Inner city is a term used to refer to the central or downtown area of a city where poverty and crime are prevalent. It is a phrase that has been used for decades, but with people's changing perceptions of cities and the rising awareness of societal and environmental issues, the term is becoming outdated and needs synonyms. Some alternatives to the 'inner city' could be neighborhoods, urban communities, downtown regions, metropolitan areas, or city centers. Other phrases such as the urban core, cityscape, inner urban, downtown district, and central business district may also suffice. Each of these terms conveys something different about the place, and they each uniquely capture the atmosphere and character of an area or region that many different people call home.