AP Human Geography Unit 6: Urbanization and Land Use

Action space

The geographical area that contains the space an individual interacts with on a daily basis.

Beau Arts

This movement within city planning and urban design that stressed the marriage of older, classical forms with newer, industrial ones. Common characteristics of this period include wide thoroughfares, spacious parks, and civic monuments that stressed progress, freedom, and national unity.

Boomburb

A large, rapidly growing city that is suburban in character but resembles population totals or large urban cores.

Borchert's Epochs

According to the geographer John R. Borchert, American cities have undergone five major epochs, or periods, of development shaped by the dominant forms of transportation and communication at the time. These include the sail-wagon epoch (1790-1830), iron horse epoch (1830-1870), steel rail epoch (1870-1920), auto-air-amenity epoch (1920-1970), and satellite-electronic-jet propulsion and high-technology epoch (1970-present).

Central business district

The downtown or nucleus of a city where retail stores, offices, and cultural activities are concentrated; building densities are usually quite high; and transportation systems converge.

Central-Place Theory

A theory formulated by Walter Christaller in the early 1900s that explains the size and distribution of cities in terms of a competitive supply of goods and services to dispersed populations.

City Beautiful Movement

Movement in environmental design that drew directly from the Beaux Arts school. Architects from this movement strove to impart order on hectic, industrial centers by creating urban spaces that conveyed a sense of morality and civic pride, which many feared was absent from the frenzied new industrial world.

Colonial cities

Cities established by colonizing empires as administrative centers. Often they were established on already existing native cities, completely overtaking their infrastructures.

Concentric-Zone Model

Model that describes urban environments as a series of rings of distinct land uses radiating out from a central core, or central business district.

Edge cities

Cities that are located on the outskirts of larger cities and serve many of the same functions of urban areas, but in a sprawling, decentralized suburban environment.

Environmental justice

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, 'the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.'

European cities

Cities in Europe that were mostly developed during the Medieval Period and that retain many of the same characteristics, such as extreme density of development with narrow buildings and winding streets, an ornate church that prominently marks the city center, and high walls surrounding the city center that provided defense against attack.

Exurbanite

Person who has left the inner city and moved to outlying suburbs or rural areas.

Feudal cities

Cities that arose during the Middle Ages and that actually represent a time of relative stagnation in urban growth. This system fostered a dependent relationship between wealthy landowners and peasants who worked their land, providing very little alternative economic opportunities.

Forward capital

A capital city placed in a remote or peripheral area for economic, strategic, or symbolic reasons.

Galactic City Model

A circular-city model that characterizes the role of the automobile in the post-industrial era.

Gateway cities

Cities that, because of their geographic location, act as ports of entry and distribution centers for large geographic areas.

Great Migration

An early 20th-century mass movement of African Americans from the Deep South to the industrial North, particularly Chicago.

Urban Hearths

The six main urban hearths are Mesoamerica, Peru, Nile Valley, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, Huang He Valley.

Site Factors

Characteristics of a place that are specific to that location, such as climate, absolute location, and natural resources.

Situation Factors

Characteristics that are near a place and impact its growth, development, or daily life, including rivers, roads, and relative location.

Proximity

References relative location; for example, a city's proximity to a major river allows for easy access to water transportation and trade routes.

Coastal Positioning

A city positioned along a coastline with access to a deep-water harbor allows for trade and commerce.

Agricultural Soils

The presence of rich agricultural soils and favorable climate in a region allows for productive farming.

Political Stability

Mr. Sinn Land is located inside a politically stable region, free from conflicts and wars, which attracts new businesses to the area.

Transportation Impact

Transportation allows people to live farther away from urban areas, changes settlement patterns and business locations, and increases the amount of goods and services across a geographic area.

Internet Impact

The internet has allowed people and businesses to leave urban areas in favor of the suburbs, decreasing traffic downtown and leading to more urban sprawl.

Migration Patterns

As a society becomes more economically developed, people tend to emigrate from rural areas in favor of urban areas.

Counter-Urbanization Reasons

Counter-urbanization may occur due to the cost of living in the city increasing and people looking for more land while still wanting to be connected to the city.

