For many decades, urbanization in Latin America has been characterized mainly by a dispersed pattern. Particularly in this article, it is of interest to investigate the interface territories formed by urban expansion over rural territories, taking into account the concept of 'frontier' as a theoretical anchor. In this context, questions arise about the singularities that characterize the interface areas of urban-rural borders and how to identify these particularities empirically. For this reason, the objective of this paper is to elaborate a proposal defining basic criteria to address urban-rural interface areas in drylands. For this purpose, the Vertientes del Pedemonte district, Lujan de Cuyo, located in the foothills of the Mendoza Metropolitan Area (Argentina), was selected as a case study. A mostly qualitative methodology was adopted, combining documentary, conversational and observational techniques. Field trips, in situ surveys, field notes and informal conversations with local inhabitants were carried out to identify socio-environmental dimensions and criteria. It is argued that the definition of socio-environmental criteria for the approach to interface territories at the urban-rural border is a useful tool for public policies of land use planning.