Urban Patterns in Human Geography

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to urban geography, as discussed in the course notes.

Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA)

Grouping of census subdivisions comprising the urban core, urban fringes, and rural fringes, with a minimum of 100,000 people, of which at least 50,000 must reside in the core.

Urbanization

The process through which the proportion of a population living in cities increases.

Central Business District (CBD)

The commercial and business center of a city, typically characterized by a high concentration of businesses and services.

Megalopolis

A collection of adjacent or overlapping metropolitan areas that merge into a continuous urban region.

Sprawl

The development of relatively low-density suburbs at locations outside the existing built-up area, typically resulting in longer commutes and more urban spread.

Smart Growth

An urban planning approach that aims to produce compact and contiguous development while preserving rural land.

Concentric Zone Model

A model of urban land use that depicts a city as a series of concentric rings, expanding outward from the central business district.

Sector Model

A model that suggests a city grows in a series of sectors, or wedges, representing different types of land use and economic activity.

Multiple Nuclei Model

A city structure that comprises several centers, or nuclei, around which activities occur, rather than a single central business district.

Gentrification

The process by which higher-income individuals move into lower-income neighborhoods, often resulting in the displacement of existing residents.