Government Influence

Governments can influence life in a settlement by implementing price ceilings, shifting tax policies to increase public services in a city, and providing more resources and tax breaks for residents.

Urban Decentralization

The movement of a population away from an urban area to the peripheral areas, resulting in power and money shifting to the peripheral areas.

Urban Hierarchy

A system that classifies cities based on their population size, economic activity, and the level of global connectivity.

Global/World City Characteristics

These cities have a high degree of influence on the rest of the world; traditionally act as centers of global trade, finance, and culture; and tend to have a diverse population with a large variety of goods and services.

Hierarchical Diffusion

Information, goods/services, and cultures often move between different global cities first, then diffuse down to smaller settlements in the region and other large settlements in the state, eventually making it down to the state's smaller settlements.

Linkages

The connection between different places or regions (e.g., transportation linkages involve movement of goods and people).

Transportation Linkages

The movement of goods and people.

Economic Linkages

Connections between countries or regions in terms of trade and/or investment.

Primate City

A city that has twice the population of the next-largest city in the state.

Rank-Size Rule

The population of the second-largest city in the state is half that of the largest city, with the third largest city being one-third the size, and the fourth being one-quarter the size.

Boom Burb

A rapidly growing suburban city that has developed its own unique identity.

Exurb

A settlement that exists outside of a suburban area but remains connected to the metropolitan area.

Edge City

A settlement that has its own economic district and is located on the outskirts of a city near a beltway or major highway.

Examples of Global Cities

1) New York 2) London 3) Paris 4) Tokyo

Characteristics of Life in a State with a Primate City

1) Unequal distribution of goods and services 2) The state will often become reliant on the primate city's economy.

Examples of a State with a Primate City

1) Mexico City 2) Seoul

Characteristics of Life in a State that Follows the Rank-Size Rule

1) Goods and services will be dispersed throughout society 2) More opportunities for citizens exist outside of the largest settlement.

Migration to larger settlements

People are more likely to migrate to larger settlements because they offer more economic, social, and political opportunities.

Burgess concentric zone model

A model that arranges urban areas in concentric rings around a central business district (CBD).

European cities vs. U.S. cities

European cities often have wealthier residents located closer to the CBD, while U.S. cities have wealthier residents located farther away.

Outdated urban models

Models have become outdated due to globalization, advancements in transportation, and changes in production of goods and services.

Hoyt sector model

A model that arranges urban areas in sectors or wedges extending outwards from the CBD.

Node in urban model

A section of the city that attracts certain people based on the type of jobs available, such as industrial jobs attracting workers in that industry.

Galactic (peripheral) model

A model focusing on a city with a service-based economy and advanced infrastructure, surrounded by a beltway with edge cities.

Beltway

A highway that surrounds an urban area.

Example of galactic model

Atlanta.

Latin American city model

A model where the CBD and market are at the center, surrounded by residential neighborhoods and informal settlements.

Market in the center of the city

A market exists in the center of the city due to European colonizers creating cities with a central plaza or square.

Informal and squatter settlements

These settlements are located on the periphery of the model, often in countries that are in stage 2 of the demographic transition model.

CBD in sub-Saharan African city model

This model has three different CBDs: a colonial CBD, a traditional CBD, and a market zone.

Spatial layout of the sub-Saharan African city model

In the center are three different CBDs, surrounded by mixed and segregated neighborhoods. Infrastructure near the city center is the most robust; however, in the periphery areas, it is often lacking.

Informal satellite townships in sub-Saharan Africa

Due to the growing population in this region, many people are moving to urban areas. However, migrants often lack the money and opportunities to live in the city, so they settle in this outer ring.

Reasons for Southeast Asian city model having a port instead of a CBD

1) Geography of the region 2) Historical developments such as trading posts 3) Rapid urbanization in the area.

Spatial layout of the Southeast Asian city model

The port is the center of commerce, with everything in the city extending outwards from it. Next to the port is the government zone, alien commerce zone, and mixed land-use zone.

Characteristics of high-density areas

1) Buildings are often clustered together, resulting in taller buildings with smaller lot sizes 2) People utilize public transportation more 3) A large variety of goods/services is available.

Mixed-use buildings

Multi-story buildings that have multiple uses and functions.

