ribbon development
Noun: - A pattern of urban or suburban growth where buildings, especially houses and commercial structures, are constructed in a continuous line along a main road, extending outward from a town or city. This type of development creates a "ribbon" or strip of built-up area, often leading to inefficient land use and increased dependence on road transport.
This term is primarily used in urban planning, geography, and discussions about land use. It often carries a negative connotation, describing unplanned or poorly controlled sprawl. - The planning committee aims to prevent further ribbon development along the highway to preserve the rural character of the surrounding land. - Critics argue that the ribbon development of the 20th century has created traffic congestion and fragmented the countryside.
- As a planning concept: The term is used to critique linear, road-dependent growth patterns and to advocate for more compact, sustainable urban forms.
- Modern planning policy strongly discourages ribbon development in favor of higher-density, nodal development.
- Urban sprawl (n): The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural land, often encompassing ribbon development as one of its forms.
- Linear development (n): A more neutral term sometimes used to describe similar patterns of growth along transport corridors.
- Strip development (n): Often used synonymously, particularly in North American contexts, to describe commercial buildings lining a major road.
- Linear urban growth
- Strip development
- Roadside sprawl
- Compact city
- Nodal development
- Controlled urban growth
- "A ribbon of concrete": A metaphorical phrase sometimes used to describe the visual effect of extensive ribbon development or a long, straight road.
- From the air, the highway was visible as a grey ribbon of concrete, flanked by decades of ribbon development.
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building complex in a continuous row along a road
