Unit VII: Cities and Urban Land-Use Patterns and Processes

urban area

City and its surrounding suburbs, dense settlement

metropolitan area

A major population center made up of a large city and the smaller suburbs and towns that surround it

site

A place's absolute location, as well as its physical characteristics, such as the landforms, climate, and resources

situation

Location of a place in relation to other places or its surrounding features

central business district (CBD)

The nucleus or "downtown" of a city, where retail stores, offices, and cultural activities are concentrated, mass transit systems converge, and land values and building densities are high

suburbanization

The shifting of population away from cities into surrounding suburbs

urban sprawl

The process of urban areas expanding outwards, usually in the form of suburbs, and developing over fertile agricultural land.

suburb

Less densely populated residential and commercial settlements surrounding a city

edge city

Distinct sizable nodal concentration of retail and office space that draws workers during the day, situated on the outer fringes of older metropolitan areas; usually localized by or near major highway intersections

boomburb

A suburb that has grown rapidly into a large and sprawling city with more than 100,000 residents

exurb

A typically fast-growing community outside of or on the edge of a metropolitan area where the residents and community are closely connected to the central city and suburbs

infill

Redevelopment that identifies and develops vacant parcels of land within previously built areas

zoning

The process of dividing a city or urban area into zones with which only certain land uses are permitted

gravity model

A model that predicts the interaction between two or more places; geographers derived the model from Newton's law of universal gravitation

rank-size rule

Explanation of size of cities within a country; 2nd 1/2, 3rd 1/3, 4th 1/4, 5th 1/5

primate city

The largest city in a country, which far exceeds (over 1/2) the next city in population size and importance

central place theory

A theory that explains the distribution of services, based on the fact that settlements serve as centers of market areas for services; larger settlements are fewer and farther apart than smaller settlements and provide services for a larger number of people who are willing to travel farther.

threshold

The number of consumers needed to support a business; associated with central place theory

range

The distance that someone is willing to travel for a good or service; associated with central place theory

megacity

A city with a population of more than 10 million

metacity

A city with a population of more than 20 million

world city (or global city)

a city that wields political, cultural, and economic influence on a global scale

Burgess Concentric Zone Model

This model was devised in the 1920s to predict and explain the growth patterns of North American urban spaces. Its main principle is that cities can be viewed from above as a series of concentric rings. Key elements of the model are the central business district and the peak land value intersection. Based on Chicago

Harris-Ullman Multiple Nuclei Model

Developed in the 1950s, this model explains the changing growth pattern of urban spaces based on the assumption that growth occurred independently around several major foci (or focal nodes), many of which are far away from the central business district and only marginally connected to it. Based on Chicago

Hoyt Sector Model

A model developed in 1933 of the internal structure of a city in which social groups are arranged around a series of sectors or wedges radiating out from the CBD. Based on Chicago

Galactic City Model

Developed in the 1960s, this model depicts mini edge cities that are connected to another city by beltways or highways, economic activity has moved from the central business district toward loose coalitions of other urban areas and suburbs; also known as the peripheral model, based on Detroit created by Harris

infrastructure

The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, transportation, power supplies) needed for the function of settlements or economic enterprise.

Borchert's epochs

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 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).

ecological footprint

Impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources

mixed use

A single planned development designed to include multiple uses, such as residential, retail, educational, recreational, industrial, and office spaces

walkability

A measure of how safe, convenient, and efficient it is to walk in an urban environment

transportation oriented development

The creation of dense, walkable, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use communities centered around or located near a transit station

smart growth policies

Policy implemented to create sustainable communities by placing development in convenient locations and designing it to be more efficient and environmentally responsible

traditional zoning

Zoning that creates separate zones based on land-use type or economic function such as various categories of residential (low-, medium-, or high-density), commercial, or industrial

new urbanism

A school of thought that promotes designing growth to limit the amount of urban sprawl and preserve nature and usable farmland

slow-growth cities

City where planners have used smart-growth policies to decrease the rate at which the city grows outward

urban growth boundary

A boundary that separates urban land uses from rural land uses by limiting how far a city can expand

greenbelt

A ring of parkland, agricultural land, or other type of open space maintained around an urban area to limit sprawl

de facto segregation

Segregation that results from residential settlement patterns rather than from prejudicial laws

redlining

Practice by which a financial institution such as a bank refuses to offer home loans on the basis of a neighborhood's racial or ethnic makeup (page

blockbusting

A practice by real estate agents who would stir up concern that Black families would soon move into a neighborhood; the agents would convince White property owners to sell their houses at below-market prices

inclusionary zoning laws

Law that creates affordable housing by offering incentives for developers to set aside a minimum percentage of new housing construction to be allocated for low-income renters or buyers

gentrification

The renovations and improvements of neighborhoods, conforming to middle-class preferences

urban renewal

Program in which cities identify blighted inner-city neighborhoods, acquire the properties from private members, relocate the residents and businesses, clear the site, build new roads and utilities, and turn the land over to private developers.

filtering

The process of neighborhood change in which housing vacated by more affluent groups passes down the income scale to lower-income groups

institutionalized racism

Defined as the policies, rules, practices, etc. that have become a usual part of the way an organization or society works, and that result in and support a continued unfair advantage to some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others based on race.

disamenity zones

A high-poverty urban area in a disadvantaged location containing steep slopes, flood-prone ground, rail lines, landfills, or industry

squatter settlement

An informal housing area beset with overcrowding and poverty that features temporary homes often made of wood scraps or metal sheeting

land tenure

The legal rights, as defined by a society, associated with owning land

eminent domain

a government's right to take over privately owned property for public use or interest