Urban Area
A densely populated region characterized by human-built structures and infrastructure.
Metropolitan Area
A large-scale urban area that includes a central city and surrounding suburbs economically linked.
Site
The physical characteristics of a place, such as landforms, climate, and natural resources.
Situation
The location of a place relative to its surroundings and other places.
Infrastructure
The fundamental facilities and systems serving a city, including transportation, utilities, and communication networks.
Services
Economic activities that provide intangible products, such as education, healthcare, and retail.
Urban Sprawl
The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural land.
Edge City
A concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a traditional downtown area.
Boomburb
A rapidly growing suburban city with a population over 100,000 that is not the core city of a metropolitan area.
Exurb
A region beyond the suburbs that houses commuters seeking a more rural lifestyle.
Infill
The development of vacant or underused parcels within an already built-up urban area.
Rank-Size Rule
A pattern in which the nth largest city in a country is 1/n the size of the largest city.
Primate City
A city that is more than twice the size of the next largest city and dominates a country's economic and cultural life.
Central Place Theory
A model explaining the distribution of cities based on market areas and services.
Threshold
The minimum population needed to support a given service or business.
Range
The maximum distance consumers are willing to travel for a good or service.
Megacity
A city with a population exceeding 10 million people.
Metacity
A massive urban area with a population exceeding 20 million people.
World City
A city that serves as a global economic and cultural hub, such as New York or London.
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)
A non-profit group that operates independently of the government to address social or environmental issues.
Bid-Rent Model
A theory explaining how land prices decrease as distance from the central business district increases.
Concentric Zone Model
A model of urban land use with circular zones radiating from the central business district.
Sector Model
A model that divides cities into wedge-shaped sectors based on transportation routes and economic activities.
Multiple-Nuclei Model
A model suggesting cities develop around multiple centers of activity rather than a single core.
Nodes
Key focal points in an urban system where economic and social activities cluster.
Galactic City Model
A model depicting a decentralized urban area with multiple suburban business districts.
Latin American City Model
A model featuring a wealthy commercial spine extending from the central business district with lower-income housing on the periphery.
Disamenity Zone
A part of the city lacking basic services and often controlled by informal or illegal activities.
Squatter Settlements
Informal housing areas built without official approval, often lacking in infrastructure and services.
African City Model
A model depicting three CBDs (colonial, traditional, and market) and informal housing zones.
Southeast Asian City Model
A model where cities develop around a colonial port, with commercial zones extending outward.
Zoning
The regulation of land use to separate residential, commercial, and industrial areas.
Ecological Footprint
The amount of land and resources needed to sustain a population's lifestyle.
Mixed-Use Development
Urban planning that combines residential, commercial, and recreational spaces in one area.
Walkability
The ease with which people can walk to essential services and amenities.
Transportation-Oriented Development
Urban planning that prioritizes public transit access and walkable neighborhoods.
Smart-Growth Policies
Strategies to combat urban sprawl and promote sustainable development.
Mixed-Use Zoning
Zoning regulations that allow multiple land uses in a single area.
Traditional Zoning
A planning approach that strictly separates residential, commercial, and industrial areas.
New Urbanism
A movement promoting walkable neighborhoods, diverse housing, and sustainable communities.
Slow-Growth Cities
Cities that implement policies to limit rapid urban expansion.
Urban-Growth Boundary
A regulatory boundary to control urban sprawl and protect open spaces.
Greenbelt
A zone of parks, farmland, or undeveloped land surrounding an urban area.
De Facto Segregation
Racial or economic separation in cities caused by social or economic factors rather than laws.
Redlining
The discriminatory practice of denying loans or services to certain neighborhoods based on race.
Blockbusting
A real estate tactic where racial fear is exploited to drive down property values and enable profit.
White Flight
The historical movement of white residents from cities to suburbs in response to racial integration.
Zones of Abandonment
Urban areas that have been deserted due to economic decline and lack of investment.
Filtering
The process where housing declines in value and transitions to lower-income occupants.
Inclusionary Zoning Laws
Policies requiring a portion of new housing developments to be affordable for low-income residents.
Land Tenure
The legal rights and ownership systems governing land use.
Eminent Domain
The government's power to seize private property for public use with compensation.
Environmental Justice
The movement advocating for fair treatment in environmental policies regardless of race or income.
Urban Renewal
Programs aimed at redeveloping declining urban areas.
