ecumene
a variety of community types with a range of population densities
rural
farms and villages
low concentrations of people
urban
cities
high concentrations of people
suburbs
primarily residential areas near cities
settlement
a place with a permanent human population
urbanization
an ongoing process that does not end once a city Is formed
percent urban
an indicator of the proportion of the population that lives in cities and towns as compared to those that live in rural areas
site
describes the characteristics at the immediate location
EX: physical features, climate, labor force
situation
refers to the location of a place relative to its surroundings and its connectivity to other places
city-state
consists of an urban center/city and its surrounding territory and agricultural villages
urban hearth
areas generally associated with defensible sites and river valleys in which seasonal floods and fertile soils allowed for an agricultural surplus
urban area
is usually defined as a central city plus land developed for commercial, industrial, or residential purposes, and includes the surrounding suburbs
city
a higher-density area with territory inside officially recognized political boundaries
metropolitan area
metro area
a collection of adjacent cities economically connected across which population density is high and continuous
metropolitan statistical area
another way to define a city
consists of a city of at least 50,000 people
surrounds places with high social and economic integration, and connection
micropolitan statistical area
cities of more than 10,000 inhabitants but less than 50,000
surrounds countries with high degree of integration
nodal region
a focal point in a matrix of connections
social heterogeneity
groups where members have diverse characteristics such as differing races, religions, languages or socioeconomic statuses.
time-space compression
how transportation improvements has led urban growth
Borchert’s transportation model
describes the urban growth based on transportation technology
pedestrian cities
cities shaped by the distances people could walk
streetcar suburbs
communities that grew up along rail lines
often creates a pinwheel shaped city
suburbanization
involves the process of people moving usually from cities to residential areas on the outskirts of cities
sprawl
the rapid expansion of the spatial extent of a city and occurs for numerous reasons such as growth of suburbs or lower land costs compared to inner cities
leapfrog development
where developers purchase land and build communities beyond the periphery of the city’s built area
boomburbs
rapidly growing communities that have a total population of over 100,000 people and aren’t the largest city in the metro area
edge cities
nodes of economic activity that have developed in the periphery of large cities
counter-urbanization/deurbanization
the counter-flow of urban residents leaving cities
exurbs
the prosperous residential districts beyond the suburbs
reurbanization
when some suburbanites return to live in the city
megacities
have a population of more than 10 million people
metacities
hypercities
continuous urban areas with pops greater than 20 million and attributes of a network of urban areas that have grown together
megalopolis
describes a chain of connected cities
conurbation
an uninterrupted urban area made of towns, suburbs, and cities
world cities/global cities
cities that exert influence far beyond their national boundaries
EX: New York, London, Paris, Tokyo
urban hierarchy
a ranking based on influence or population size
nodal cities
command centers on a regional and occasionally national level
urban system
an interdependent set of cities that interact on the regional, national, and global scale
rank-size rule
describes one way in which the sizes of cities within a region may develop
high-order services
usually expensive
need a large number of people to support
only occasionally utilized
Lower-order services
usually less expensive than higher-order services and require a small population to support
used on daily or weekly basis
primate city
the largest city in an urban system that’s twice as large as the next largest city
more developed that other cities in the area
EX: London and Mexico city
gravity model
the larger and closer places are to each other they will have more interactions than places smaller and farther from each other
central place theory
explains the distribution of cities of different sizes across a region by using consumer behavior to explain the distribution of settlements
central place
a location where people go to receive goods and services
market area
a zone that contains people who will purchase goods or services and surrounds a central place
hexagonal hinterlands
a market area in the shape of a hexagon that allowed for central places of different sizes to distribute themselves in a clean pattern across the region
threshold
the size of population necessary for any particular service to exist and remain profitable
range
the distance people will travel to obtain specific goods or services
functional zones
