We get support from UC Davis, a globally ranked university working to solve the world's most pressing problems in food, energy, health, education, and the environment.

UC Davis researchers collaborate and innovate in California and around the globe to find

transformational solutions.

It's all part of the university's mission to promote quality of life for all living things.

Find out more at 21st century.

UC Davis. edu. edu. edu. find out more at 21st century dot ucdd ucdd u.

This is 99% invisible I'm Roman Mars

when people critique cul-de-sacs, a lot of the time they're actually critiquing the suburbs more generally.

The cul-de-sac has become sort of like the mascot of the suburbs.

Like if suburbia had a flag, it would sort of like the mascot of the suburbs.

Like if suburbia had a flag, it would have a picture of a cul-de-sac on it.

I can still remember how strange that word sounded to me.

When my mom told me we were moving from the city of

Atlanta to the suburbs of Denver and that we'd be living on one of these things.

Hey that's producer Katie Mingled doing my work this week.

Hi Roman.

The cul-de-sac is a French term, literally meaning the bottom of the bag, or the ass of the bag.

So it's no wonder the French themselves prefer to use the word impasse.

Another fun fact, the plural of cul-de-sac is actually cul-de-sac.

But Katie and I have agreed that it isn't possible to refer to them this way,

without sounding like a couple of aspects.

I've always felt a little embarrassed by my suburban roots, by the cul-de-sac especially,

...