APHUG - Unit 6: Cities and Urban Land Use Patterns and Processes

What is urbanization?

The movement of people to towns or cities and the resulting expansion into the rural countryside.

What influences the origin, function, and growth of cities?

Site and situation.

What is meant by 'site' in urban geography?

The actual physical qualities of a place that a city occupies, such as soil, water, buildable land, or climate.

How does 'situation' affect a city's function?

Situation is the relative location of a city, which often determines its function, such as trade opportunities based on proximity to ports.

What factors influence urbanization?

Changes in transportation and communication, population growth, migration, economic development, and government policies.

What defines a megacity?

A city with a population of over 10 million.

What is a meta city?

A city with a population of over 20 million.

What is the difference between a city proper and a metropolitan area?

A city proper refers to people living within the limits of a city, while a metropolitan area includes people living in and around the city, including surrounding areas dependent on it.

What is suburbanization?

The transformation of large areas of rural land to urban uses.

Define suburban sprawl.

Unrestricted suburban growth and development over large areas, spreading out from a city, primarily relying on cars for transportation.

What is an edge city?

A concentration of residential and economic activity located in the suburbs.

What is a Boomburb in urban geography?

A residential and economic area that is not the largest in its economic area but has a large population and tends to be spread along highways.

What is an exurb?

A residential area beyond the suburbs, often more rural.

What are world cities?

Cities that function at the top of the world's urban hierarchy, driving globalization, and include cities like New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, and London.

How do world cities differ from the biggest cities?

defined by their global connections in communication, finance, government, entertainment, manufacturing, or transportation, not just by size.

What is a network in the context of urban geography?

A system of interconnected people, goods, information, transportation, communication, and/or finance.

Define globalization.

The process of increased interconnectedness among countries, notably in economics, politics, and culture.

Smaller settlements provide ______ order goods, while larger ones provide ____ AND _____ order goods

low, high, low

What is a primate city?

A country's largest city, which is at least twice as large as the next largest city and represents national culture.

What is Christaller's central place theory?

A theory that explains the size and distribution of cities based on their role as central places providing goods and services to surrounding areas.

What is the significance of gravity in urban geography?

It refers to the attraction between cities based on their size and the distance between them, influencing urban interactions.

What is a primate city?

A primate city is a cultural, political, and economic hub of a country, typically found in developing nations that were once colonies, characterized by a single metropolitan area.

What does the rank size rule state about urban populations?

suggests that the population of a city or town is inversely proportional to its rank in the urban hierarchy; for example, the second largest city will have half the population of the largest city.

If a city has more gravity, what happens to the connections it has with other cities?

The connections increase

What does Christaller's central place theory explain?

Christaller's central place theory explains the distribution, size, location, and interaction of settlements in an urban system.

What are high-order goods?

High-order goods are specialized items, such as cars and jewelry, that are purchased less frequently.

What are low-order goods?

products that are replenished frequently, such as food and routine household items.

What is the hinterland in urban geography?

The hinterland refers to the surrounding market area that settlements provide goods to.

How do larger settlements differ from smaller settlements in terms of market area?

Larger settlements are fewer and further apart, serving a larger market area with both low and high-order goods, while smaller settlements serve smaller market areas and provide more low-order goods.

What is the threshold in urban economics?

The threshold is the minimum number of people needed for a business to prosper.

What is the range in the context of consumer behavior?

The range is the maximum distance people are willing to travel to purchase goods and services.

How does density affect land use in urban areas?

Density and land use reflect and shape a city's culture, technological capabilities, cycles of development, and infilling.

What characterizes low-density residential areas?

many residential homes and open spaces, with most people living in their own houses, often found in rural towns, suburbs, and exurbs.

What is medium-density housing?

Medium-density housing includes townhomes and single-unit housing, with some residential housing but more townhomes and apartments.

What defines high-density residential areas?

High-density areas are characterized by high rises and tightly packed townhomes and apartments.

What is the impact of a city's infrastructure on its development?

The location and quality of a city's infrastructure directly affect its spatial patterns of economic and social development.

What are sustainable design initiatives in urban planning?

Sustainable design initiatives include mixed land use, walkability, transportation-oriented development, and smart growth policies.

What is walkability in urban areas?

Walkability is the measure of how friendly an area is to walking.

What characterizes transportation-oriented development?

Transportation-oriented development includes a mix of commercial, residential, office, and entertainment space centered around or near public transport.

What are smart growth policies?

urban planning strategies that avoid urban sprawl and focus on sustainable design initiatives.

What is new urbanism?

a growth policy that incorporates sustainable design initiatives and promotes mixed land use.

What is a green belt?

A green belt is an area of natural land where building is restricted to curb the outward expansion of urban areas.

What are slow growth cities?

Slow growth cities concentrate growth in walkable urban areas to decrease sprawl.

What are some praises for urban design initiatives?

reduction of sprawl, improved walkability and transportation, diverse housing options, and promotion of sustainable options.

What criticisms are associated with urban design initiatives?

increased housing costs, potential segregation, and loss of historical character.

What types of data inform urban changes?

Quantitative data from census and surveys provide information about population changes, while qualitative data from field studies offer insights into individual attributes.

What is redlining?

Redlining is a discriminatory real estate practice preventing minority groups from obtaining loans for housing.

What is blockbusting?

Blockbusting is a real estate technique that encourages people to sell property at low prices by creating the impression that neighborhoods are declining.

What defines affordable housing?

Affordable housing consists of residential units that are economical for individuals whose income is below the median household income.

What is environmental injustice?

Environmental injustice refers to the disproportionate exposure of communities of color and the poor to pollution and its health effects.

What are disamenity zones?

areas within a city characterized by slums, homelessness, or gangs.

What are zones of abandonment?

areas with declining land values and demand, leading to job loss and business closures.

What are squatter settlements?

Squatter settlements are residential areas with extreme poverty, often made of found materials, located on land neither owned nor rented.

What is land tenure?

Land tenure is a system regulating the rights to ownership, control, and usage of land.

What is inclusionary zoning?

Inclusionary zoning refers to planning ordinances that provide affordable housing for those who cannot afford it.

What are local food movements?

Local food movements promote food produced within a short distance of where it is consumed to help prevent food deserts.

What is urban renewal?

Urban renewal is the redevelopment of areas within an urban area, typically in economic decline.

What is gentrification?

restoration of deteriorated urban areas by wealthier individuals, which can lead to both positive economic growth and displacement of existing residents.

What challenges does urban sustainability face?

Challenges include suburban sprawl, sanitation issues, climate change, water quality, and the ecological footprint of cities.

What are brownfields?

contaminated sites due to human activity that require remediation.