Chapter 15: Urban Location Theory and Interaction

Borchert's Model

Created in 1960s to predict and explain the growth of cities in four phases of transportation history: stage 1, the "sail wagon" era of 1790-1830; stage 2, the "iron horse" era of 1830-1870; stage 3, the "steel rail" era of 1870-1920; and stage 4, the current era of car and air travel that began after 1920.

Central Place Theory

Theory proposed by Walter Christaller that explains how and where central places in the urban hierarchy should be functionally and spatially distributed with respect to one another.

Exurbanization

The movement of households from urban areas to locations outside the urban area but within the commuting field

global cities

a term for megacities that emphasizes their global impact as centers of economic, political, and social power

gravity model

A model that holds that the potential use of a service at a particular location is directly related to the number of people in a location and inversely related to the distance people must travel to reach the service.

infrastructure

the system of public works of a country, state, or region.

megacities

cities with 10 million or more residents

megalopolis

a region in which several large cities and surrounding areas grow together

metacity

a conurbation with more than 20 million people

metropolitian statistical area

a central county of counties with at least of one urbanized area of at least 50,000 people

micropolitan statistical area

An urbanized area of between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, the county in which it is found, and adjacent counties tied to the city.

percent urban

an indicator of the proportion of the population that lives in cities and towns as compared to those that live in rural areas

primate city rule

The largest settlement has more than twice as many people as the second-ranking settlement

rank size rule

A pattern of settlements in a country, such that the nth largest settlement is 1/n the population of the largest settlement.

Reurbanization

growth of population in metropolitan central cores, following a period of absolute or relative decline in population

rural

relating to farm areas and life in the country

satellite city

when an established town near a very large city grows into a city independent of the larger one

suburban

An area that typically surrounds the central city, is often residential, and is not as densely populated.

suburbanization

The process of population movement from within towns and cities to the rural-urban fringe.

urban

in, relating to, or characteristic of a city or town

Urban Hearths

areas generally associated with river valleys in which seasonal floods and fertile soils aided the production of an agricultural surplus

urban hierarchy

A ranking of settlements according to their size and economic functions.

urbanization

movement of people from rural areas to cities

white flight

working and middle-class white people move away from racial-minority suburbs or inner-city neighborhoods to white suburbs and exurbs

Ecumene

the portion of Earth's surface occupied by permanent human settlement

What are world cities?

World cities, also known as global cities, are significant urban areas that have a major impact on global economic, political, and cultural activities.