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That area between a sidewalk and a street

What do you call that area between the sidewalk and the street?

  • Berm

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Gore

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Nature strip

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Neutral ground

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Parking lawn/strip

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sidewalk lawn/strip

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Snow shelf

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    42
  • Poll closed .

Dan

ADHDP / Dear Leader
Staff member
Moderator
Messages
20,828
Points
72
There's what seems like hundreds of regional and vernacular terms for that area between a sidewalk and a strip. New Urbanists throughout the United States seem to be settling on "planting strip". Before all the interesting regional terms get lost to standardization, let's talk about our favorites.
 
green strip and curb lawn are two commonly heard terms here
 
You're all nuts. That is called a park strip. I almost never hear it called anything else here.
 
Can we make some up right now, kinda like the way we made up faux British slang terms?

Here's my first submission:
sidewalk bounders
 
We call it the "hell strip" internally, mainly because it looks like holy hell during droughts.
 
Actually, I call it: "the area where I let my dog shit and do not feel compelled to pick it up";)

Interesting. I call it "the area where I step in dog shit when I park on the street." Coincidence? I think not.
 
Planting Strip. Duh. But for all you eco-cats out there, it can also be bio-swale ;)
 
Depending on whom you ask, it's either the Tree Plat or the Verge, locally. I fall into the latter category and have a made it a personal goal for that term to become universal. Local domination, baby. Tree Plats must Die!!! Bhwahahahhahahahaaaa1!:-o
 
I call it "the parkway" in casual terms, and "the right of way" (if it actually is part of the right of way, which it usually is) in a professional setting. Most people around here that I know use similar terms.

For the center grass strip in a boulevard or highway, I just call that "the median", or more specifically, the "landscaped median".

And to me, "berm" implies any sort of landscaped ground that is elevated above the rest of the surrounding landscape (and berms are generally man-made, not natural).

With the exception of the very informal "grass strip", I've never really heard any of the other terms in the poll in common practice.
 
I voted for devil strip just because it's a pain, but I vote we rename this the crap strip in honor of dogs everywhere.
 
Here in SW OH it's often called the "tree lawn", but I also have experience with calling it the "parkway" when I was in metro Chicago.
 
Growing up on a farm in SE Michigan, I never much dealt with sidewalks or that strip of grass. When I got to high school I had a geometry teacher who was from the Cleveland area and she called it a "tree lawn" and that seemed to stick with me (though I always pictured it as one word).
 
I've never heard of it referred to as anything other than a planting strip.
 
"When in Rome......"

"Something Else" =
all of the above + infinity
 
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In planning school I was taught that it's called the "parkway", so that's what I've called it from then on. I didn't realize there were so many other names for it.
 
In planning school I was taught that it's called the "parkway", so that's what I've called it from then on. I didn't realize there were so many other names for it.
What did you call it before you were in planning school?
(Just curious.:))
 
I have always used parkway. The cities I used to work for referred to it as a "Parkway / Tree lawn" in the definition section of their code.
 
In Minnesota when I was in planning school it was called a boulevard. That was new to me because I always thought a boulevard was a street with a landscaped median. In Illinois and Indiana we called it a parkway. In Texas we called it a street planting area, and in CA we call it a planting strip.
 
I've never heard it called anything but a Landscape Strip where trees, scrubs, turf, and decorative paving, or a combination thereof, may be installed.
 
I typically call it a street buffer or landscape strip. I think our Zoning Ordinance also calls it a landscape strip. (Of course, if you're in a place that doesn't require landscaping in that area, then landscape strip wouldn't be a very sensible name for it.)

In my part of the world, a parkway is a street with wide, landscaped median. In Memphis (home), it's common to see walkers and runners using the medians in the 'Parkways' throughout the day.
 
The true answer is PARKWAY, as designated in 1866.

