Les COUPURES d’URBANISTION
""L’organisaion spatiale de l’urbanisation doit comporter des coupures... qui séparent... des zones d’urbanisation. L’étendue de ces coupures doit être suffisante pour assurer leur gestion et leur pérennité". ( cf instructiondu 22-19-01). Contrairement à la capacité d’accueil, la jurisprudence des coupures d’urbanisation est abondante, notamment en Aquitaine.


A comparison of the number of wetland and upland species in the mostly urbanized Gwynns Falls riparian zone with non-urbanized Piedmont floodplains ...
www.beslter.org/frame4-page_3f_03.html - 30k -

I thought green corridors but the glossary link here is very specific about the meaning so <you may need to double check : http://www.mncppc.org/html/glossary2.htm#p

il faut que ce procès soit interrompu ou: l´arrêt d ´une continuation ...

"Coupures" are generally "cuttings" or "pieces cut out", in this case "from urbanisation". In another register/context we could talk about "lacunae" etc. (check your thesaurus) but in this one we just need to indicate small patches of land next to built-up areas that haven't quite been swallowed up in creeping urbanisation. Not "green belt" because that's a whole ring ("belt") of set-aside land, not just pockets and patches as "coupures" surely implies.

French term (edited): coupures d\'urbanisation

Here's a good explanation of what this refers to.

http://www.senat.fr/rap/r03-421/r03-4212.html
Aux termes de la loi du 3 janvier 1986, les documents d'urbanisme sont tenus de prévoir des espaces naturels présentant le caractère d'une coupure d'urbanisation. Ils doivent tenir compte, pour déterminer la capacité d'accueil des espaces urbanisés ou à urbaniser, de la préservation des espaces et milieux caractéristiques ou remarquables, de la protection des espaces nécessaires au maintien ou au développement des activités agricoles, pastorales, forestières et maritimes ainsi que des conditions de fréquentation par le public des espaces naturels, du rivage et des équipements qui y sont liés.



From my Landscape architecture and construction dictionary
greenbelt
A series of connected open spaces, or any tract of vegetation in urban or rural areas that is somewhat linear. It may be an area of open space such as agriculture parks, undeveloped land, etc. usually surround or cutting through a city, neighborhood, or community. they often follow natural features such as ravines, creeks, or streams.

greenfield
1. This term in land planning and landscape architecture is used in reference to land planned for a use that is in a natural, agricultural or pristine state, not having prior land development.
2. Farmland and open areas where ther has been no prior industrial, commercial, or intese residential activity, and where the threat of contamination is much lower than in urbanized areas.

A definition of 'green belt' from the web
http://wychavon.whub.org.uk/home/wdc-planning-gen-jargon
specially designated area of countryside protected from most forms of development in order to stop urban sprawl and the coalescence of settlements, preserve the character of existing settlements and encourage development to locate within existing built-up areas.

It looks like it's "green belt", but I'd be careful about using this term which already has several possible versions in French.

This is a new term related to the SCOT urban planning provisions.


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Note added at 7 hrs (2008-06-17 15:50:40 GMT)
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An interesting document on protected open space.
Much of this urban planning is related to sustainable development
http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/open_space/green_plan.pdf

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Note added at 7 hrs (2008-06-17 15:56:26 GMT)
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Permanent "green" areas
seems to come up quite a bit

http://www.vil.waunakee.wi.us/vertical/Sites/{C0332FA7-9C78-...

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Note added at 7 hrs (2008-06-17 16:07:06 GMT)
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You should find this wikipedia article about urban fringe very interesting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_rural_fringe

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Note added at 1 day15 mins (2008-06-18 08:56:43 GMT)
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Carol, here are the common translations of green belt in French (GDT, dictionnaire d'architecture et construction, etc.)
zone verte
ceinture verte
coupure verte
ceinture de verdure

My reason for being wary about using 'green belt' is that in many countries the regulations for green belts vary and in many instances they suddenly become land development areas, particularly around large cities, where urban sprawl is a real problem.

IMO this new term has been coined to get away from this.
In addition, you can have green belt land just about anywhere. This particular term is referring to the land between conglomerations.

In Europe, where the population is quite dense (particularly in the UK, for example) sustainable development is pushing local government to create new land use plans. I believe these "breathing spaces" between conglomerations are intended to be permanent. In relation to the Loi Littoral, in France, for example, the current regulations protecting the coast are exceedingly difficult to get around and many town mayors have been forced to cancel planning for very lucrative projects. From what I have heard of the SCOT, it is supposed to apply even stricter regulations.

My two cents worth!

that´s how I understand the word coupures