A.P. Human Geography Unit 6 Review Guide: Urbanization & Urban Land-Use

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to urbanization and urban land use, designed for review before the exam.

What is urban sustainability?

Urban sustainability is the concept of controlling pollution and reducing a city’s ecological footprint while ensuring livability.

What is a greenbelt?

A greenbelt is a ring of parkland, agricultural land, or other open space maintained around an urban area to limit urban sprawl and contribute to ecological health.

What does the rank-size rule state?

The rank-size rule states that the second largest city will be half the population of the largest city, the third largest will be one-third, and so on.

What is the difference between a primate city and cities that follow the rank-size rule?

A primate city is significantly larger and more influential than the next largest city in the country, while rank-size cities have a more balanced size distribution.

What is transportation-oriented development?

Transportation-oriented development is the creation of walkable, mixed-use communities centered around transit stations.

What are the four North American city models?

The four North American city models are the Concentric Zone Model, Sector Model, Multiple Nuclei Model, and Galactic City Model.

What is gentrification?

Gentrification is the process where wealthier individuals move into lower-income neighborhoods, leading to rising property values and the displacement of original residents.

What is a megacity?

A megacity is a city with a population of 10 million or more.

What is the significance of the city of Tenochtitlan?

Tenochtitlan was the capital of the Aztec empire, known for its advanced urban planning and canals for agriculture.

What are disamenity zones?

Disamenity zones are areas in a city that are characterized by extreme poverty and lack of basic services, often found in squatter settlements.

What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative data?

Qualitative data is descriptive and non-numerical, while quantitative data is numerical and can be measured statistically.

What are zoning laws?

Zoning laws are regulations that control how land can be used, including the types of buildings allowed and their density.

What is the gravity model?

The gravity model predicts interaction between two locations based on their population size and distance from each other.

What is infilling?

Infilling is the process of developing vacant or underused parcels of land within already built areas, such as turning a parking lot into a park.

What are squatter settlements?

Squatter settlements are informal, often illegal housing developments where people build homes on land they do not own, typically found in rapidly urbanizing cities.

What does the term 'blockbusting' refer to?

Blockbusting is a real estate practice where agents use fear tactics to sell homes in neighborhoods to prompt racial segregation.

What are world cities?

World cities are economically influential urban centers that serve as important nodes for global trade, culture, and finance.

What constitutes public transportation advantages over private automobiles?

Public transportation offers lower costs, reduced traffic congestion, environmental benefits, and accessibility for non-car owners.

What is mixed-use zoning?

Mixed-use zoning allows for different types of land uses, such as residential, commercial, and recreational areas to coexist in the same area.

What were site and situation factors in early city development?

Site factors include physical characteristics of a location, such as access to water and defensibility, while situation factors consider the city’s location in relation to other places, like trade routes.

What is smart growth?

Smart growth is an urban planning approach that focuses on sustainable, compact city development to minimize sprawl and ecological impact.

What did the Concentric Zone Model propose?

The Concentric Zone Model proposed that cities develop in rings around a central business district.