I've been a city planner and site designer for 30 years. Here's something that every planner or architect can tell you. Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were the founding fathers of American landscape architecture and responsible for the first urban parks in the U.S., notably New York's Central Park, Prospect Park and Eastern Parkway. They developed the term "parkway" in 1866 to describe scenic landscape alongside a road including medians and side strips. So the technical term is parkway and this is the term that has been used for almost 150 years. Only very recently have some other terms been used including lawn strip. In professional circles these are jokingly referred to as "hell strips" because they are very difficult to maintain any lawn. Your particular city, town or development may call it something else and you would need to check with them to see how they define these right-of-ways. More importantly, one shouldn't use a poll to determine facts. One should take the time to research them or consult an expert. In this case, its only important to those laying out the development or anybody involved in a land dispute. Otherwise I've never found anyone sensitive to what it should be called.
 
I've been a city planner and site designer for 30 years. Here's something that every planner or architect can tell you. Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were the founding fathers of American landscape architecture and responsible for the first urban parks in the U.S., notably New York's Central Park, Prospect Park and Eastern Parkway. They developed the term "parkway" in 1866 to describe scenic landscape alongside a road including medians and side strips. So the technical term is parkway and this is the term that has been used for almost 150 years. Only very recently have some other terms been used including lawn strip. In professional circles these are jokingly referred to as "hell strips" because they are very difficult to maintain any lawn. Your particular city, town or development may call it something else and you would need to check with them to see how they define these right-of-ways. More importantly, one shouldn't use a poll to determine facts. One should take the time to research them or consult an expert. In this case, its only important to those laying out the development or anybody involved in a land dispute. Otherwise I've never found anyone sensitive to what it should be called.

Get over yourself. Jeez, put me to sleep.
 
I've been a city planner and site designer for 30 years. Here's something that every planner or architect can tell you. Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were the founding fathers of American landscape architecture and responsible for the first urban parks in the U.S., notably New York's Central Park, Prospect Park and Eastern Parkway. They developed the term "parkway" in 1866 to describe scenic landscape alongside a road including medians and side strips. So the technical term is parkway and this is the term that has been used for almost 150 years. Only very recently have some other terms been used including lawn strip. In professional circles these are jokingly referred to as "hell strips" because they are very difficult to maintain any lawn. Your particular city, town or development may call it something else and you would need to check with them to see how they define these right-of-ways. More importantly, one shouldn't use a poll to determine facts. One should take the time to research them or consult an expert. In this case, its only important to those laying out the development or anybody involved in a land dispute. Otherwise I've never found anyone sensitive to what it should be called.

And this is why people don't respect city planners.
 
I've been a city planner and site designer for 30 years. Here's something that every planner or architect can tell you. Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were the founding fathers of American landscape architecture and responsible for the first urban parks in the U.S., notably New York's Central Park, Prospect Park and Eastern Parkway. They developed the term "parkway" in 1866 to describe scenic landscape alongside a road including medians and side strips. So the technical term is parkway and this is the term that has been used for almost 150 years. Only very recently have some other terms been used including lawn strip. In professional circles these are jokingly referred to as "hell strips" because they are very difficult to maintain any lawn. Your particular city, town or development may call it something else and you would need to check with them to see how they define these right-of-ways. More importantly, one shouldn't use a poll to determine facts. One should take the time to research them or consult an expert. In this case, its only important to those laying out the development or anybody involved in a land dispute. Otherwise I've never found anyone sensitive to what it should be called.

One should shut his pie-hole. I've got skin tags with more tact than you. Just so you know, we are a "professional circle". Just one more point of order, even though this is a "Fun" thread and not nobody was trying to research anything: What is "researching" or "consulting an expert" if it is not "Polling" a group like this by some other name? The representative knowledge of this little group you dissed dwarfs you, wikipedia, and any two dead guys you can throw out there.

Sorry, I know you were trying to make a point, but you failed on three fronts: 1) You didn't read the original post, or you didn't read it carefully or you can't read. Not sure which but all three are a strike. 2) You somehow don't realize that you are talking to a bunch of planners and landscape architects who know very well what they're talking about and; 3) Your last, poorly contrived statement about polling shows that 30 years of the "professional" circle didn't teach you to think carefully, critically or with any originality.

You're dismissed. - ursus.
 
