APHUG Unit 7- Urbanization

Annexation

Legally adding land area to a city in the United States

Bid-Rent Curve

A geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand for real estate change as the distance from the central business district (CBD) increases

Blockbusting

A process by which real-estate agents convince white property owners to sell their houses at low prices because of fear that persons of color will soon move into the neighborhood

Boomburbs

A large, rapidly-growing city that remains essentially suburban in character, even as it reaches populations more typical of urban core cities

Brownfield

A former industrial or commercial site that is underutilized or abandoned and may be contaminated, making redevelopment challenging.

Central Business District (CBD)

The area of a city where retail and office activites are clustered

Central Place

A market center for the exchange of services by people attracted from the surrounding area

Central Place Theory

A theory that explains the distribution of services based on the fact that settlements serve as centers of market areas for services; larger settlements are fewer and further apart than smaller settlements and provide services for a larger amount of peole who are willing to travel farther

City-State

A sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate hinterland

Concentric Zone Model (Burgress)

A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are spatially arranged in a series of rings

Decentralization

The tendency of people or businesses and industry to locate outside the central city

Density Gradient

The change in density in an urban area from the center to the periphery

Economic Base

A community’s collection of basic industries

Edge City

A large node of office and retail activities on the edge of an urban area

Enclosure Movement

The process of consolidating small land-holdings into a smaller number of larger farms in England during the 18th century

Exurbs

A low-density, urban-dependent area located further from a city's core than suburbs, but still within its commuting zone

Food Desert

An area in a developed country where healthy food is difficult to obtain

Gentrification

A process of converting an urban neighborhood from a predominantly low income, renter-occupied area to a predominantly middle class, owner-occupied area

Ghetto

A spatially confined area within a city where members of a particular ethnic or racial group are concentrated, often as a result of political, social, legal, or economic pressures, leading to involuntary clustering

Greenbelt

A ring of land maintained as parks, argiculture,, or other types of open space to limit the sprawl of an urban area

Hinterland

The area surrounding a central place from which people are attracted to use the place’s goods and services.

Megacity

A city with a population exceeding 10 million people

Megalopolis

A continuous urban complex in the northeastern United States

Metacity

A large urban area with over 20 million inhabitants

Multiple nuclei model (Harris & Ullman)

A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a collection of modes of activities

New Urbanism

A movement in urban planning that emphasizes walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods and sustainable development

Peak Land Value Intersection

The point within a city's Central Business District (CBD) where land values are at their highest

Peripheral (or Galactic) model (Harris)

Describes a city with a decentralized structure where the traditional central business district (CBD) is less dominant, and multiple suburban nodes, or "edge cities," take on greater importance

Primate City

The largest settlement in the country, if it has more than twice as many people as the second ranking settlement

Public Housing

Government-owned and rented housing for low-income residents

Public Services

Services offered by the government to provide security and protection for citizens and businesses

Range

Maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a good or service.

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

Redlining

The discriminatory practice of denying financial services, particularly loans and mortgages, to residents of specific geographic areas, often based on race or ethnicity(by banks)

Revitalization

The process of rejuvenating or renewing a declining area, often a city or neighborhood, through investments, development, and community engagement

Sector Model (Hoyt)

An urban land use theory developed by economist Homer Hoyt in 1939, suggesting that cities grow outward from a central business district (CBD) in wedge-shaped sectors, rather than concentric rings.

Service

Any activity that fulfills a human want or need and returns money to those who provide it

Settlement

A permanent collection of buildings and inhabitants

Smart Growth

An urban planning approach that emphasizes sustainable and environmentally friendly development while reducing urban sprawl

Suburban Sprawl

The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into the surrounding countryside, often characterized by low-density residential housing, single-use zoning, and increased reliance on private automobiles

Squatter Settlement

A residential area within a city where people illegally establish homes on land they don't own or rent, often creating makeshift structures(favelas)

Suburb

A residential area located on the outskirts of a city, typically characterized by lower population density and often dominated by single-family homes

Threshold

The minimum number of people needed to support a service

Urban Area

A region with high population density and significant economic activity, typically characterized by cities and towns

Urbanization

An increase in the percentage of the number of people living in urban settlements

White Flight

The large-scale migration of white residents from urban areas or inner suburbs to suburban areas, often triggered by the influx of minority populations

World City

A metropolitan area that functions as a primary node in the global economic network, acting as a command and control center for global financial, cultural, and material flows(New York, London, Tokyo)

Zoning Ordinance

A legal tool used by local governments to regulate land use within specific geographic areas