Study Guide: Unit 6 AP Human Geography

What are Site and Situation factors?

Site factors are the physical features of a certain location like soil, water availability, landforms, etc. Situation factors are the place’s relative location to markets, trading, and other economic factors.

How do Transportation and Communication Networks influence urbanization?

Borchet’s Epochs of America says that America has urbanized based on transportation (sail/wagon > railroads > transcontinental railroads > auto/air). Good access to internet and phone service makes people more likely to move to places. Communication allows trade networks, so information travels with goods.

What is the impact of Population Growth & Migration on urbanization?

Rural to Urban is the biggest migration pattern across the world. People move to urban areas due to economic opportunity. Increased migration and population growth can lead to slums and squatter settlements.

How does Economic Development affect urbanization?

With more jobs, businesses, entertainment, educational, and housing, people will be more likely to move to a city where they have more economic opportunity. Certain cities have certain economic pull factors (Government-Washington, DC > Services-NYC > Manufacturing-Houston, Texas).

What role do Government Policies play in urbanization?

The government may invoke policies like financial incentives (tax breaks, lower housing costs, paying citizens, etc), for people to move to a city. This brings more people into urban areas.

What are Borchert’s Epochs of Transportation and why are they important to the rise of urbanization?

Borchert’s Epoch of transportation was important to urbanization because as transportation became more advanced over the years, cities became more spread out and specialized services increased. The increase in service and goods produced by cities were pull factors for new residents, causing urbanization.

What is suburban sprawl? Can you give an example?

Suburban sprawl is the spread of suburbs out into rural areas. One example in the U.S is Blythewood. Instead of living in downtown Columbia, Blythewood (suburb) is gaining more residents and services (restaurants, stores, businesses, schools, etc).

Define Edge Cities.

Edge Cities are a node of economic activity outside of the city on the outskirts (often near highways). They include offices, shopping centers, entertainment, and more.

What are Exurbs?

Exurbs are a low-density town beyond a suburb, but residents still commute to the CBD (or work from home).

What is a Boomburb?

A Boomburb is a rapidly growing suburb that was not expected to grow too large. Not dependent on a CBD.

How do world cities drive globalization and serve as hearths of culture?

Cities drive globalization by having many networks for countries around the world to connect. Cities have internet and social media access that allows multiple countries to spread culture in a matter of seconds. Also, transportation like highways and planes allow cities to be even more connected today than in the past. New York City is the home to many different cultures like Spanish Bodegas, Chinatown, and many others.

Describe the Rank-Size Rule and provide an example.

The rank size rule says the population of a city in a country is 1/n the size of the largest city depending on their rank (2nd largest-½, 3rd largest-⅓, and so on). A country that follows this rule is the U.S.

What is a primate city?

A primate city is a city that is 2x the size of the second largest city and dominates economically, socially, and politically. A country that follows this rule is France (Paris) or Mexico (Mexico City).

Describe the Gravity Model of cities.

The gravity model states that large cities that are close together are more likely to interact and that smaller cities are influenced by larger cities.

What is Christaller’s Central Place Theory?

Christaller's Central Place Theory explains the spatial distribution and hierarchy of cities, with central places being a large city that produces most goods/services to the surrounding area. It includes range (how far people are willing to travel for a good/service) and threshold (the minimum number of people needed to support a good/service).

Describe the Burgess Concentric Zones Model.

CBD is in the center. All the rings rely on the CBD for goods/services.

What is the significance of the Hoyt Sector Model?

CBD is in the center of the model; sectors are built along transportation routes. High/Middle Income homes are far away from industries for the same reason as concentric.

Describe the Multiple Nuclei Model.

There is a CBD, but throughout the model there are other business districts where citizens can buy goods.

What is the Galactic City Model?

CBD still present; it introduces suburbs that function like mini CBD’s with new services spread out due to highway systems.

Explain the Bid Rent Theory.

Land closer to the city is more expensive due to high demand and accessibility. Land farther away is cheaper and larger.

What characterizes the Latin American City Model?

It has a CBD and a modern market, with high quality products/services along a spine. It features an industrial park and low income housing on the outskirts.

What is the Southeast Asian City Model and its features?

Port/Export zone is a method for trade and transportation, with suburbs and squatter areas in the same region.

Describe the Sub Saharan African City Model.

Has 3 different zones: Traditional CBD, Colonial CBD, and Market Zone, with neighborhoods divided by ethnicity.

What are the three types of zoning policies?

Residential: Areas designated for homes/apartments, Industrial: Areas designated for factories and manufacturing, Commercial: Areas designated for businesses (stores, restaurants, offices).

Define infrastructure and give examples.

Infrastructure is the basic support system that keeps society and the economy running (transportation, police/fire, and wifi).

Define Urban Sustainability.

Urban sustainability is planning cities using resources to sustain us today while also ensuring we have them for the future.

Why are mixed-use developments important to urban growth?

Mixed use developments are important to urban growth because they decrease the need of cars, reduce the amount of pollution, and increase the efficiency of land use.

Compare quantitative data with qualitative data.

Quantitative data uses numbers and statistics while qualitative data describes the features of something (descriptions).

Describe housing-related issues: redlining, blockbusting, and housing affordability.

Redlining is when the government does not provide loans to certain races and ethnicities. Blockbusting is when real estate companies convince white families to sell their homes when minorities move in. Housing affordability leads to homelessness, overcrowding, and affects low income families.

What are disamenity zones?

Disamenity zones are areas that are unsafe to live in with dangerous terrain, often affecting minority families and cutting them off from services.

List three positives and negatives of gentrification.

Positives: Increased property value, better living conditions, lower crime rate. Negatives: Demolition of historical buildings, placelessness from new businesses, displacement leading to homelessness.

What are the challenges to urban sustainability?

Challenges include suburban sprawl causing loss of rural land, sanitation issues leading to health problems, climate change from energy consumption, air and water quality pollution, large ecological footprints, and high energy use.