Word Definition Translation
adjacent next to or near something else.
affordable cheap enough for ordinary people to afford.
apartment
American for a set of rooms for living in, usually on one floor of a
large building. The usual British word is flat.
asylum
the right to stay in a country, given by a government to protect
someone who has escaped from war or political trouble in their
own country.
block to stop something from moving through or along something else.
boarded up with windows or doors covered with wooden boards.
boom
a sudden major increase in trade, profits etc in a particular
country or region
bulky too big to be carried or stored easily.
case study
a piece of research that records details of how a situation
develops over a period of time.
chamber of
commerce
an organization of people who own shops and businesses in a
particular town or city. Their aim is to improve conditions for
business in their area.
civil service
a country’s government departments and the people who work in
them.
combat
to do something to try to stop something bad from happening or
a bad situation from becoming worse.
communal
owned or used by everyone in a group, especially a group of
people who live in the same building.
congestion
a situation in which a place is crowded with people or vehicles, so
that it is difficult to move around.
convert into
to change from one system, use, or method to another, or to
make something do this
corporation a large company or business organization.
council
the elected officials who govern a local area such as a city or
county.
decay
to be gradually destroyed as a result of a natural process of
change.
demolish to deliberately destroy a building.
densely containing a lot of things or people close together.
derelict
something such as a building or piece of land that is derelict is
empty, not used, and in a bad condition.
deserted a deserted place has no people in it.
detached a detached house is not joined to another house.
deteriorate to become worse.
disposal the process of getting rid of something.
dual carriageway
a road with two or more lanes of traffic going in each direction,
separated by a piece of land in the middle.
effluent liquid waste such as sewage or waste from a factory.
electricity
a form of energy that can produce light, heat, and power for
machines, computers, televisions etc.
elegant
elegant places and things are attractive because they are
beautiful in a simple way.
Urbanization
endanger
to put someone or something into a situation where they might
be harmed or damaged.
environment
the place in which people live and work, including all the physical
conditions that affect them.
estate
an area where there are many houses, usually built at the same
time by the same company. Many estates are owned by local
government and have cheap houses for poorer families.
extend
to increase the size of a building or area, especially by adding
extra parts onto it.
fringe the outer edge of something.
galvanize
to shock or affect someone enough to produce a strong and
immediate reaction.
Geogrian in a style typical of the UK and the US in the 18th century.
ghetto
an area in a city or town where people of a particular type live,
usually in poor conditions.
graffiti words or pictures drawn on walls in public places.
high-density having a high number of people or things in an area
high-rent costing a lot of money to rent.
high-rise a high-rise building is very tall with many floors or levels.
homeless without a place to live.
industrial estate an area of land where industrial companies have their buildings.
landlord a man who owns a house, flat, or room that people can rent.
leisure activities that you do to relax or enjoy yourself.
let to rent a room flat, house etc to someone.
location
the place or position where someone or something is or where
something happens.
low-density having a low number of people or things in an area.
maintenance
work that is done to keep something such as a building, machine,
or piece of equipment repaired and in good condition.
makeshift made using whatever is available and therefore not very good.
neglect to fail to look after a place, for example a house or garden.
neighbourhood a particular area of a city or town.
obsolete
no longer used because of being replaced by something newer
and more effective.
packed extremely crowded.
pedestrian
someone who is walking, especially in a town or city, instead of
driving or riding.
poverty
a situation in which someone does not have enough money to
pay for their basic needs
preserve
to take care of a place or building in order to prevent it from
being harmed or destroyed.
prosperity the situation of being successful and having a lot of money.
recreational
facilities places provided for people to do sports or other leisure activities.
refurbish
to improve a room or a building by cleaning and painting it,
adding new furniture or equipment etc.
renovate
to make something old look new again by repairing and
improving it, especially a building.
rented used by someone who pays rent to the owner.
restoration
the process of putting something such as a piece of art or a
building back into its original condition so that it looks cleaner
and better.
restriction
a rule, action, or situation that limits or controls someone or
something.
run-down in bad condition because no one has spent money on repairs.
satellite town a town or city that is close to and depends on a larger city.
semi-detached
a semi-detached house is joined to another house by one
wall that they share.
sewage
waste substances, especially waste from people's bodies,
removed from houses and other buildings by a system of large
underground pipes called sewers.
skyscraper a very tall building containing offices or flats.
spending-power
the amount of money that a person, business etc has available to
spend.
subculture
a group of people whose beliefs and ways of behaving make them
different from the rest of society.
terraced house a house in a row of similar houses joined together on both sides.
townhouse an expensive house near the main part of a town or city.
underground
a system of public transport consisting of trains that travel in
tunnels below a city.
unemployment
a situation in which someone or a lot of people do not have work
and do not have an income.
urban relating to towns and cities.
vandalism
the act of deliberately damaging or destroying things, especially
public property.
well-established
having existed for a long time, and having been successful or
accepted for a long time.