Aaneengesloten

Aaneengesloten is a Dutch adjective meaning contiguous, joined, or seamlessly connected. It describes the physical continuity of a feature, such as built form, vegetation, or infrastructure, where there are no gaps or separations between parts. The word derives from aan ("toward, at") and een ("one") combined with gesloten ("closed"), conveying the sense of things being brought together into a single whole.

In practice, aaneengesloten is commonly used in urban planning and geography to characterize areas with continuous development or habitat. Aaneengesloten bebouwing refers to a built-up area in which buildings are adjacent and there are no unbuilt gaps; such areas are contrasted with dispersed or fragmented development. Aaneengesloten stedelijk gebied denotes a continuous urban region that extends across municipal boundaries without clear demarcations of non-urban land. In ecology and land management, aaneengesloten bos or aaneengesloten natuurgebied denotes forests or natural habitats that form an uninterrupted tract, important for biodiversity, wildlife movement, and ecological integrity.

The term is used in planning documents, cadastral maps, and statistical classifications in the Netherlands and Flanders, and is often translated as “contiguous,” “continuous,” or “unfragmented” in English-language texts. It is distinct from scenarios featuring sporadic or disconnected elements, where gaps break the continuity.

See also: Contiguity (geography); Built-up area; Fragmentation; Habitat connectivity.