Checkerboarding

/ˈtʃɛkərˌbɔrdɪŋ/ noun

Definition

The practice of creating a checkerboard pattern, especially in land management or urban planning where different uses alternate.

Etymology

Gerund form of 'checkerboard' as a verb, used primarily in 20th-century real estate and environmental contexts to describe fragmented land patterns.

Kelly Says

Checkerboarding in housing developments—alternating who owns what land—was sometimes used strategically to either promote diversity or, shamefully, to enforce segregation.

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