A
commercial district or
commercial zone is any part of a city or town in which the primary land use is
commercialCommerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer. It comprises the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information, or money between two or more entities...
activities (shops,
officeAn office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty...
s, and so on), as opposed to a residential neighbourhood, an
industrial zoneAn industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. In Hong Kong, industrial parks are usually known as industrial estates. In the UK small industrial park containing multiple units all of the same style are known as trading estates...
, or other types of
neighbourhoodA neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members....
s. In some cities, authorities use planning or
zoningZoning is a device of land use regulation used by local governments in most developed countries . The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
laws to define the boundaries of commercial districts.
In the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, commercial districts that are primarily for shopping are called
high streetHigh Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities in the United Kingdom...
s.
A
commercial district or
commercial zone is any part of a city or town in which the primary land use is
commercialCommerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer. It comprises the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information, or money between two or more entities...
activities (shops,
officeAn office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty...
s, and so on), as opposed to a residential neighbourhood, an
industrial zoneAn industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. In Hong Kong, industrial parks are usually known as industrial estates. In the UK small industrial park containing multiple units all of the same style are known as trading estates...
, or other types of
neighbourhoodA neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members....
s. In some cities, authorities use planning or
zoningZoning is a device of land use regulation used by local governments in most developed countries . The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
laws to define the boundaries of commercial districts.
English
In the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, commercial districts that are primarily for shopping are called
high streetHigh Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities in the United Kingdom...
s. In North America, in smaller towns and cities there is often only one main commercial district, which is located on the
main streetMain Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
. In larger cities and towns there may be multiple commercial districts, often with more specialized functions. If a city has one large central area of offices and professional buildings, this is called the
Central Business DistrictA central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city...
or CBD (term used especially, but not exclusively, in
AustralianAustralian English is the form of the English language spoken in Australia.-Socio-historical linguistic context:...
and
New Zealand EnglishNew Zealand English is the form of the English language used in New Zealand.The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century...
), or
downtownDowntown is a term primarily used in North America to refer to a city's core or central business district, usually in a geographical, commercial, and community sense....
(
North American EnglishNorth American English is the variety of the English language of North America, including that of the United States and Canada. Because of their shared histories and the similarities between the pronunciation, vocabulary and accent of American English and Canadian English, the two spoken languages...
). "CBD" and "downtown" usually refer to centrally located areas of a city and are of predominate importance within their city, which differentiates them from other commercial districts. If a city is home to a
stock exchangeA stock exchange is a corporation or mutual organization which provides "trading" facilities for stock brokers and traders, to trade stocks and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for the issue and redemption of securities as well as other financial instruments and capital...
or several
bankA bank is a financial institution licensed by a government. Its primary activities include borrowing and lending money.Many other financial activities were allowed over time. For example banks are important players in financial markets and offer financial services such as investment funds...
headquartersHeadquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The corporate headquarters is the entity at the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
, it will often have a specific
financial districtA Financial District is the central area in some large cities where banks, insurance companies and other large corporations have head offices. Financial districts are often home to skyscrapers...
, sometimes within the larger CBD or downtown, sometimes separately. Likewise, city centre, is sometimes used as a synonym for CBD or downtown, but often the geographical centre of a city not a commercial district. Often the centre of a city in older cities is full of
historicA historic district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
, institutional, or
culturalAn arts district is a demarcated urban area, usually on the periphery of a city centre, intended to create a 'critical mass' of places of cultural consumption - such as art galleries, dance clubs, theatres, art cinemas, music venues, and public squares for performances. Such an area is usually...
areas.
Other languages
Most languages do not have a direct
cognateCognates in linguistics are words that have a common etymological origin.An example of cognates within the same language would be English shirt and skirt, the former from Old English scyrte, the latter loaned from Old Norse skyrta, both from the same Common Germanic *skurtjōn-. Words with this type...
for commercial district, but will have a related term such as the French
quartier d'affaires ("business quarter"), or the Japanese
shōtengaiA shōtengai is a style of Japanese commercial district running along a certain street. Shōtengai often connect to the nearest train station. Most suburbs and towns of Japan have shōtengai of varying size, and larger shōtengai may take the form of covered arcades that are blocked off to traffic...
(literally, "commerce shop street").
Related terms
- high street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities in the United Kingdom...
, main streetMain Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
- Central Business District
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city...
, downtownDowntown is a term primarily used in North America to refer to a city's core or central business district, usually in a geographical, commercial, and community sense....
, city centre
- financial district
A Financial District is the central area in some large cities where banks, insurance companies and other large corporations have head offices. Financial districts are often home to skyscrapers...
- shōtengai
A shōtengai is a style of Japanese commercial district running along a certain street. Shōtengai often connect to the nearest train station. Most suburbs and towns of Japan have shōtengai of varying size, and larger shōtengai may take the form of covered arcades that are blocked off to traffic...
Specific usage of "commercial district" as a name
- Boneyfiddle Commercial District
Boneyfiddle Commercial District is a neighborhood and historic district in Portsmouth, Ohio, United States. Also known as the Historic Boneyfiddle District, it is located at the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio Rivers on Second Street and is bounded roughly by Front, Washington, 3rd and Scioto...
, Portsmouth, Ohio, USA
- Broadway Theater and Commercial District
Broadway Theater and Commercial District in Downtown Los Angeles is the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Clematis Street Historic Commercial District
The Clematis Street Historic Commercial District is a U.S. historic district located in West Palm Beach, Florida. The district runs along the 500 Block of Clematis Street. It contains 12 historic buildings....
, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
- Ocala Historic Commercial District
The Ocala Historic Commercial District is a U.S. Historic District located in Ocala, Florida. It encompasses approximately 90 acres, and is bounded by 1st Street Northwest, 1st Avenue Southeast, 2nd Street Southwest, and 1st Avenue Southwest. It contains 20 historic buildings....
, Ocala, Florida, USA
- Titusville Commercial District
The Titusville Commercial District is a U.S. historic district in Titusville, Florida. It is bounded by Julia Street, Hopkins Avenue, Main Street, and Indian River Avenue, encompasses approximately 60 acres, and contains 21 historic buildings. On January 10, 1990, it was added to the U.S...
, Titusville, Florida, USA