Activity centre is a term used in
urban planning and
design for a
mixed-use urban area where there is a concentration of commercial and other land uses. For example, the
central business districts of cities (CBD) are also known as “Central Activities Districts” (CAD) (also known as
Downtown in
North America or "Central Activities Zone" in the
United Kingdom) in recognition of the fact that commercial functions are not the only things that do or should occur there. The term activity centre can also be used to designate an area for
mixed-use development, whatever its current land use happens to be.