Unit 6 Vocabulary

A comprehensive vocabulary list related to urban studies, covering key concepts in urbanization, city models, and their characteristics.

Site

The characteristics at an immediate location (think absolute location).

Situation

The location of a place relative to its surroundings and connections between other places (think relative location).

Urbanization

The process of developing towns and cities.

Suburbanization

The process of people moving, usually from cities, to residential areas on the outskirts of cities.

Forward Capital

A capital city moved for economic or tactical reasons to stimulate growth.

Megacity

Cities with more than 10 million residents.

Metacity

Urban areas with more than 20 million residents.

Urban Sprawl

Unrestricted growth in urban areas of housing, commercial development, and roads.

Boomburbs

Rapidly growing suburban cities representing a new metropolitan form.

Edge City

Economic centers on the fringe of a city with extensive office and retail space.

Exurbs

Prosperous residential districts beyond the suburbs.

Squatter Settlement

A residential area developed without legal claims to land.

World City

A city with global influence.

Primate Cities

Lead cities of a country in terms of size and influence.

Rank-Size Rule

The statistical relationship between the sizes of cities based on population.

Threshold

The size of population necessary for a service to exist profitably.

Range

The distance people will travel for services or goods.

Central Place Theory

Concerns the size and spacing of settlements as points for distributing goods and services.

Infrastructure

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

Brownfields

Abandoned sites with environmental contamination.

Farmland Protection Policies

Policies that protect valuable agricultural lands from suburban sprawl.

Urban Growth Boundaries

Limitations on the area a city can expand into.

Greenbelts

Undeveloped land around an urban area serving as boundaries to sprawl.

New Urbanism

City planning that emphasizes mixed-use neighborhoods.

Gentrification

Wealthier people moving into a poor urban area, improving it, and displacing current inhabitants.

Urban Sustainability

The ability of a city to meet present needs without compromising future generations.

Concentric Zone Model

An urban model depicting land use around a central business district.

Hoyt Sector Model

A model showing land use defined by sectors influenced by transportation lines.

Multiple Nuclei Model

A model illustrating cities developing specialized districts for various services.

Galactic City Model

An adapted model focusing on the decentralization of cities and the rise of edge cities.

Latin American City Model

A city model showing a traditional CBD surrounded by a commercial spine.

African City Model

A model with three CBDs and a mix of traditional and European-style urban structures.

Southeast Asian City Model

A city model with few distinct sectors focused on colonial ports and market gardening.