Vocabulary for Cities and Infrastructure
urban = adjective meaning ‘about cities’
Sentence- He submitted his proposal for urban development to the city council.
investment or funding = money to pay for an activity, either from government or business.
Sentence- The funding was withdrawn after they botched up the first stage of the research.
infrastructure = the physical and system organisation of a city, area or country, especially in terms of transport and communications
Sentence- Investment in infrastructure will be much more decentralized.
high-capacity = able to handle high volumes of goods or people
Sentence- The high-capacity magazine also was made from semi – translucent polymer, and holds 50 rounds in two rows.
public transport = transport such as buses and trains funded by the state (as opposed to ‘private transport’ such as cars owned by individuals)
Sentence- I walk or use public transport whenever possible.
congestion = situation of too much traffic, causing delays (the phrase ‘traffic jam’ is not generally used in Academic English)
Sentence- The manifesto includes tough measures to tackle road congestion and environmental pollution.
conurbations = very large cities which have absorbed other towns
Sentence- The older conurbations, cores tend to accommodate larger proportions of the unemployed.
transport hubs = centres where many routes converge.
Sentence- Heathrow airport is the largest transport hub in Europe.
facilities and amenities = places providing any service to the public, either private or public sector
Sentence- All amenities are within an easy walk of the hotel.
a bottleneck = a place where congestion regularly happens
Sentence- There’s always going to be a bottleneck because only two people review all the applications.
overcrowding = a situation where too many people try to live in one place.
Sentence- I saw so many people overcrowding in the room than I expected.
hinterland = the area around a city affected by its development
Sentence- But they did not venture into the hinterland, leaving the rebels there undisturbed.
to settle in a place = to move and live there permanently, usually with work and a family
Sentence- I was born in Asia, but my parents settled in the USA when I was very young.
urban sprawl = the situation where a city expands and buildings are constructed without control or laws
Sentence- If you want the definition of urban sprawl, look at one-acre or three-acre lots.
public-private partnerships = projects funded jointly by the government and business, to reduce the cost to the taxpayer
Sentence- It might take concrete form as civic leadership groups, public-private partnerships, industry councils, or other institution-spanning bodies.
civic pride = the pride felt in the town/city where you live, its people and infrastructure.
Sentence- There was no sense of responsibility, civic pride, or love of work.
tax incentives = reductions in tax to encourage people to do or buy something
Sentence- Their inadequacy is often disguised by the tax incentives that many governments give to institutional saving.
home working = working in your home for all or part of the week
Sentence- We already encourage job-shares, part-time working and career breaks and we are introducing home working.
to commute = to travel a long distance to work every day
Sentence- People used to believe that you could commute base metals into gold.
suburbs = the residential areas around a city
Sentence- In the suburbs the spacious houses stand in stark contrast to the slums of the city’s poor.
the inner city = the older, central part of a city.
Sentence- The advent of the inner city debate meant the end of New Town designations for the foreseeable future.
communal car-pooling = a voluntary system for people to travel in a shared car, to reduce fuel use
Sentence- I tried car-pooling, but it was difficult to arrange the journeys with three other people.
outdated = old-fashioned and not relevant today
Sentence- The car has been criticized for its outdated body styling.
