Unit 7 APHG Review for AP Exam

Agglomeration

The clustering of similar businesses in close proximity to each other, which can lead to cost savings and increased efficiency.

Barriadas

Shantytowns or slums found in Latin American cities, often characterized by informal housing and lack of infrastructure.

Bid-Rent Theory

Explains how the price and demand for real estate change as the distance from the CBD increases.

Blockbusting

A practice where real estate agents convince white property owners to sell their houses at low prices due to fear that black families will move into the neighborhood.

CBD (Central Business District)

The commercial and business center of a city, often characterized by high land values and dense development.

Census Tract

A small, relatively permanent statistical subdivision of a county or equivalent entity, used by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Centrality

The functional dominance of cities within an urban system.

Centralization

The process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding decision-making, become concentrated within a particular location and/or group.

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 farther apart than smaller settlements and provide services for a larger number of people who are willing to travel farther.

Christaller, Walter

German geographer who developed Central Place Theory, concerning the development of cities as hubs for goods and services serving smaller, surrounding areas, and the size, number, and distribution of urban areas.

City

A conglomeration of people and buildings clustered together to serve as a center of politics, culture, and economics. Many activities and services are offered in an urbanized area such as a city.

Colonial City

Compared to older cities, these cities typically contain wider streets and public squares, larger houses surrounded by gardens, and much lower densities.

Commercialization

The transformation of an area of a city into an area attractive to residents and tourists alike in terms of economic activity.

Commuter Zone

The fifth ring in the concentric zone model that is beyond the continuous built-up area of the city.

Concentric Zone Model

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

Counterurbanization

The process of population movement from urban to rural areas, often driven by lifestyle changes.

Decentralization

The process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding decision-making, become concentrated within a particular location and/or group.

Deindustrialization

The decline of industrial activity in a region or economy.

Economic Base (Basic/Nonbasic)

Basic industries export their products or services outside the city, bringing in income; nonbasic industries serve the local population.

Edge City

A city that is located on the outskirts of larger cities and serves many of the same functions of urban areas, but in a sprawling, decentralized suburban environment.

Emerging Cities

Cities that are experiencing rapid growth due to industrialization and urbanization.

Employment Structure

The distribution of employment across various sectors of the economy, such as primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary sectors.

Entrepôt

A port, city, or trading post where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit.

Ethnic Neighborhood

A neighborhood, district, or suburb which retains some cultural distinction from a larger, surrounding area.

Favela

A Brazilian shack or shanty town; a slum.

Festival Landscape

A landscape of a place that is designed or organized to attract tourists and visitors for events and festivals.

Gateway City

A city that serves as a portal between two regions, often due to its location and infrastructure.

Gentrification

The restoration of run-down urban areas by the middle class, resulting in the displacement of lower-income people.

Ghetto

A part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups.

Globalization

The expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes to the point that they become global in scale and impact.

Great Cities

Cities that have a significant impact on global affairs, often due to their economic, political, or cultural influence.

High-Tech Corridors

Geographic areas that are home to a cluster of high-tech industries and research institutions.

Hinterland

The area surrounding a central place, from which it draws resources and services.

Hydraulic Civilization

A civilization that is based on the management and control of water resources.

Indigenous City

A city that is native to a particular region and has developed its own unique cultural and social structures.

Infrastructure

The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

Inner City

The central area of a major city, often characterized by poverty and social challenges.

Sector Model (Hoyt Model)

Cities develop in wedge-shaped sectors radiating out from the CBD, often based on transportation routes.

Multiple Nuclei Model

Cities grow from multiple centers (nuclei) rather than a single CBD; different activities cluster around distinct nodes.

Peripheral Model (Galactic City Model)

Describes post-industrial cities with suburban nodes and a decentralized CBD.

Latin American City Model (Griffin-Ford Model)

Combines elements of Latin American culture with globalization; includes a spine of development and a disamenity zone.

Southeast Asian City Model (McGee Model)

No formal CBD; includes port zones and hybrid land use due to colonial influence.

Sub-Saharan African City Model (De Blij Model)

Has three CBDs (colonial, traditional, and market), with squatter settlements on the outskirts.

Urbanization

The growth of cities and the migration of people into them.

Suburbanization

The movement of people from cities to residential areas on the outskirts.

Exurbanization

Movement of people from urban and suburban areas to rural communities while maintaining urban ties (e.g., commuting).

Edge Cities

Large nodes of office, retail, and residential space on the outskirts of major cities.

Boomburbs

Rapidly growing suburban cities that maintain suburban characteristics but rival urban cores in size.

Urban Sprawl

The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into the rural fringe.

Gentrification

The renewal and rebuilding of deteriorating areas, often resulting in displacement of lower-income residents.

Smart Growth

Urban planning that limits sprawl and promotes sustainable, walkable, mixed-use communities.

New Urbanism

Planning movement promoting environmentally friendly habits

Zoning Ordinance

Law that defines how property in specific geographic zones can be used.

Greenbelt

Areas of open land around cities where development is restricted to limit sprawl.

Urban Renewal

The process of redeveloping deteriorated inner-city areas.

Filtering

The process of housing passing from higher- to lower-income occupants over time.

Megalopolis

A continuous urban region made up of several large cities and their surrounding areas (e.g., BosWash corridor in the U.S.).

World Cities (Global Cities)

Cities that are important nodes in global economic systems (e.g., New York, London, Tokyo).

Primate City

A city that is disproportionately large and influential compared to others in the same country (e.g., Bangkok in Thailand).

Rank-Size Rule

The population of a city is inversely proportional to its rank in the urban hierarchy.

Urban Hierarchy

A ranking of cities based on size and functional complexity.

Central Place Theory

Explains the distribution and size of cities based on their provision of goods and services to surrounding areas.

Threshold

Minimum population needed to support a service.

Range

Maximum distance people are willing to travel for a service.

Squatter Settlements

Informal housing areas lacking legal ownership and basic infrastructure, common in rapidly urbanizing areas.

Infrastructure

Basic facilities and systems serving a city, such as transportation, water, and power.

Redlining

The discriminatory practice of denying loans or services to residents in certain areas based on racial or ethnic composition.

Blockbusting

Real estate tactic where fear of racial change in neighborhoods was used to encourage white flight and home sales.

Urban Heat Island Effect

Urban areas that are warmer than surrounding rural areas due to human activities and structures.

Food Desert

Urban areas where access to healthy food is limited due to lack of grocery stores.