Unit 6 Vocabulary

Rank-size rule

A principle that states that the population of a city is inversely proportional to its rank in the hierarchy of cities.

Central place theory

A spatial theory in urban geography that explains the size and distribution of human settlements.

Range

The maximum distance consumers are willing to travel for a particular good or service.

Threshold

The minimum market size needed to support a particular business.

Megacity

A metropolitan area with a total population in excess of 10 million people.

Burgess Concentric Zone Model

A model that describes urban social structures in concentric circles around a central point.

Hoyt’s model

An urban land use model that suggests cities develop along transportation corridors.

Multiple nuclei model

A model that suggests cities contain multiple centers of activity rather than one central hub.

Favelas

Informal settlements in Brazil characterized by substandard housing and little to no infrastructure.

Squatter settlements

Residential areas that develop on land that is not owned or claimed by the inhabitants.

Edge cities

Suburban areas that have developed their own economic centers outside of the traditional downtown.

Zoning Ordinance

Legal regulations that define how property in specific geographic zones can be used.

Gated communities

Residential areas that are secured by gates or walls and have controlled access.

Brownfields

Previously developed land that is not currently in use and may be contaminated.

Urban redlining

The practice of denying services to residents of certain areas based on race or ethnicity.

Gentrification

The process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste.

Food deserts

Areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.

Urban sprawl

The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into the surrounding rural land.

Greenbelts

Designated areas of open space maintained around cities to limit urban sprawl.

New Urbanism

A design movement that promotes walkable neighborhoods with mixed-use development.

Galactic city

A model of urban development that focuses on multiple nodes of urban land use.

Primate Cities

The largest city in a country that is disproportionately larger than the second largest city.

Quantitative data

Data that can be measured and expressed numerically.

Qualitative data

Data that is descriptive and conceptual rather than numerical.