Unit 6 Study Guide: Cities & Urban Land-Use Patterns & Processes Flashcards

Flashcards based on the Unit 6 Study Guide covering cities and urban land-use patterns.

What are the six main urban hearths?

Mesoamerica, Peru, Nile Valley, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, Huang He Valley

What are site factors?

Characteristics of a place that are specific to that location, such as climate, absolute location, and natural resources

What are situation factors?

Characteristics that are near a place and impact its growth, development, or daily life, such as rivers, roads, and relative location

How does transportation impact settlements?

Allows people to live farther away from urban areas, changes settlement patterns, and increases the amount of goods and services available

How has the internet impacted the spatial layout of urban areas?

Allowed people and businesses to leave urban areas, decreasing downtown traffic and leading to urban sprawl

What migration patterns occur as a society becomes more economically developed?

People emigrate from rural areas in favor of urban areas due to economic and social opportunities causing urban sprawl.

Give two reasons why counter-urbanization would occur.

1) The cost of living in the city increases. 2) People are looking for more land but still want to be connected to the city.

What are three ways a government can influence life in a settlement?

1) Implement price ceilings 2) Shift tax policies to increase public services in a city 3) Provide more resources and tax breaks for residents

What is the difference between a megacity and a metacity?

A metacity has a population higher than 20 million people, while a megacity has a population higher than 10 million.

How is the location of megacities and metacities changing?

More are located in periphery and semi-periphery countries due to population booms.

What is a boomburb?

A rapidly growing suburban city that has developed its own unique identity

What is an exurb?

A settlement that exists outside of a suburban area but remains connected to the metropolitan area

What is an edge city?

A settlement that has its own economic district and is located on the outskirts of a city near a beltway or major highway

What is urban decentralization?

The movement of a population away from an urban area to the peripheral areas, resulting in power and money shifting to the peripheral areas.

Describe the concept of urban hierarchy.

A system that classifies cities based on their population size, economic activity, and the level of global connectivity.

List the different characteristics of a global/world city.

These cities have a high degree of influence on the rest of the world; traditionally act as centers of global trade, finance, and culture; and tend to have a diverse population with a large variety of goods and services

What type of diffusion often occurs due to global cities?

Hierarchical diffusion. Information, goods/services, and cultures often move between different global cities first, then diffuse down to smaller settlements in the region and other large settlements in the state, eventually making it down to the state’s smaller settlements

What are linkages?

The connection between different places or regions (e.g., transportation linkages involve movement of goods and people)

What is a primate city?

A city that has twice the population of the next-largest city in the state

Describe two characteristics of life in a state with a primate city.

1) Unequal distribution of goods and services 2) The state will often become reliant on the primate city’s economy

What does it mean if a state follows the rank-size rule?

The population of the second-largest city in the state is half that of the largest city, with the third largest city being one-third the size, and the fourth being one-quarter the size

Explain how the gravity model predicts the interactions between different settlements.

The gravity model factors in the population size of settlements and the distance from other settlements. The larger the population of a settlement, the more likely it is that people/businesses/settlements will interact with it, even if they are geographically farther away

What does the central place theory show?

The spatial distribution of different settlements and goods/services

What is the difference between range and threshold in central place theory?

Threshold is the minimum number of people that are required to support any goods or service. Range is the maximum distance a consumer is willing to travel for a certain good or service

Describe the spatial layout of the central place theory.

The model arranges settlements based on their urban hierarchy. The city has the most pull factors and has smaller settlements (villages) located around it. As you move farther away from the city, you start to see more mid-sized settlements (towns/market towns) spaced out, with smaller settlements surrounding them.

Describe the spatial layout of the Burgess concentric-zone model.

The CBD is at the center, surrounded by different industries and lower-income residents. As you move outward from the CBD, you start to encounter newer homes and lower-density areas. (The model uses rings for each zone)

Explain one way in which European cities differ from cities in the United States, according to the notes.

European cities often have wealthier residents located closer to the CBD, while cities in the United States have wealthier residents located farther away. One reason for this is public transportation

Describe the spatial layout of the Hoyt sector model.

The CBD is at the center, with sectors or wedges extending outwards. Going through the center of the settlement is transportation systems, connecting almost every section of the city. Different economic and environmental factors determine each sector

Describe the spatial layout of the multiple nuclei model.

The model has one large CBD; however, it also has smaller nodes located throughout the city. Each node attracts different goods, services, and people. People generally live in areas of the city that are near their work and share a similar economic background.

Describe the spatial layout of the galactic (peripheral) model.

This focuses on a city with a service-based economy. The CBD is still in the center. However, the city now has more advanced infrastructure throughout the city. Surrounding the city is a beltway on which different edge cities and settlements are located.

What is a beltway?

A highway that surrounds an urban area

Describe the spatial layout of the Latin American city model.

In the center is the CBD and market. Surrounding the center are residential neighborhoods, some of which have been gentrified. Extending outwards from the CBD is the spine, where many of the more wealthy businesses and residents live. Surrounding the city are informal settlements and squatter settlements

Briefly explain why informal settlements and squatter settlements are located on the Latin American city model’s periphery.

These cities tend to be in countries that are in stage 2 of the demographic transition model, meaning that the state has a high RNI and many residents are moving to urban areas

Briefly explain how the CBD in the sub-Saharan African city model is different from the other models.

This model has three different CBDs: a colonial CBD, a traditional CBD, and a market zone

Describe the spatial layout of the sub-Saharan African city model.

In the center are three different CBDs, surrounded by mixed and segregated neighborhoods. Infrastructure near the city center is the most robust; however, in the periphery areas, it is often lacking. Historically, roads have been used to segregate parts of the city, with the poorest individuals living in the surrounding informal settlements

What are three reasons for the Southeast Asian city model having a port instead of a CBD?

