Urbanist Portmanteau of the Day: Funderpass

If there's one thing urbanists like more than redesigning a blighted area around an urban expressway, it's snazzy, made-up lingo.

So yesterday was a good day. The news broke that the New York City Department of Small Business Services had awarded a $75,000 grant to the Atlantic Avenue BID to transform the dark, empty stretch of Atlantic Avenue beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway into a funderpass. (Or, as it's sometimes spelled, F(underpass).)

The details of the funderpass -- a collaboration between the BID, Planning Corps, and the Design Trust for Public Space -- are still being hashed out. It could include colorful artwork by Groundswell and a bicycle pump, and will bridge the space between the shops of Atlantic Avenue and the brand-new park space beyond.

But in the meantime, let's get "funderpass" going. It's the best thing since funemployment.

Top image: Concept sketch of the F(underpass) by Planning Corps/Erik Galipo.