Faubourg

"Faubourg" (French:) is an ancient French term historically equivalent to "fore-town" (now often termed suburb or banlieue). The earliest form is forsbourg, derived from Latinforīs, 'out of', and Vulgar Latin (originally Germanic) burgum, 'town' or 'fortress'. Traditionally, this name was given to an agglomeration forming around a throughway leading outwards from a city gate, and usually took the name of the same thoroughfare within the city. As cities were often located atop hills (for defensive purposes), their outlying communities were frequently lower down. Many faubourgs were located outside the city walls, and "suburbs" were further away from this location (sub, "below"; urbs urbis, "city").

Faubourgs are sometimes considered the predecessor of European suburbs, into which they sometimes evolved in the 1950s and 1960s, while others underwent further urbanisation. Although early suburbs still preserved some characteristics related to faubourgs (the back alleys with doors, little for houses, etc.), later suburbs underwent major changes in city planning, primarily in residential density.

Besides many French cities, faubourgs can still be found outside Europe in such places as the Canadian province of Quebec and the American city of New Orleans. The cities of Quebec and Montreal contain examples, but Montreal, with its far greater divergences in banlieues, has more similarity to Ontarian and American suburbs.