An urban landscape is an image, or a set of images, that attempts to characterize an urban area - a city or town. For work of this genre to be successful, a photographer should have local knowledge and an in-depth understanding of the area. Urban landscape images focus on both the structure and the geographical and environmental nature of the area rather than the people who live within it. Although people may appear in the images, the intention of the photographer is primarily to capture an atmospheric background that provides for the viewer both broad context and the general feeling of the place.

Industrial or decaying areas are often portrayed in monochrome images to enhance the down-to-earth, gritty feeling they exude.