aphug urban areas/cities

urbanization

the process of developing towns and cities and does not end once a city is formed

metropolitan statistical area (MSA)

consists of a city of at least 50,000 people, the country in which it is located, and adjacent counties that have a high degree of social and economic integration, or connection, with the urban core

megalopolis

describes a chain of connected cities

metropolis

large, densely populated city, frequently serving as the main center of activity within a particular area

primate cities

if the largest city in an urban system is more than twice the next largest city

• ADVANTAGES: magnetic attractions, attracts international trade, centralized transportation/communication 

• DISADVANTAGES: urban-rural inequalities, imbalance in development, concentration of power

what are the advantages and disadvantages of primate cities?

edge cities

nodes of economic activty that have developed in the periphery of large cities

central place theory

used to explain the distribution of cities of different sizes across a region

• uses consumer behavior related to purchasing goods/services to explain the distribution of settlements

central place

location where people go to recieve goods and services

central business district (CBD)

the most vital part and commercial heart of a city

• often found near the physical center or crosswords where the city was founded

• focus of transportation and services

• more higher order services

concentric zone model

describes a city as a series of rings that surrounds a central business district

1. CBD

2. zone of transition

3. zone of independent workers’ homes

4. zone of better residences

5. commuter’s zone

hoyt/sector model

describes how different types of land use and housing were all located near the CBD

1. CBD

2. transportation and industry

3. low-class residential

4. middle-class residential

5. high-class residential

multiple nuclei model

this model suggests that functional zonation occured around multiple centers

1. CBD

galactic cities model

original CBD became surrounded by a system of smaller nodes that mimicked its function

1. central city

latin american model/griffin-ford model

places a two part CBD at the center of the city — traditional market center adjacent to a modern high rise center

• commercial spine

• mall

• peroférico

• favelas/barrios

• disamenity zones

gravity model

states that larger and closer places will have more interactions than places that are smaller and farther from each other

bid rent theory

land costs for different types of agricultural activities

• there is usually a distance-decay relationship proximity to the urban market and the value of the land

rank-size rule

describes one way in which the sizes of cities within a region may develop

• nth largest city of a region will be 1/n the size of the largest city

site

describes the characteristics at the immediate location

ex) physical features, climate, labor force, human structures

situation

refers to the location of a place relative to its surroundings and its connectivity to other places

ex) near a gold mine, on the coast

threshold

the size of a population necessary for any particular service to exist and remain profitable

range

the distance people will travel to obtain specific goods/services

smart growth policies

comabt urban sprawl and create a new vision for cities that are more sustainable and equitable

new urban design

set of strategies to put smart growth policies into action

urban renewal

includes policies that allow governments to clear out blighted inner city slums, which usually displaces the residents to low income government housing complexes, and build new development projects

• human scale neighborhoods

• increasing affordable housing

• mixed-use neighborhoods

strengths of urban design initiatives

• can potentionally result in unintended segregation (ethnically and economically)

• creates high population density areas

• not affordable for families

weaknesses of urban design initiatives

redlining

the process by which banks refuse loans to those who want to purchase and improve properties in certain urban areas

blockbusting

when people of an ethnic group sell their homes upon learning that members of another ethnic group were moving into the neighborhood

gentrification

the process of converting an urban inner city neighborhood from a mostly low income, renter occupied area to a predominantly wealthier neighborhood, owner occupied area of a city

suburbanization

involves the process of people moving, usually from the cities, to residential area on the outskirts of cities

• caused by: economic expansion, construction of vast highways, racial tensions

suburban sprawl

the rapid expansion of the spatial extent of a city and occurs because of the growth of subrubs, lower land costs, and the continuing growth of car culture