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Urban sprawl refers to the spread of development over a large area without proper planning, leading to inefficient use of land and resources. Examples include low-density residential suburbs far from city centers without sufficient public transport.

Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design, and management of public spaces that capitalizes on a local community's assets, inspiration, and potential. Examples include transforming abandoned urban areas into vibrant public squares or community gardens.

TOD is a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business, and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. Examples are communities with homes, offices, and shops clustered around transit stations.

New Urbanism is a planning philosophy that emphasizes walkability, mixed-use development, and traditional neighborhood design. It aims to reduce sprawl and create sustainable and vibrant communities. Examples include Seaside, Florida and Poundbury, England.

Smart growth covers a range of development and conservation strategies that help protect our natural environment and make our communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse. Examples include policies that encourage compact, walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl.

Public space refers to areas that are open and accessible to people such as streets, plazas, parks, and public squares. Examples include Central Park in New York City or the public beaches in Santa Monica.

Mixed-use development is a type of urban development that combines residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment uses, where those functions are physically and functionally integrated. Examples include a building with retail on the ground floor and apartments above.

Gentrification is a process of neighborhood change characterized by the influx of higher-income residents, which can result in the displacement of lower-income residents due to increased property values and rent. Examples include parts of Brooklyn in New York City or Mission District in San Francisco.

Zoning refers to the legislative process of dividing land into zones where certain land uses are permitted or prohibited. Examples include residential, commercial, industrial zones.

Complete streets are designed to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and public transport riders of all ages and abilities. Examples include streets that have sidewalks, bike lanes, proper signage, and traffic calming measures.

A greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Examples include parks and agricultural lands encircling a city to limit urban expansion.

Infill development focuses on redeveloping underutilized land in existing urban areas rather than expanding into undeveloped land. Examples include turning vacant lots or parking lots in a city into residential or commercial buildings.

Urban regeneration is the rejuvenation of older parts of a city through new construction and renovation, often to encourage economic development and improve community cohesion. Examples include the revitalization of the Docklands in London and the Meatpacking District in New York City.

Form-based code is a means of regulating development to achieve a specific urban form. It creates a predictable public realm by controlling physical form primarily, with a lesser focus on land use. Examples include specifications on building facade, alignment, and streetscape design.

Land use planning involves the systematic assessment of land and water potential, alternatives for land use, and economic and social conditions to select and adopt the best land use options. Examples include planning where industries, residential areas, and green spaces go in a city.

Ecological urbanism is an approach to urban planning that integrates ecological principles, aiming to create symbiotic relationships between urban environments and nature. Examples include green roofs, urban agriculture, and sustainable drainage systems.

An urban heat island occurs when a city experiences significantly warmer temperatures than its rural surroundings due to human activities, dark surfaces that absorb sunlight, and lack of vegetation. Examples include large cities like Los Angeles and Tokyo.

Sustainable urbanism is an urban design framework that focuses on creating places that are environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive, and economically viable. Examples include developments that have a zero-carbon footprint or are net-zero energy.

In urban planning, a node is a focal point that helps with orientation, often a concentrated area of commercial or transport activity. Examples include public transportation hubs or major shopping districts.