brigidm (asker) Feb 10, 2009:

Thanks for all your efforts, Charles - this one has clearly got you going! I also read that text (or one very similar), and it was then that I got the idea of using "belt". But, rightly or wrongly, "bybånd" is also used to describe an area between two cities, and not just around or through one. Likewise in English, I did a little experiment and searched for "urban corridor" + "urban belt" and found quite a lot of texts where they seemed to be used interchangeably or in contexts in which I could see no difference in meaning (between to or more cities, as in my case). I found no glossary definitions in either language, either. So I think the difference between "corridor" and "belt" if fuzzy, to say the least. I had to deliver to the client yesterday and I plumped for "belt", but after this discussion I could quite as happily gone for yours, as I don't think one is more incorrect than the other. I'll leave the question open a while longer to see if anyone else has any input, then award the points to you - you deserve them!

Charles Ek Feb 10, 2009:

Norwegian example of "bybånd" usage From page 11 of "Transporttiltak for å lykkes med arealutvikling i
knutepunkter i Oslo og Akershus" at http://www.akershus.no/file.php?id=1982

"Oslo er ”navet” i transportsystemet på det sentrale Østlandet. Både
jernbanenettet og hovedvegene leder inn mot Oslo sentrum. I Oslo og
de nærmeste omegnskommunene er det sammenhengende byområdet
over tid vokst fra Oslo (innenfor det som nå er Ring 3) og i tre bybånd i
retninger mot vest til Asker, mot sør til Oppgård og nordvest til Skedsmo.
Utenfor det sammenhengende byområdet er det større og mindre
tettsteder; de fleste vokt opp rundt stasjonsbyer langs jernbanenettet, men
senere også tettsteder langs vegnettet.
I de samme tre bybånd går også transportkorridorer med jernbane,
hovedveger og T-baner/trikkelinjer. Innenfor Oslo er dette radielle
transportnettet for bil og kollektiv etter hvert bygget ut med tverrgående
linjer og ringer (for eksempel busser Ring 2 og 3 og T-baneringen)."

Charles Ek Feb 10, 2009:

Explanation of "urban corridor" See http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Urban/ucp_brochure_web_eng... for an explanation of "urban corridor":

"Urban Corridor Planning is focused on changing the City’s
land development regulations and infrastructure standards to
accommodate a broad range of mobility options – walking,
bicycling, public transit, and driving – in order to improve access
to jobs, services, entertainment and recreation, now and
in the future."

Off to Norge now to find its equivalent . . .

Charles Ek Feb 10, 2009:

Not necessarily very large scale Brigid, "urban corridor" and "bybånd" are words for a particular planning concept and it's not necessarily on the scale you're visualizing. I'm trying to find online references to demonstrate their common meaning. More later, if you still have interest when I find it.

brigidm (asker) Feb 9, 2009:

Hmm... I was beginning to like "urban belt". To me, "urban corridor" feels like a much larger-scale area, but maybe I'm wrong..... Any comments appreciated.