AMSCO AP Human Geography - Unit 6.11: Challenges of Urban Sustainability

urban canyons

streets lined with tall buildings, can channel and intensify wind and prevent natural sunlight from reaching the ground

urban heat island

an area of a city warmer than surrounding areas

urban wildlife

rats, raccoons, and pigeons which thrive and cities but can also spread diseases and annoy people

rush hour

the commuting periods in the early morning and late afternoon / early evening when people travel to and from work. This causes in idling cars due to traffic, causing increased carbon emissions and low visibility

suburban sprawl

the rapid spread of development outward from the inner city

ecological footprint

the impact of human activity on the environment

brownfield

an area containing dilapidated (worn-down) buildings and polluted or contaminated soils, which are usually expensive to remove or repair and causes surrounding property values to go down

urban redevelopment

renovating a site within a city by removing the existing landscape (usually worn-down) and rebuilding from the ground up