Urban Planning and Development Glossary
Urban Planning and Development Glossary
A
Adarves
Streets common in Islamic city plans with a single entrance or exit.
Metropolitan Area
An urban complex consisting of a central city and its area of influence, characterized by commuting workers, geographical continuity between municipalities, and a connecting transport system.
Peri-urban Area
The area located on the perimeter or periphery of the city, often bordering a rural area. (Also urban)
Casco Histórico (Historic Center)
The core of an ancient city from which subsequent urban areas have developed.
CBD (Central Business District)
The central business district or downtown area of a city, housing service businesses.
Centrality
The degree of influence of a central city within its tributary area or hinterland.
Town Center
The main area for business, around which other city functions, from administration to residence, are organized.
Satellite Cities
Small or medium-sized residential, industrial, or mixed cities located near and functionally dependent on a larger city or cities.
C
Council
A corporation of individuals who govern a municipality.
Conurbation
Occurs when two initially separate cities grow and eventually merge physically, while maintaining independent governance.
Quota
Contribution made by each of the Basque Country territories to cover State charges not assumed by the Community itself.
Urban Location
The concrete and material site on which a city sits.
Ensanche (Urban Expansion)
Urban planning undertaken outside the old city due to land scarcity.
Urban Structure
The set of features characterizing the arrangement of homogeneous land-use areas (functional areas) within a city.
E
Eurostat
Statistical Office of the EU.
FCI (Inter-territorial Compensation Fund)
A fund for inter-territorial compensation.
Structural Funds
Financial instruments of the European Commission aimed at reducing regional disparities (promoting productive investments, infrastructure, and supporting SMEs) within the European Union.
ERDF (European Regional Development Fund)
The main structural fund.
Functions
Economic sectors and activities serving the city’s population, providing resources, and influencing its development (health, religious, administrative, industrial, commercial, tourism, etc.). (“Occupation in the city”)
G
GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade)
A set of rules, agreements, and contracts governing world trade.
Hinterland
The area of influence of a city.
Income Tax
Tax on individual performance.
H
Urban Hierarchy
The organization of the city system based on population size, functions, and area of influence. (National metropolis, regional or medium-sized cities)
L
LOFCA (Organic Law on Financing of the Autonomous Communities)
Organic law on the financing of autonomous communities.
M
Block
A group of several adjacent houses or a square space circumscribed by streets.
Megalopolis
A large city resulting from the growth of an urban agglomeration with high densities, poor transport, and a high concentration of wealth and political power.
Urban Morphology
The study of a city’s physical form, resulting from the combination of flat buildings and land uses.
P
Plot
A piece of land belonging to one owner.
RDP (Regional Development Programmes)
Regional development programmes.
Plano Hippodamus (Hippodamian Plan)
A city plan where streets intersect at right angles. Also called grid or checkerboard plan.
Plano Irregular (Irregular Plan)
A cluttered plan with no specific geometric shape, typical of disorderly Muslim city development.
Plano Radioconcéntrico (Radiocentric Plan)
A plan where streets radiate from the center and may be intersected by concentric circles.
Peopling
The process and outcome of a human group’s settlement in a given territory (rural or urban).
Programme Leader
An initiative to stimulate economic growth and rural life.
R
Urban Network
The interconnected system of urban locations.
Rehabilitation
Improvement and conservation of buildings of interest and the existing urban fabric.
Renewal
Adaptation of the urban area to new city functions, involving alterations to the road layout.
S
Private School
Uncommon housing, often used for holidays or occasionally.
Urban System
The arrangement of cities in a territory and their relationships with each other and the environment.
Situation (Urban)
A city’s position relative to major geographical, physical, and economic features in a local or regional context.
Outskirts
Neighborhoods on the city’s periphery, inhabited by the working class, with poor communications and subpar urban planning and architecture.
Urban Plot
The way buildings are grouped and arranged to form city streets (urban fabric).
V
VPO (Viviendas de Protección Oficial)
Subsidized housing.
Z
ZID (Declining Industrial Areas)
Areas affected by industrial restructuring processes.
SPA (Economic Development Zones)
Less developed regions based on income and unemployment rates.