tettbygd

Tettbygd is a Norwegian term used to describe a compact, built-up settlement within a rural or sparsely populated area. It refers to a cluster of houses and infrastructures where buildings are relatively close to one another, in contrast to dispersed countryside or isolated farmsteads. A tettbygd area typically includes residential housing and some local infrastructure, and it may provide access to basic services such as shops, schools, or public transport without having the status of a larger town or city.

In planning and statistics, tettbygd is used to describe built-up land that is not part of a formal urban center. The precise criteria can vary by organization and dataset, and the concept is often treated as a descriptive category rather than a fixed administrative designation. Because definitions differ, tettbygd can overlap with other terms such as tettsted (an officially recognized urban settlement) or with rural village areas, depending on the context.

Etymology-wise, the word combines tett meaning dense or compact with bygd meaning village or settlement, reflecting its core idea of a densely built cluster within a larger rural landscape. The term appears in Norwegian statistical and regional planning discourse as a way to characterize how housing and services are spatially organized outside major urban areas.

See also: tettsted, urban area, rural settlement, Norwegian geography.