the idea that portions of an urban area have specific and distinct purposes
central business district (CBD)
the commercial heart of the city
bid-rent theory
explains agricultural land use in central business districts: land in the center of the city will cost more than land farther from the city’s center
commensal relationship
when commercial interests benefit each other
EX: restaurants and clothing stores having safe zones
residential zones
areas where people live
concentric zone model/Burgess model
describes a city as a series of rings that surrounds a CBD
sector model/Hoyt’s model
describes how different types of land use and housing were all located near a CBD early in a city’s history and gre outward
Harris and Ullman multiple-nuclei model
studied changes in cities in the 1940s and suggested that functional zonation occurred around multiple centers/nodes
peripheral model
a variant of the multiple-nuclei model
describes suburban neighborhoods surrounding an inner city and served by nodes of commercial activity along a ring road or beltway
galactic city model
suburban growth results from the increase in built highways and improved transportation in and out of the city
mosque
the center of an Islamic city
usually surrounded by complex structures to serve the public (schools, soup kitchens)
citadel
a fort designed to protect the city
suqs
traditional outdoor markets or covered bazaars
Griffin-ford model
used to describe Latin American cities
puts a 2-part CBD in the center of the city and a traditional market center adjacent to it
commercial spine
a spine/corridor of theaters, parks, restaurants
mall
a growing secondary center that ends a commercial spine
periferico
the outer ring of the city that shows poverty and lack of infrastructure
shantytowns
areas of poorly built housing
favelas/barrios
neighborhoods marked by extreme poverty, homelessness and lawlessness
disamenity zones
areas that are not connected to city services and under the control of criminals
traditional CBD
existed before European colonization and has small shops clustered along the streets
colonial CBD
broad straight avenues and large homes, parks, and administrative centers
informal economy zone
curbside, car-side, and stall-based businesses that often hire people temporarily and do not follow all regulations
periodic markets
where small-scale markets congregate weekly or yearly to sell their goods
informal settlements/squatter settlements
densely populated settlements often on the outskirts of cities
EX: Kibera
McGee model
describes land use of cities in SE Asia
the focus of the city is often a former colonial port zone
zoning ordinances
Regulations that define how property in specific geographic regions may be used
Urban planning
A process of promoting growth and controlling change in land use
Residential zones
Those areas of a city devoted to where people live rather than to commercial or industrial functions
Inner city
Residential areas surrounding the CBD
Residential density gradient
The declining of population and housing unit density as one moves farther from the inner city
Filtering
A process where houses pass from one social group to another
Invasion and succession
The process by which one social or ethnic group gradually replaces another through filtering
Urban Infill
The process of increasing the residential density of an area by replacing open space and vacant, housing with residences
Also reduces urban sprawl on the outer edges of a city
Suburbanization of business
The movement of commerce out of cities to suburbs where rents are cheaper and commute for employees are shorter
Infrastructure
The facilities and systems that serve the population
Municipal
The local government of a city or town in the services it provides
Municipality
A local entity that is all under the same jurisdiction
Annexation
The process of adding land to a city’s legally defined territory
Incorporation
The act of legally joining together to form a new city
Bedroom communities
Commuter suburbs
Unincorporated areas
Populated regions that do not fall within the legal boundary of any city or municipality
Public transportation
Buses, subways, light rail, and trains that are operated by a government agency
Sustainability
Using the earths resources, will not causing permanent damage to the environment
Smart growth policies
Policies used to combat urban sprawl, and create a new vision for cities that are more sustainable and equitable
Green belts
Areas of undeveloped land around an urban area
Used to limit city’s growth, and preserve farmland
Slow growth cities
Cities that adopt policies to slow the outward spread of urban areas and place limits on building permits in order to encourage a denser more compact city
New urban design
A set of strategies used to put smart growth into action within communities
Mixed use neighborhood
Neighborhood with a mix of homes and businesses
Transit oriented development TOD
Locates mixed-use residential and business communities near mass transit stops
Livability
All the characteristics of a community that contribute to the quality of life of the people who live there.