Example of a mixed-use building

A building may have apartments on the upper levels, offices on the intermediate floors, and retail on the street level, along with an underground parking facility.

Medium-density areas

Increased number of single-family homes, more homes with a front and backyard, retail stores separated from residential areas.

Low-density areas

Homes have large lot sizes, residents depend on personal vehicles, more greenspaces and larger roadways.

Built landscape

The physical environment created by human beings, including buildings, streets, and other structures that shape the space people inhabit.

Infrastructure

The physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for a society, system, or organization to function.

Examples of infrastructure

Electrical grids, transportation systems, hospitals and schools, utilities.

Impact of infrastructure investment

Society often sees increased economic development, more opportunities for citizens, increased trade, and a higher standard of living for all residents.

Transportation's evolution impact

Mass production of cars facilitated the growth of suburbs and a shift from vertical landscape to a horizontal spread.

Suburbs and transportation advancements

The interstate system and the automobile allowed citizens to travel large distances in a short amount of time, transforming the urban landscape.

Communications system investment

As more people become connected to the internet and other regions, they can gain access to more information, reducing inequality.

Public transportation expansion impact

Expanding public services often makes it easier to get in and out of a city, leading to greater counter-urbanization and urban sprawl.

Problems from lack of infrastructure investment

Schools and hospitals could become overcrowded, roads and electrical grids could fail, public services may be unable to serve all citizens equally.

Urban sustainability

An urban environment that promotes sustainable economic and social growth while also promoting environmental sustainability.

Difference between social and economic sustainability

Economic sustainability focuses on creating inclusive economic development that offers equal opportunities for all residents. Social sustainability focuses on creating communities that provide education, healthcare services, and social opportunities for all residents.

Greenbelt

An area of land outside an urban area that is set aside for conservation or recreational purposes.

New urbanism

Urban planning that seeks to create compact and walkable cities that are sustainable and socially connected. (Often reflects European urban life.)

Slow-growth cities

Urban areas that promote sustainable growth by limiting new development in the city's periphery.

Growth boundaries

Boundaries put in place to control urban sprawl by only allowing development to occur within the boundaries.

Transit-oriented development

Strategically locating public transit stations throughout a city to reduce dependence on automobiles and provide convenient and accessible public transportation options.

Smart cities

Cities that utilize technology and data to reduce inefficiencies, optimize resource usage, and improve residents' quality of life.

De facto segregation

The separation of people along racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic lines that is not socially enforced by laws or regulations.

Positive impacts of urban planning

Can create a community feel, create entertainment, promote the arts, promote healthy living, create job opportunities, protect the environment, and create opportunities for citizens.

Negative impacts of urban planning

Can create a cycle of poverty, limit opportunities for citizens, increase crime, push businesses out of a city, destroy local history, create environmental problems, and increase health concerns in an area.

Uses of qualitative data

1) Officials may utilize social media to gauge public opinion on policies. 2) Focus groups can be conducted to understand life in the region.

Uses of quantitative data

1) Census data can be used to see where to build new schools and hospitals. 2) Crime data can be used to determine where in a city the police force needs to be increased.

Economic Divide from Redlining

African Americans and other minority groups denied home loans missed out on years of economic gain from owning property. In contrast, white America increased their property value, sold their home, and bought a larger property.

White Flight

A phenomenon in which white residents migrate out of an urban area to a suburban area in large numbers.

Urban Blight

The deterioration and decay of buildings in an urban area, resulting in buildings losing almost all value and being abandoned, stripped, and often vandalized.

Environmental Injustice

The disproportionate distribution of environmental hazards among different social groups.

Food Desert

Areas that traditionally have less political representation and fewer public services, businesses, and amenities that would counter environmental injustices.

Deindustrialization

The decline of industrial production and manufacturing in an economy or region.

Disamenity Zone

An area or region within a city that lacks public services and quality infrastructure and has a higher concentration of crime, poverty, and sometimes squatter settlements.

Informal Settlement

Residential areas that have been developed without the people who live there having a legal claim to the land.

Revitalization Programs

Programs put in place to attract people back to an area by promoting economic growth and creating new opportunities for residents.

Inclusionary Zones

Areas with local policies in place, legal requirements, or incentives for developers to create affordable housing for lower-income families.