1) Geography of the region 2) Historical developments such as trading posts 3) Rapid urbanization in the area

Describe the spatial layout of the Southeast Asian city model.

The port is the center of commerce, with everything in the city extending outwards from it. Next to the port is the government zone, alien commerce zone, and mixed land-use zone. This is due to the amount of trade and commerce that occurs in the city. Residential and industrial areas are located farther away from the port. Residential zones in the center of the city have mixed socioeconomic neighborhoods, with the wealthiest located on the side of the city

What is the density gradient?

A gradual change in the density of a settlement from the center to the periphery

Explain how the bid-rent theory impacts the internal structure of a city.

The closer you are to the CBD, the more expensive land is. As you move farther away from the CBD, the price of land goes down. People who wish to purchase land will consider the use of the land before developing. Any projects that require a larger amount of land and have lower transportation costs will be located farther away from the CBD. Buildings that are close to the CBD are more likely to expand vertically than horizontally, while buildings farther away from the CBD are more likely to expand horizontally

What are mixed-use buildings?

Multi-story buildings that have multiple uses and functions

Define the built landscape.

The physical environment created by human beings, including buildings, streets, and other structures that shape the space people inhabit

What is infrastructure?

The physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for a society, system, or organization to function

How do investments in a city's infrastructure impact life in the city?

Society often sees increased economic development, more opportunities for citizens, increased trade, and a higher standard of living for all residents

Explain how transportation's evolution has impacted urban areas' spatial layout.

Mass production of cars facilitated the growth of suburbs and a shift from vertical landscapes to a horizontal spread. Citizens started to move out of the CBD and into the suburbs (sprawl). With the rise of public transportation, more people are connected to different goods and services than ever before, creating more economic opportunities for all

How would expanding a city's public transportation offerings to the suburbs hurt the environment?

Expanding public services often makes it easier to get in and out of a city, which would lead to greater counter-urbanization. This would result in urban sprawl and expand the city’s ecological footprint

What is urban sustainability?

An urban environment that promotes sustainable economic and social growth while also promoting environmental sustainability

What is the difference between social and economic sustainability?

Economic sustainability focuses on creating inclusive economic development that offers equal opportunities for all residents. Social sustainability focuses on creating communities that provide education, healthcare services, and social opportunities for all residents

What are smart growth policies?

Urban policies that seek to reduce urban sprawl and protect farmland surrounding the city

What is a Greenbelt?

An area of land outside an urban area that is set aside for conservation or recreational purposes

What is urban sprawl?

The unrestricted growth and expansion of an urban or suburban area into the surrounding countryside

What is New Urbanism?

Urban planning that seeks to create compact and walkable cities that are sustainable and socially connected. (Often reflects European urban life)

What are slow-growth cities?

Urban areas that promote sustainable growth by limiting new development in the city’s periphery

Define growth boundaries.

Boundaries put in place to control urban sprawl by only allowing development to occur within the boundaries

What is infill development?

Building within an existing developed area on land that is unused or underdeveloped

What is transit-oriented development?

Strategically locating public transit stations throughout a city to reduce dependence on automobiles and provide convenient and accessible public transportation options

What are smart cities?

Cities that utilize technology and data to reduce inefficiencies, optimize resource usage, and improve residents’ quality of life

What is de facto segregation?

The separation of people along racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic lines that is not officially enforced by laws or regulations

What is Gentrification?

The process of an urban area being revitalized, leading to the displacement of lower-income residents by wealthier residents

What is the difference between qualitative data and quantitative data?

Qualitative data is often up for debate and discussion; this information will change depending on how it is collected. Most of the time, this data is in word form and is based on people’s opinions. Quantitative data is often in number form and is not up for debate; this information is used to understand specific facts and details about a place

Explain what redlining was.

A discriminatory practice where banks refused to provide loans to people who lived in neighborhoods deemed risky. (Risky neighborhoods were often minority neighborhoods)

Describe the process of blockbusting.

In this discriminatory practice, real estate agents would use misinformation about minority communities moving into a neighborhood to motivate white homeowners to sell their homes at a lower price. Once the agent purchased the property at a discount, they would then resell it at a higher price to a minority buyer who was previously excluded from the neighborhood

What is white flight?

A phenomenon in which white residents migrate out of an urban area to a suburban area in large numbers

What is urban blight?

The deterioration and decay of buildings in an urban area. It results in buildings losing almost all value and being abandoned, stripped, and often vandalized

Describe the concept of environmental injustice.

The disproportionate distribution of environmental hazards amongst different social groups.

Define deindustrialization.

The decline of industrial production and manufacturing in an economy or region

What is the difference between a disamenity zone and an informal settlement?

A disamenity zone is an area or region within a city that lacks public services and quality infrastructure and has a higher concentration of crime, poverty, and sometimes squatter settlements. Informal settlements, or squatter settlements, are residential areas that have been developed without the people who live there having a legal claim to the land

What programs attract people back to an area by promoting economic growth and creating new opportunities for residents?

Revitalization programs

What are inclusionary zones?

Areas with local policies in place, legal requirements, or incentives for developers to create affordable housing for lower-income families

How does the fragmentation of governments create challenges for cities?

With all these different layers of government, programs can become complicated due to the large bureaucracy

Why does urban sprawl negatively impact a city’s sustainability?

It stretches city resources over a large geographical area, increasing taxes, driving up construction costs, destroying the natural landscape, and reducing the health of neighborhood communities

What do we mean when we talk about a city's ecological footprint?

The amount of land and resources used to support a city’s population

What is a brownfield site?

An abandoned property that was previously used for industrial or commercial purposes and is contaminated with hazardous pollutants

What do farmland protection policies do?

They seek to protect agricultural land by zoning the land for agricultural use only