Developing a professional vocabulary and set of standards for town making.

Today, strip malls are called "town squares," six-lane suburban arterials are called "parkways," and cookie-cutter housing subdivisions are called "villages." The terms road, street, lane, drive, avenue, and boulevard are used interchangeably so they no longer have the specific meanings they once did. There is no common understanding of the terms we use to physically describe our communities.

Professionals in disciplines such as law, medicine, and engineering have agreed on standards of language that are commonly referenced in the course of their work. The practice of town planning needs similar reference materials. The urban design firm of Duany and Plater-Zyberk located in Miami, Florida has created a Lexicon of the New Urbanism establishing a vocabulary and set of standards of urban form for planners, developers and citizen activists to use in the creation of traditional neighborhoods.

One important aspect of the Lexicon is its use of typology as a way to organize structure and understand urban form. Entire neighborhoods, blocks, buildings, streets and open spaces are organized by type rather than by use. By choosing from a selection of proven types, urban designers can work more efficiently to create places that are consistent with existing neighborhoods.

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