I've been a city planner and site designer for 30 years. Here's something that every planner or architect can tell you. Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were the founding fathers of American landscape architecture and responsible for the first urban parks in the U.S., notably New York's Central Park, Prospect Park and Eastern Parkway. They developed the term "parkway" in 1866 to describe scenic landscape alongside a road including medians and side strips. So the technical term is parkway and this is the term that has been used for almost 150 years. Only very recently have some other terms been used including lawn strip. In professional circles these are jokingly referred to as "hell strips" because they are very difficult to maintain any lawn. Your particular city, town or development may call it something else and you would need to check with them to see how they define these right-of-ways. More importantly, one shouldn't use a poll to determine facts. One should take the time to research them or consult an expert. In this case, its only important to those laying out the development or anybody involved in a land dispute. Otherwise I've never found anyone sensitive to what it should be called.

Guess he told us. :r: Thanks for the history lesson. Olmstead and Vaux, I would have never known. :r: Do you have a Macy's in your town (sorry, inside joke).
 
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I've been a city planner and site designer for 30 years. Here's something that every planner or architect can tell you. Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were the founding fathers of American landscape architecture and responsible for the first urban parks in the U.S., notably New York's Central Park, Prospect Park and Eastern Parkway. They developed the term "parkway" in 1866 to describe scenic landscape alongside a road including medians and side strips. So the technical term is parkway and this is the term that has been used for almost 150 years. Only very recently have some other terms been used including lawn strip. In professional circles these are jokingly referred to as "hell strips" because they are very difficult to maintain any lawn. Your particular city, town or development may call it something else and you would need to check with them to see how they define these right-of-ways. More importantly, one shouldn't use a poll to determine facts. One should take the time to research them or consult an expert. In this case, its only important to those laying out the development or anybody involved in a land dispute. Otherwise I've never found anyone sensitive to what it should be called.

Wow. And all this time, I've just been calling it a "taint."
 
Never heard that term applied to the anatomy of a street. ;)

Well, it taint the street and it taint the sidewalk neither, so...;)

It also taint worth getting all riled up about, taking us all to task for our lack of professional research skills. Besides, I’ve been a professional sidewalk user for nigh on 40 odd years now, so I know what I am talking about:D

FTR, here the zone code refers to it as the “planting strip.” Fredrick Law Whostead? :h:
 
As of this typing, no one had replied "parking strip", which is exactly what The Merc called it in this story about a tree in the parking strip falling and killing a toddler. I hope it changes this unfortunate paradigm of turning public tree care over to private citizens.
 
I've been a city planner and site designer for 30 years...

Whenever i hear this phrase from anyone from an architect to a planner to a contractor i always think to myself.."i'm sure they have also been doin' it wrong for 30 years, but sure i will listen" :D
 
I've been a city planner and site designer for 30 years. Here's something that every planner or architect can tell you. Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were the founding fathers of American landscape architecture and responsible for the first urban parks in the U.S., notably New York's Central Park, Prospect Park and Eastern Parkway. They developed the term "parkway" in 1866 to describe scenic landscape alongside a road including medians and side strips. So the technical term is parkway and this is the term that has been used for almost 150 years. Only very recently have some other terms been used including lawn strip. In professional circles these are jokingly referred to as "hell strips" because they are very difficult to maintain any lawn. Your particular city, town or development may call it something else and you would need to check with them to see how they define these right-of-ways. More importantly, one shouldn't use a poll to determine facts. One should take the time to research them or consult an expert. In this case, its only important to those laying out the development or anybody involved in a land dispute. Otherwise I've never found anyone sensitive to what it should be called.

Welcome to Cyburbia.
 
Easy......

I call it what it is.....

If it has trees and a lawn....then the tree lawn.....
If it is concrete so the lazy fat owner doesn't have to take care of it....then sidewalk.
If it is rocks, then the rock lawn
If it is dirt, then the dirt gap
If it is in front of Brocktoons house, then the neutral zone:lmao:
 
Maybe folks would be less apt to let their dogs dump in these areas without cleaning up if we gave them an appealing name like 'street gardens' or 'curb gardens'
 
Around here it's either the "tree lawn" if it has trees, or the "margin" if it is anything else.

Although, "margin" more specifically refers to everything between the curb and the property line.
 
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