Combat Zone

Combat Zones are lawless "No Go" areas of urban sprawl. Law enforcement is limited or non-existent, and gangs usually control large territories within it. Traveling into or through these Zones is not recommended. These Zones appeared during the first half of the 21st century, and by 2077 many are still present.

Overview
A Combat Zone refers to any urban area which has been mostly abandoned by the local government and law enforcement agencies. Combat Zones essentially represent an unspoken treaty, where municipal and corporate forces won't bother gangs and criminal groups so long as most of the violence and bad behavior stays within the designated area. Most Combat Zones are born from poor communities where policing became too expensive or dangerous. Cities first ramped down law enforcement activities in those areas, then ceased them altogether as municipal budgets tightened and ran to deficit. Those unfortunate enough to live in such areas found themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty and violence from which few can escape.

During the late 1990s, Detroit's Combat Zone was walled off with ubiquitous twenty foot concrete abutments, and was declared a minimum security state prison.

Night City's 2020 Combat Zone used to lie somewhere in South Night City, with its blocks and blocks of burnt out wasteland. There was no clear definition between the residential area and the combat zone, as things just tended to degrade gradually, getting worse and worse until the neighborhood was finally at the level of a post holocaust hellhole. By 2045, much of this area became known as the Old Combat Zone. From that place, during the Time of the Red, it spread out and created a series of Combat Zones that took much of the southern areas of the central city.

Known Combat Zones

 * Detroit
 * Hong Kong
 * The Hell of the Death of a Thousand Cuts
 * London
 * East End
 * Night City
 * Combat Zone (2020)
 * Combat Zone (2045)
 * Combat Zone (2077)