Cities & Urban Land-Use Vocabulary

Flashcards covering important vocabulary terms related to Cities and Urban Land-Use.

Annexation

The process of legally adding land area to a city.

Bid-rent curve

A graphical representation showing the relationship between the price of land and its proximity to the central business district.

Blockbusting

The practice of inducing panic selling in a neighborhood for profit.

Boomburbs

Rapidly growing suburban cities that connect with urban areas.

Multiple nuclei model (Harris & Ullman)

A model suggesting that cities have multiple centers of development.

New Urbanism

An urban design movement promoting walkable neighborhoods with mixed-use development.

Peak land value intersection (PLVI)

The point in the urban area where land values are at their highest.

Peripheral (aka Galactic) model (Harris)

A model that depicts a city as having a central area and surrounding suburbs connected by highways.

Primate city

A city that is the largest and typically the political, economic, and cultural center of its country.

Brownfield

Previously developed land that is not currently in use and may be contaminated.

Central Business District (CBD)

The commercial and business center of a city.

Public housing

Government-subsidized housing for low-income residents.

Central place

A settlement that provides goods and services to the surrounding area.

Public services

Services provided by the government to its citizens.

Central place theory

A geographical theory that seeks to explain the size, number, and location of human settlements.

City-State

A sovereign state that consists of a city and its dependent territories.

Concentric zone model (Burgess)

A model depicting urban land use in concentric circles expanding outward from the center.

Decentralization

The process of redistributing or dispersing functions, powers, people, or decision-making away from a central location.

Density gradient

A change in density in an urban area from the center to the periphery.

Economic base

The main economic activities that support a city's economy.

Edge city

A relatively large urban area situated on the outskirts of a city.

Enclosure movement

The process of consolidating small landholdings into fewer large farms.

Exurbs

Residential areas situated outside the suburbs, typically more rural.

Food desert

An area with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.

Gentrification

The process of urban renewal that leads to the displacement of lower-income residents.

Ghetto

An area of a city predominantly inhabited by a minority group.

Greenbelt

A zone of land designated for maintaining open space and preventing urban sprawl.

Hinterland

The area surrounding a city that is economically tied to it.

Megacity

A metropolitan area with a population of over 10 million.

Megalopolis

A densely populated urban area that contains multiple cities and suburbs.

Metacity

An urban area with more than 20 million inhabitants.

Range

The maximum distance consumers are willing to travel for a good or service.

Rank-size rule

A principle that states that the population of a city is inversely proportional to its rank.

Redlining

The discriminatory practice of denying services to residents of certain areas based on race or income.

Revitalization

The process of improving and restoring urban areas.

Sector model (Hoyt)

A model of urban land use proposing that cities develop in sectors radiating out from the center.

Service

An action or activity that satisfies a customer's needs.

Settlement

A community of people living together.

Smart growth

Urban planning that focuses on sustainable development.

(Suburban) Sprawl

The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into the surrounding rural land.

Squatter settlement

A residential area established by people who occupy land illegally.

Suburb

A residential area situated on the outskirts of a city.

Threshold

The minimum market size needed to support a business.

Urban area

A human settlement with high population density and infrastructure.

Urbanization

The movement of people from rural areas to cities.

White flight

The phenomenon of white residents moving out of neighborhoods as minorities move in.

World city

A city that has significant influence on global economic systems.

Zoning ordinance

Laws regulating land use and development in urban areas.