Urban Environments Vocabulary

Urban Settlements

A settlement that has more than 5000 people and performs high order functions in the hierarchy of settlements.    

Sphere of Influence

Sphere of influence is the distance that people are willing to travel to a certain place

Threshold population - the minimum number of people needed to support a settlement of service

Range - the maximum distance people are willing to travel to obtain a particular service

CBD

Central Business District is the focal point of a city for commercial, retail, business and services

Informal Economy

An informal economy is a sector of any economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government.

Urbanisation

A greater proportion of people living in urban than rural areas

Natural Increase

When number of births is greater than the number of deaths

Gentrification

Reinvestment of money into inner city areas, especially in residential and commercial area   

Rural-urban migration

the movement of people from rural to urban areas

Urban Sprawl

The unplanned and uncontrolled physical expansion of an urban area into the surrounding countryside.

Suburbanisation

The outward movement of people and business from the inner city towards the city outskirts.

Counter-urbanisation

The movement of population away from inner urban areas to rural areas.

Centripetal population movement

Movement into or towards a city

Centrifugal population movement

Movement of people from urban to rural or suburban areas.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure is the basic physical and organisational structures and facilities needed for operations of a society or enterprise.

Deindustrialisation (positive + negative)

The sustained decline in manufacturing activities and capacity.

positive - industries reduce workforce to increased productivity through mechanisation making their industries more competitive.

negative - industries decline without any compensating rise in productivity or mechanisation

Industrialisation

The growth in manufacturing or secondary industries

Urban heat island effect

An urban heat island occurs when a city experiences much warmer temperatures than nearby rural areas.

Urban microclimates

Distinctive climate of a small scale such as a garden, park, valley, or part of a city.

Contested Land Use

Land that has the potential to attract a wide array of interests from different stakeholders in business, housing, politics, or otherwise.

urban social deprivation

When people in urban areas lack or have limited access to social services such as housing, education, health services, roads, sewerage or drainage facilities

absolute urban social deprivation

Hardship that is potentially life threatening or which leads to physical or mental health problems

relative urban social deprivation

Hardship caused by lack of access to services that the majority have

eco city

a human settlement modelled on the self-sustaining, resilient structure and function of natural ecosystems

Resilient city

A city that can successfully withstand, adapt to, and recover from various stresses or shocks, including natural disasters, economic shocks, and social stresses