The Transitional Space: Areas of Spatial Uncertainty and Breaking Down the Urban/Suburban Divide

Accurately delineating urban and suburban space has become increasingly difficult. Identifying each setting has long relied on capturing where population density and commuting flows differ, with research and policy often operating with binary measures to separate city from suburb. But as urban and suburban spaces expand, age, and reshape, places emerge that do not definitively fit this binary imagination. The uncertainty this generates creates complexities in claims made about urban and suburban space, but it is rarely addressed within empirical classifications. This research focuses on the uncertainty that dichotomous categorizations of place hide. Through a comparison of seven extant definitions of urban and suburban, I identify places that sit reliably in one category or another; but I also highlight the areas of uncertainty and instability. Results demonstrate that there are ‘stable’ urban and suburban areas, but a spatially uncertain transitional space exists where the nature of the landscape is unclear. By delineating these transitional spaces as a third category, I support research and policy that aims to speak clearly about changes in urban and suburban places, while also opening a conversation about how places might move between these two canonical definitions.