A Wisconsin woman is trying to remember a term for paths in the grass created by pedestrians taking shortcuts. Grant has an answer for her, straight from the jargon of urban planning professionals. The caller also wants recommendations for a good...
wicked problem n.— «Some observers have taken a page from urban planning theory to describe Iraq as a “wicked problem”—a term coined to describe complex and divisive issues, such as building a new highway through a city or finding a location for a...
woonerf n.— «Those plans, rooted as much in philosophy as in design, draw inspiration from an item with the unlikely name of woonerfs (Dutch for “living streets”). Woonerfs are traffic systems in the Netherlands that seek to sand away the sharp...
kiss and ride n.— «Since the village area has precious few parking resources, the idea was floated for the MBTA to build a station in the downtown area without parking, or a what is sometimes called a “kiss and ride” station.» —“Downtown station...

