Maybe it's "Authored" vs. "Emergent"

[Cheesegear]

This is why in "sandbox" emergent play it's traditionally location prepping, with factions prepping later on coming into the fore. Of course, a lot of location prepping for sandboxes traditionally also includes just-in-time events triggered by PCs arriving on the scene, which probably blurs the line into authored (at any given event location). Even if not, if it's not also faction-based, there's also a good chance the locations are siloed and reactive, not proactive.

Which is again, why some argue that there's no such thing as a sandbox. It's all railroads, all the time; The DM knows which track you're on, and has prepared accordingly. Just like what all DMs, do.
When you get here, this is what you're going to encounter.
When you make this choice, this is what's going to happen.
(P.S. I knew where you were going to go, and what choices you were going to make before you even made them...Because I've met you.)

Anything the DM prepares...Has well, by definition, been prepared by the DM. It's railroads all the way down. People have to come up with even more bulls* labels to differentiate what and when the DM does what they do and why it's okay and when it's not, and it's a spectrum and also it's the intent that matters and-

...

DMs are gonna do what they're gonna do. They have overt - and covert - control over the entire world. Some DMs don't know how to use that power appropriately. They haven't yet learned how to hide their power level...Those DMs are often called 'Bad DMs'.

I've also learned that Good DMs, teaching Bad DMs, how to hide their power level...Makes players **** themselves with rage.