URBAN EXPLAINERS

Language. Language is everything, right? Language connects and empowers us, thrills and delights us, makes us laugh, cry, celebrate or sweat. Words can make us fall in love, fall out of love, take the bait, leave the room, fall happily asleep. But so often the language we use becomes a barrier, not a connector. This is especially true when we use jargon – language that is meaningful and connective within one profession or group but becomes a barrier to everyone else.

That’s why, for the next few weeks, we at The Better Cities Initiative will be offering a series of explainers. What do we mean by urban heat island, or induced demand or walkable cities? What is the fifteen-minute neighbourhood or active transport? What’s the difference between high buildings and high density? What is a Transit oriented Development?