APHG Unit 6 Terms

Urban area

A city and its surrounding suburbs.

Metropolitan Area

A city and the surrounding areas that are influenced economically and culturally by the city.

Urban Sprawl

Areas of poorly planned low-density development surrounding a city.

Edge City

A type of city located on the outskirts of a larger city with commercial centers, office space, retail complexes, and other amenities typical of an urban center.

Boomburb

A suburb that has grown rapidly into a large and sprawling city with more than 100,000 residents.

Exurb

A typically fast-growing community outside of or on the edge of a metropolitan area connecting closely with the central city and suburbs.

Infill

Redevelopment that identifies and develops vacant parcels of land within previously built areas.

Primate City

The largest city in a country, which far exceeds the size of the next city in population and importance.

Threshold

In central place theory, the number of people needed to support a business.

Range

In central place theory, the distance someone is willing to travel for a good or service.

Megacity

A city with a population of more than 10 million people.

Metacity

A city with a population of more than 20 million people.

World Cities

A city that wields political, cultural, and economic influence on a global scale.

Nodes

The focal point of a functional region.

Disamenity Zones

A high-poverty urban area in a disadvantaged location containing various risks such as steep slopes and industrial land.

Squatter Settlements

An informal housing area characterized by overcrowding and temporary homes.

Zoning

The process of dividing a city into zones for certain land uses.

Ecological Footprint

The environmental impact of a person or community, expressed quantitatively.

Mixed-Use Development

A single-planned development designed to include multiple land uses.

Walkability

A measure of how safe and convenient it is to walk in an urban environment.

Transportation-Oriented Development

The creation of dense, walkable communities centered around a transit station.

Smart-Growth Policies

Policies that create sustainable communities through efficient development.

Mixed-use Zoning

Zoning that permits multiple land uses in the same space.

Traditional Zoning

Zoning that separates land uses based on types or functions.

New Urbanism

Development and urban reforms promoting walkable neighborhoods with diverse housing and jobs.

Slow Growth Cities

Cities that have implemented smart-growth policies to limit outward growth.

Urban Growth Boundary

A boundary limiting a city's expansion into rural areas.

Greenbelt

A ring of open space around an urban area to limit sprawl.

De Facto Segregation

Segregation resulting from settlement patterns rather than laws.

Redlining

Refusal to offer home loans based on a neighborhood's racial or ethnic makeup.

Blockbusting

A practice where real estate agents encourage white homeowners to sell at low prices out of fear of black families moving into the area.

Zones of abandonment

Areas deserted due to job loss and declining land value.

Filtering

The process of change in neighborhoods where wealthier groups vacate to lower-income groups.

Inclusionary Zoning Laws

Laws that create affordable housing through developer incentives.

Land Tenure

The legal rights associated with owning land.

Eminent Domain

A government's right to seize private property for public use.

Environmental injustice

How communities of color and poor people face more environmental burdens.

Urban Renewal

A movement in the 1950s-60s aimed at rebuilding downtowns with federal funds.

Regional Planning

Planning at a regional scale for housing and infrastructure coordination.

Brownfields

Abandoned, polluted industrial sites.

Central Business District (CBD)

The central area of a city where consumer services are concentrated.

Census Tract

An official count of people in a defined area.

Centralization

The level at which decision-making authority is concentrated in an organization.

Commuter Zone

The fifth ring in the concentric zone model beyond built-up areas.

Counterurbanization

Net migration from urban to rural areas.

Decentralization

The degree of decision-making authority granted to lower levels in an organization.

Favela

A Brazilian shanty-town typically found on city edges.

Gentrification

Renovations conforming to middle-class preferences.

Globalization

Processes making something worldwide in scope.

Greenfield

A previously undeveloped piece of land for potential industrial use.

Hinterland

The area around a central place from which people are attracted.

Informal sector

Economic activities not taxed or monitored by the government.

Megalopolis

An area of overlapping adjacent metropolitan areas.

Conurbation

An area of overlapping metropolitan areas.

Multiplier effect

Expansion of the money supply due to banking practices.

Planned communities

Communities carefully designed from inception.

Postindustrial city

A city transitioned to a service-based economy.

Postmodern urban landscape

Urban designs reconnecting people to place through architecture and land use.

Smart growth policies

Approaches to development promoting diverse community engagement and sustainability.

Specialization

The division of tasks within a system.

Underemployment

Employment that does not fully utilize a person's skills.

Urban growth rate

The rate at which an urban area expands.

Zones in Transition

Industrial areas with manufacturing facilities surrounding the commercial city center.

Rank Size Rule

A rule explaining size relations of cities within a country.

Central Place Theory

Theory describing spatial relationships between cities and their communities.

Concentric-Zone Model

A model showing urban growth in concentric rings.

Sector Model

A model depicting urban development in wedge-shaped divisions.

Multiple Nuclei Model

A model of urban growth around several nodes instead of one CBD.

Galactic City Model

A model showing economic activity moving away from the CBD to suburbs.

Latin American City Model

A model depicting a city structure with a central business district and poverty-stricken areas.

African City Model

A city model featuring multiple CBDs and concentric growth.

Southeast Asian City Model

A city model oriented around a port with multiple nodes.