The new metropolitan voices.Glossary of metropolitan terms

The need for a glossary for the metropolitan discipline emerged from the long experiences of the HEI co-financed Erasmus + Tellme's partners working in the multidisciplinary environment of metropolitan context. A clear set of definitions describing various concepts of the new metropolitan discipline subject is fundamental for accessible communication among the different fields in the academy and with the practitioners. Glossary serves to understand the different perspectives from various fields and topics. The complexity of the new discipline requires a different perspective in framing the issues and solutions, and the Metropolitan Glossary is a way to begin creating the new conceptual structure of the discipline. Based on the primary needs identified above, the characteristics of the Metropolitan Glossary can be divided into four main categories: linkage between practical values and theoretical principle background, the link between qualitative narrative and quantitative data, flexibility, and accessibility. Clear communication among various agencies in a metropolitan project is an important issue. The issues and the solutions in the practical context are as valuable as the theoretical knowledge in understanding the principles of the metropolitan structure. However, the time difference in academia and practice create a gap between theory and practice. Often the symptoms of metropolitan issues occur unpredictably, and the decisions need to be made in real-time when the gaps are revealed to reduce the negative impact of the conflict. Even though in some cases, academic knowledge is required in the form of consultancy, often the knowledge is highly specialised and has a limit in addressing the complexity that spans across multiple disciplines. Therefore, it is fundamental to change the way knowledge is being built from the beginning. The Metropolitan Glossary has numerous entry points so that both theoretical and practical knowledge is accumulating in the form of keywords. The discussion goes beyond the individual terms and focuses on the relationship amongst words composing the fundamental concepts in the metropolitan discipline. It is an open-ended collection of vocabulary brought and discussed by experts of various fields.