-scale new communities inc. New Towns & Garden Cities. Salary: £26 -28k p.a. Deadline: 1 Sep 2pm. www.tcpa.org.uk/osborn-resea... #CharityJob #ResearchJob

The Lewis Reading Group meets this evening at 7pm (BST). We'll be discussing Thomas Keller's 'Wyndham Lewis and British Art Rock'. Should be a good one!

Tomorrow, I’ll be doing my annual, long #WalkToWork, this time along the A1 in London from Highgate to St Paul’s. It’s to celebrate National Walking Month and highlight @livingstreets.bsky.social’s emergency appeal. Should you be interested, I’ll be posting here about what catches my eye as I go.

This is hilarious 👍

Superb. So glad no green belt in Leicester!

Great to discuss Lewis's Futurist Figure (1912) at this month's meeting of the Lewis Reading Group. February's session takes place on the 22nd and we'll be focusing on Lewis and aesthetics.

The last of four Venn diagrams for the new year.

The third of four Venn diagrams for the new year.

The second of four Venn diagrams for the new year.

The first of four Venn diagrams for the new year.

TARMAGEDDON The disastrous effect of an excessive amount of asphalt. #dictionaryofurbanism

MOTORDOM The world of motoring; motor vehicles and their related industries, activities and forms of urbanism. #dictionaryofurbanism

A delightful evening at Housmans bookshop launching our book of essays on Colin Ward, edited by Andrew Kelly, marking the 100th anniversary of Colin's birth.