Gentrification
The transformation of a low-income neighborhood through an influx of higher-income residents, often displacing locals.
Regional Planning
Coordination of urban development across multiple municipalities to address growth and infrastructure needs.
Brownfields
Abandoned industrial sites that may be contaminated but have redevelopment potential.
Raw Materials
Natural resources used in production, such as coal, timber, or minerals.
Industrial Revolution
The period of rapid industrialization beginning in the 18th century, marked by mechanization and factory production.
Cottage Industries
Small-scale, home-based production of goods, often handmade.
2nd & 3rd Industrial Revolution
The Second Industrial Revolution (late 19th-early 20th century) introduced mass production and electricity, while the Third Industrial Revolution (20th century) focused on digital technology, both fueling imperialism through resource exploitation and global markets.
Economic Sectors
The divisions of an economy based on types of activities, including primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, and quinary sectors.
Primary Sector
The economic sector that involves extracting natural resources, such as farming, fishing, and mining.
Secondary Sector
The sector focused on manufacturing and industrial production, such as factory work and construction.
Tertiary Sector
The service-based sector, including retail, healthcare, and education.
Quaternary Sector
The knowledge-based sector, involving research, technology, and finance.
Quinary Sector
The highest-level decision-making sector, including government leaders, CEOs, and top scientists.
Postindustrial Economy
An economy where services and information technology dominate over manufacturing.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The total value of goods and services produced within a country's borders in a given year.
Dual Economies
An economy with both a modern industrial sector and a traditional subsistence sector.
Least-Cost Theory
Alfred Weber's model explaining industrial location based on minimizing transportation, labor, and agglomeration costs.
Agglomeration
The clustering of businesses and industries in a specific area to benefit from shared resources and infrastructure.
Break-of-Bulk Point
A location where goods are transferred from one mode of transportation to another, such as a port or rail terminal.
Bulk-Gaining Industries
Industries where the final product is heavier or bulkier than its raw materials, such as beverage production.
Bulk-Reducing Industries
Industries where the final product is lighter than the raw materials, such as copper smelting.
Industrial Park
A designated area developed for manufacturing and industrial businesses.
Gross National Product (GNP)
The total value of goods and services produced by a country's residents, including overseas production.
Gross National Income (GNI)
The total income earned by a country's residents, including foreign investments and earnings.
Formal Sector (Economy)
The regulated part of the economy, including businesses and workers that pay taxes and follow labor laws.
Informal Sector (Economy)
Economic activities that are unregulated and untaxed, such as street vending or unregistered businesses.
Human Development Index (HDI)
A measure of a country's social and economic development, considering life expectancy, education, and income.
Gender Development Index (GDI)
A measure comparing human development achievements between men and women.
Gender Inequality Index (GII)
A measure of gender disparities in health, empowerment, and labor market participation.
Empowerment
The ability of individuals or groups, particularly marginalized ones, to make choices and influence their lives.
Labor-Market Participation
The percentage of a population that is either employed or actively seeking employment.
Microloans
Small financial loans provided to entrepreneurs, especially in developing countries, to encourage business growth.
Rostow Stages of Economic Growth
A model that describes economic development in five stages, from traditional societies to high mass consumption.
Dependency Theory
A theory arguing that developing countries are economically dependent on developed nations, limiting their growth.
Commodity Dependence
When a country's economy heavily relies on exporting one or a few raw materials.
Comparative Advantage
The economic principle that countries should specialize in producing goods they can make most efficiently.
Complementarity
A trade relationship where two regions provide goods or services that the other lacks.
Neoliberalism (Economy, not politics)
An economic approach favoring free markets, privatization, and deregulation to promote economic growth.
Deindustrialization
The decline of manufacturing industries in an economy, often due to automation or outsourcing.
Growth Poles
Economic hubs that stimulate surrounding areas with investment and innovation.
Tariffs
Taxes imposed on imported or exported goods to protect domestic industries or generate revenue.
Just-in-Time Delivery
A supply chain strategy where goods are produced and delivered only as needed to reduce inventory costs.
Fordism
A production system based on mass production and standardized goods, pioneered by Henry Ford.
Post-Fordism
A flexible production system with specialized, customized goods and decentralized manufacturing.
Offshore Outsourcing
The relocation of business processes to another country to reduce costs.
International Division of Labor
The global distribution of jobs and industries, where different regions specialize in specific economic activities.