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Yes, of course that's true of every field. Why did I say this about urban planners? Hmmmm, let's think about this.... could it be because this is the Urban Planning Forum? You would talk about lawyers on the Law Forum, not here. Also, I was talking about this man's opinion. He spent his life working in this field, and therefore it makes sense that he would discuss the realities of working in his field as opposed to discussing all fields in general. You are simply insulting a person because personal attacks are what people resort to when can't argue with an idea. Sad.
Im not insulting him. As I said its possible you misremeber what he said, or simply that the field has changed. I am suggesting that what you said he said is not consistent with what I know of the profession, including what I learned about it from a prominent and very good practitioner.
And the fact that urban planners, like folks in every profession, occasionally make mistakes, is not necessarily a useful thing to point out just because this is the urban planning forum. I doubt anyone has said here that planners are infallible - i mean since they dont all agree, how could they be. Certainly I dont think it follows from that that the common sense of lay peope is bette than the ideas of urban planners - as Katiana said in the thread on public health, public policy should be made on data - if the common sense intuition that walkable areas mean lower BMI is not supported by data and analysis, than it would be a mistake to rely on common sense. Ditto for other issues.
I would also note that we have had many mistakes by traffic engineers, who did things violating the principles of urban planning, with very negative results for our cities. We dont have a traffic engineering forum, but that seems quite appropriate to note on this forum.
Wish I could rep you again, but since I can't, I'll do it publicly.
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My opinion about "charettes" and "stakeholders"-any time you have to resort to jargon to describe a "community meeting" and "interested parties", you're trying to be something you're not. This came up when the City of Boulder put on some "charettes".
Im not that fond of "stakeholders" but I think a charette is a particular kind of community meeting.
Im not that fond of "stakeholders" but I think a charette is a particular kind of community meeting.
Supposedly, but I've attended my lifetime quota of meetings, and a meeting is only as good as the people running it. It just sounds so pretentious. It's funny, Boulder is one of the most highly educated communities in the US, and its residents called this BS. Of course, Boulder has a lot of scientists who like to call a spade a spade, not a "pique".
Supposedly, but I've attended my lifetime quota of meetings, and a meeting is only as good as the people running it. It just sounds so pretentious. It's funny, Boulder is one of the most highly educated communities in the US, and its residents called this BS. Of course, Boulder has a lot of scientists who like to call a spade a spade, not a "pique".
I don't find a word pretentious just cause its French.
Maybe in a country where English is the common language, it is. I see it as an attempt by the urban planners to set themselves apart with jargon that few people understand.
Maybe in a country where English is the common language, it is. I see it as an attempt by the urban planners to set themselves apart with jargon that few people understand.
More pretentious than Spanish or Italian? German or Yiddish?
Its a word that was originally used in the architecture and design fields, where everyone seems to have understood it.
Im also not sure why in an age of google and wiki, people can't find out what it means. How are people befuddled at "charrette" going to navigate their way through floor area ratios, proffers, overlay districts, logit models, demand curves, and the like. At some point if you want to make your voice heard you have to do a little work.
Maybe in a country where English is the common language, it is. I see it as an attempt by the urban planners to set themselves apart with jargon that few people understand.
jargon -
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English jargoun < Middle French; Old French jargon, gargun, derivative of an expressive base *garg-; see gargle, gargoyle
More pretentious than Spanish or Italian? German or Yiddish?
Its a word that was originally used in the architecture and design fields, where everyone seems to have understood it.
Im also not sure why in an age of google and wiki, people can't find out what it means. How are people befuddled at "charrette" going to navigate their way through floor area ratios, proffers, overlay districts, logit models, demand curves, and the like. At some point if you want to make your voice heard you have to do a little work.
What's wrong with English?
Quote:
Originally Posted by brooklynborndad
jargon -
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English jargoun < Middle French; Old French jargon, gargun, derivative of an expressive base *garg-; see gargle, gargoyle
charrette IS english - now. its used by english speakers. when speaking english.
Why a new word? because there isnt another word that exactly captures what charrette does - community meeting could mean a lot of things. Even community outreach could mean a lot of things. Charrette is a single word, that means a community meaning to share plans and get community input on design issues.
The glory of the english language is its ability to absorb new words, often from other languages, that enable it to express new concepts precisely.
The hostility to foreign words - now THAT sounds French
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