Key Urban Development Concepts and Definitions

Metropolitan Area

Metropolitan Area: An urban area surrounding a central city, administratively encompassing several towns. These towns share economic relations, necessitating joint planning. In Spain, metropolitan areas were formally created in the twentieth century.

Peri-urban Area

Peri-urban Area: The zone where urban sprawl makes it difficult to determine the precise limits of the city. It features mixed land uses and a blend of urban and rural lifestyles.

Old Quarter (Historic Center)

Old Quarter (Historic Center): The part of a city urbanized from its origin until the period of industrialization. It typically occupies a small area but holds significant symbolic and cultural importance.

CBD (Central Business District)

CBD (Central Business District): The area within a city where commercial activities and businesses are concentrated. It has often shifted from the historic center towards the periphery over time.

Chabolismo (Shantytown Development)

Chabolismo (Shantytown Development): A form of habitat typical of large urban centers that attract significant immigration. It is characterized by slums built with makeshift materials on illegally occupied land, often through self-construction.

Bedroom Community (Commuter Town)

Bedroom Community (Commuter Town): An urban area primarily serving as a residential zone for a population that commutes to other areas for work. This is characteristic of edge cities.

Conurbation

Conurbation: An urban area formed by the parallel growth of several cities that eventually merge. Each city typically retains its administrative independence. The merging factor is often a major transportation route.

Ensanche (Urban Expansion)

Ensanche (Urban Expansion): A part of the city that developed during the nineteenth century due to population growth. Within these expansions, there are areas with large, regularly shaped blocks, and more remote areas with irregular plans and very dense plotting.

Urban Structure

Urban Structure: The division of a city into distinct areas based on their morphology (physical form) and functional characteristics. Examples include the old quarter, the ensanche (expansion), and the periphery.

Urban Morphology

Urban Morphology: The external appearance or physical form of a city, influenced by its location and situation (site and situation). It results from the combination of the layout (plan), building structures, and land uses.

Orthogonal Plan (Grid Plan)

Orthogonal Plan (Grid Plan): A city layout where streets intersect at right angles, forming a grid pattern with parallel and perpendicular streets. This type of plan is typically the result of pre-construction planning.

Concentrated Settlement (Plano Concentrado)

Concentrated Settlement (Plano Concentrado): A type of settlement pattern where houses are grouped closely together, with little space between them.

Dispersed Settlement (Plano Disperso)

Dispersed Settlement (Plano Disperso): A type of settlement pattern where houses are separated from each other, often forming small, scattered groups with significant space between them.

Residential Estate

Residential Estate: Developed from the 1960s onwards, these areas primarily function as concentrated residential zones, sometimes with associated businesses. They often feature block housing and exhibit high social homogeneity.

Urban System

Urban System: Comprises cities and the relationships established between them. Cities possess characteristics that allow them to exert influence over a surrounding area and occupy a hierarchical position within the broader urban system.

Urbanism (Urban Planning)

Urbanism (Urban Planning): The study, coordination, and control of land use structure in the development and management of cities.

Suburb

Suburb: A part of the city located on the periphery, often differentiated by the lower quality of its housing. Suburbs are characteristic of the metropolitan areas of large cities.