Urban Patterns Vocab

site

the physical characteristics of a place

situation

the location of a place relative to another place

megacities

cities that have more than 10 million people

metacities

cities that have more than 20 million people

rank-size rule

the country's nth largest settlement is 1/n the population of the largest settlement

primate city rule

if the largest city in an urban system is MORE than twice as large at the next largest city

range

the maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a service

threshold

minimum number of people needed to support the service

squatter settlements

residential areas characterized by extreme poverty that usually exist on land just outside of cities

sprawl

development of new housing sites at locations that are not contiguous to the existing built-up area

gentrification

the restoration of deteriorated urban areas by wealthier people who move into, renovate, and restore housing and businesses

smart growth policies

urban planning that focuses on long term implications with sustainable design initiatives

mixed land use

land development that blends a combination of residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or industrial uses

new urbanism

smart growth policy that creates walkable, mixed land use neighborhoods with commercial and residential areas

brownfields

former industrial or commercial sites that are affected by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance which prevents further use