AP Human Geo. Unit 6 lessons 1-4 vocab

City

large settlement whose population is engaged in secondary and tertiary activity

central city

urban settlement that has been incorporated into an independent, self governing unit. (EX Tampa)

MSA (metropolitan statistical area)

the county that the central city is located in and its surrounding areas that are socioeconomically tied to the urban core (ex Hillsborough)

forward capitals

cities that are deliberately located in a country to promote development in less populated areas. These capitals are intended to further economic growth, political influence, and cultural significance.

site

the actual location of a city or settlement, characterized by its physical attributes and resources.

situation

the location of a city relative to its surrounding environment, including other cities and natural features.

urbanization

the process by which cities grow as populations increase, leading to the expansion of urban areas and changes in land use.

suburbanization

movement of the upper/middle class of people from urban areas to the surrounding outskirts

boomburg

rapidly growing suburban cities that represent a new metropolitan form.

urban sprawl

unrestricted growth in urban areas

megacity

city of 10 million or more residents

metacity

city of over 20 million or more residents

edge city

economic center on the edge of a city with very large infrastructure that is located off the side of a major highway or road.

exurb

residential districts that are located beyond the suburbs.

world city

a very influential city that’s name is very recognizable and functions at the very top of the worlds hierarchy (ex: Tokyo, New York, London)

megalopolis

when multiple large and expanding cities overlap with other nearby cities creating even larger urban areas.

primate cities

when the largest city in a country is more than twice the size of the second largest city in that country.

rank size rule

the “nth” largest city in a country should be “1/n” the size of the largest city

gravity model

predicts the degree of interaction between 2 places —— as distance increases there will be less movement between them

central place theory

Central place theory is a concept that explains how cities and towns are organized. It suggests that larger cities provide more services and goods than smaller towns, acting as central hubs for surrounding areas.

threshold

the amount of people and traffic needed to keep an area alive and open.

range

the distance that people will travel for a certain experience or service. ( bigger and scarcer places often have a much larger range)

CBD (Central business district)

the “downtown” of a city