urban
Last updatedWhat to know
Urban is an adjective related to a city, town, or other metropolitan area. The Census Bureau defines urban as any area with at least 2,000 housing units or with a population of at least 5,000. Colloquially, urban is often contrasted with rural and is associated with life in a city regardless of population or density. It’s often used as a coded term for the racial demographics of a city, including by politicians. Though it’s still in use to describe, for instance, genres of music, identifying people as “urban” is fraught with subtext, similar to a term like “inner city.” Substituting a term like “city dwellers” can avoid unintended negative connotations.
Additional resources
- Urban Area (National Geographic)
- What Unites and Divides Urban, Suburban and Rural Communities (Pew Research)
- The sneaky language today’s politicians use to get away with racism and sexism (Vox)
- Here’s How ‘Urban,’ A Term Plagued By Racial Stereotypes, Came To Be Used To Describe Black Musicians (Forbes)
- For some city dwellers, race shapes definition of ‘urban’ (MPR News)
Summary
Urban is an adjective related to a city, town, or other metropolitan area. It’s often used as a coded term for the racial demographics of a city, including by politicians. Identifying people as “urban” is fraught with subtext, similar to a term like “inner city.” Substituting a term like “city dwellers” can avoid unintended negative connotations.