Studied by 20 people
ecumene
the permanently inhabited portion of the earth’s surface
site
describes the characteristics at the immediate location
situation
refers to the location of a place relative to its surroundings and its connectivity to other places
city
a place where people come together to build a clustered settlement and have relatively high concentrations of people
metropolitan area
a collection of cities that are all economically connected and the population density is high and continuous
suburbanization
the process of people moving from cities to residential areas on the outskirts of cities
sprawl
the rapid expansion of the spatial extent of a city
leap-frog development
developers purchase land and build communities beyond the periphery of the city’s built area
edge cities
nodes of economic activity that have developed in the periphery of large cities. They formed because they are usually located by major transportation routes.
exurbs
the prosperous residential districts beyond the suburbs. They formed because people who live in ____ usually work remotely via technology and remove the need to commute.
boomburbs
rapidly growing communities with a total population of over 100k people but are not the largest city in the metro area. They formed because they develop differently than a traditional city.
counter-urbanization
the counter-flow of urban residents leaving cities
megacity
a city that has a population of more than 10 million people
metacity
a continuous urban area w/ a population greater than 20 million people and has a network of urban areas that have grown together to form a larger interconnected urban system
world cities
cities that exert influence far beyond their national boundaries. They typically have media hubs, financial centers w/ influential stock exchanges, banks, and headquarters of multinational corporations.
rank-size rule
describes one way in which the sizes of cities within a region may develop.
The Nth largest settlement is roughly 1/n the population of the largest settlement.
primate city
more developed than other cities in the system and more powerful
the gravity model
larger and closer places will have more interactions than places that are smaller and farther apart from each other
market area
(Christaller’s Central Place Theory) a zone that contains people who will purchase goods or services
threshold
(Christaller’s Central Place Theory) the size of the population necessary for any particular service to exist and remain profitable
range
(Christaller’s Central Place Theory) the distance people will travel to obtain specific goods or services
central business district
the commercial heart of a city and is the focus of transportation and services
bid-rent theory
explains that land in the center of a city will have higher value than land farther away from the CBD, meaning that land use will be more intense and costs will be higher closer to the CBD
industrial/commercial zone
the zone outside the CBD dedicated to industry and may include manufacturing, warehousing, and transportation. generally separated from residential areas.
zoning ordinances
regulations that define how property in specific geographic regions are used. The 3 categories are:
residential
commercial
industrial
residential density gradient
the variation of population and housing-unit density moving farther from the inner city. as one moves farther from the inner city, population and housing-unit density declines.
filtering
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 w/ residencies.
infrastructure
the facilities and systems that serve the population
redlining
the process by which banks refuse loans to those who want to purchase and improve properties in certain urban areas
blockbusting
when people of an ethnic group sold their homes upon learning that members of another ethnic group were moving into the neighborhood
inclusionary zoning
offers incentives for developers to set aside a percentage of housing for low-income renters or buyers
eminent domain
allows the government to claim private property from individuals, pay them for the property, and then use the land for the public good
gentrification
the process of converting an urban inner-city neighborhood from a mostly low-income, renter-occupied area to a predominantly wealthier, owner-occupied area of a city
informal settlements
densely populated areas built without coordinated planning and without sufficient public services for electricity, water, and sewage
zone of disamenity
abandoned land, or undeveloped open spaces such as parks
zone of abandonment
areas of a city that have been deserted by their owners for either economic or environmental reasons
environmental racism
the disproportionate exposure of minorities and the poor to pollution and its impacts and the unequal protection of their rights under the law
food deserts
urban zones that lack food zones and contribute to health problems for poorer residents
ecological footprint
the impact of human activity on the environment
brownfields
abandoned lots being targeted for development. They are visual reminders on the landscape of how the centers of cities have changed over time.
smart growth policies
policies made to combat urban sprawl and help cities become more sustainable and equitable
new urban design
a set of strategies to put smart growth into action within communities
transit-oriented development
locates mixed-use residential and business communities near mass transit stops, resulting in the creation of more compact communities, decreasing the need for automobiles
