Understanding Economic and Urban Sectors: Key Concepts

Economic and Urban Sectors: Key Concepts

Tertiary Sector – Offers services and activities.

Tertiary Sector Economic – Encompasses all companies developing their activities (transportation, trade, advertising, etc.).

Tertiary Sector Social Welfare – Includes services that society needs (health, justice, leisure, etc.).

Directional Tertiary Sector / Higher / Quaternary – Activities related to the management, planning, and control of public institutions, enterprises, and society (public officials, senior executives, etc.).

Tertiary Public Sector – Services provided by the government, supervised by the State.

Public Sector Tertiary Indirect – Services provided through concerts, supervised and financed by the State.

Private Tertiary Sector – Companies that provide services to other companies or individuals.

Network Specific Transport Energy – Natural gas, pipelines, electricity networks.

Internal Trade – Trade within the borders of the state where goods are manufactured.

Wholesale – Trade in large quantities, providing goods to middlemen and consumers.

Retail – Selling directly to consumers.

Temporary Trade – Concentrated within a specified time (fairs, weekly markets).

Permanent Trade – Ongoing trade activities.

Trade Evolution:

  • Craft Workshops (Pre-industrial)
  • Shopping Centres (Lafayette – late nineteenth century)
  • Supermarkets (twentieth century)
  • Hypermarkets (1950s)
  • Mail Order Catalogs (1960s)
  • Shopping Centers with Entertainment (1980s)
  • TV Shopping (1990s)
  • Internet Shopping (from 1990s)

Foreign Trade – Trade outside the country where goods are manufactured.

Balance of Trade – An indicator calculated from the difference between the values of imported and exported products.

Tourism – Travel that requires being away from home for more than 24 hours.

Indicators of Tourism in an Area:

  • Percentage of tourist beds (hotel rooms)
  • Nights spent by tourists (days)
  • Average cost per day (expenses)

Types of Tourism – Depending on destination, order, or time of year (seasonal).

Analyzers of Tourist Companies:

  • Dedicated to organizing the trip (Wholesale Plan, tourist, Retail Agents)
  • Tourist services (hotels, camping, etc.)
  • Leisure activities (skiing, parks, etc.)


Urban Area – Territory considered a city but does not affect in any way.

Central City – Attracts population and serves as a political and economic center.

Metropolitan Area – Economic and social interrelations with the central city.

Conurbations – Union of cities economically and socially independent but functionally linked (e.g., Tarragona – Vila-Seca – Salou).

Megalopolis – Grand conurbation with many people (e.g., Liverpool – Manchester – Leeds).

Agora – Classical cities’ cultural center after the 5th century BC.

Acropolis – Holy City, the center of the city after the classical period AC.

Hipodàmic Map – Streets ordered and created for easy orientation, as in Miletus by Hipòdom.

Cardo and Decumanus – Main Streets of Roman plans, the first North-South and the second East-West.

Forum – The most important part of the Roman city, situated between the crossroads of the Cardo and Decumanus.

Irregular Plan – Narrow, winding streets (typical of medieval villages).

Radiocentric Map – The streets start from a central point, a church or castle (medieval Christian city) or a mosque (Muslim medieval towns).

Grid Plan – Rectilinear, street corners are cut perpendicularly.

Linear Map – Streets on both sides of a means of communication (road, rail, etc.).

Industrial Estates – Concentration of factories with a good transport system.

Bedroom Cities – Urban communities with a residential character, where inhabitants travel daily to work in a nearby town.

Residential Neighborhoods – Part of the cities of North America and Australia where people live; in southern countries, where most live well, it is an unreal world.

Slums – Where marginalized people live; favelas (Brazil), Ranchitos (Venezuela), Bidonvilles (Morocco).

Central Business District – CBD, part of the cities of North America and Australia full of skyscrapers to save space; financial center, business, and culture with excellent communication.

National Metropolis – Influences other cities.

Regional Metropolis – Secondary in part to medium-sized cities.

County or Provincial Capitals – Have influence on the next population.