outskirts
/ˈaʊtˌskɜrts/The outer parts of a town, furthest from the centre.
Example: They live on the outskirts, about twenty minutes by bus.
C122 words · Advanced
Around Town vocabulary — C1
City vocabulary for how cities grow and change, including gentrification, urbanisation and the inner city, plus a bustling cityscape and a derelict facade.
22 questions
Words in this set
22skyline
/ˈskaɪˌlaɪn/The shape that a city's tall towers make against the horizon, seen from far away.
Example:
The skyline looks amazing from the far side of the river.
gentrification
/ˌdʒɛntrɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/The slow change in a poorer area as wealthier people move in and prices rise.
Example:
Gentrification has pushed most of the old families out of the area.
urbanisation
The process by which more and more people come to live in cities.
Example:
Rapid urbanisation has changed the country's landscape.
inner city
The central, often poorer, part of a big urban area.
Example:
Crime rates are often higher in the inner city.
dilapidated
/dəˈlæpəˌdeɪtɪd/Old and in bad condition because of a lack of care.
Example:
The dilapidated warehouse was finally demolished.
affluent
/ˈæfluənt/Having a lot of money and a comfortable lifestyle.
Example:
They moved to a more affluent part of town.
deprived
/dɪˈpraɪvd/Lacking money, good housing, or opportunities.
Example:
The charity works in some of the city's most deprived areas.
melting pot
A place where different cultures and people mix and blend together.
Example:
New York has long been called a cultural melting pot.
cityscape
A wide view of a city, especially of its buildings.
Example:
From the hotel roof, we admired the whole cityscape.
alleyway
/ˈæliˌweɪ/A very narrow path or lane running between or behind buildings in a town.
Example:
The cafe hides down a dark alleyway behind the market.
underpass
/ˈʌndərˌpæs/A walkway or road built beneath a busy road or railway so people can cross safely.
Example:
Take the underpass and you come out by the museum.
bustling
/ˈbʌsəlɪŋ/Crowded with people and full of noisy activity.
Example:
The old town square was bustling with shoppers on Saturday morning.
derelict
/ˈdɛrəˌlɪkt/Left empty for years and now in very bad condition, with broken windows and doors.
Example:
They want to turn the derelict factory into flats.
colonnade
/ˌkɑləˈneɪd/A row of columns supporting a roof, along the front of a building.
Example:
Shoppers sheltered from the rain under the colonnade.
gentrified
/ˈdʒɛntrɪˌfaɪd/Changed by wealthier people moving in and making a previously poor area smarter and pricier.
Example:
The once-cheap neighbourhood is now completely gentrified.
hustle and bustle
The busy, noisy activity of a crowded place.
Example:
She missed the hustle and bustle of the market after moving to the countryside.
quintessential
/ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl/Representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or type.
Example:
The little tea room felt like the quintessential English cafe.
eclectic
/ɪˈklɛktɪk/Made up of a mixture of many different styles or ideas.
Example:
The street has an eclectic mix of shops and cafes.
nondescript
/ˈnɑndɪˈskrɪpt/Having no special or interesting features; ordinary.
Example:
The office was in a nondescript grey building.
facade
/fəˈsɑd/The front outside wall of a large building, especially a grand or decorated one.
Example:
The facade of the theatre is covered in carved stone.
courtyard
/ˈkɔrˌtjɑrd/An open space with no roof, enclosed by the walls of a building or several buildings.
Example:
Students eat lunch in the courtyard behind the library.
