Home » Dictionary » superblock

superblock

superblock
 n.— «“Superblocks” is the term for developments (whether a housing project or the World Trade Center) where city streets are demapped so that the development stands as a world unto itself without reference to surrounding streets and sidewalks. Amsterdam Houses is a superblock, but its buildings line up on an axis and the pedestrian pathways don’t lose their reference to the surrounding grid.» —“Top-Notch Public Housing” by Francis Morrone New York Sun (New York City) Oct. 6, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further reading

Good Vibrations (episode #1556)

Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...

Stemwinder, an Excellent Speech

A young caller from the Hudson Valley of New York wonders about his grandmother’s use of stemwinder to praise a speech she thought was excellent. In the early 1800s, people used pocket watches that had to be wound with a tiny key. Once someone...

Recent posts