Suburban Zone

the territory surrounding a city, with close functional economic, public-health, architectural, and other types of ties and interdependencies with the city. The surburban zone serves various economic purposes and performs health functions for the urban population. The city is the place of work for some of the suburban population and serves as the main cultural center of the suburban zone.

The suburban zone is the site of suburbs, satellite cities, certain industrial enterprises, airports, railroad stations, and ports, as well as the city’s system of water supply, antipollution installations, warehouses, and trading depots. Part of the suburban land is used for agriculture, particularly to supply the city with fresh vegetables and livestock and poultry products. Industrial-agricultural complexes, hothouse farms, nurseries, agricultural experiment stations, and many other similar facilities are usually located in the area.

In the suburban zone the natural wealth— forests, wooded parks, rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water— is preserved and protected, and mass recreation areas are established.

Certain areas are allocated for summer cottages and gardens, sanatariums, houses of rest, boardinghouses, athletic health camps, and children’s camps. During the process of urbanization the suburban zone is the territorial reserve for development and growth of the city. Optimal use of the territory of the suburban zone requires that comprehensive master plans be drawn up for cities and their suburban zones. In the socialist countries this is achieved by regional planning of suburban zones.