Human geo unit 6

site

characteristics at the immediate location for example: physical features, climate, labor force

situation

the location of a place relative to its surroundings and its connectivity to other places

urbanization

the process of developingh towns and cities; an ongoing process that does not end once a city is formed

suburbanization

the process of people moving, usually from cities, to residential areas on the outskirts of cities

urban sprawl

rapid expansion of the spatial extent of a city and occurs because of growth of suburbs, lower land costs in suburbs compared to inner cities, lower density single family housing, weak planning laws, or the continuing growth of car culture

urban decentralization

the movement of population and businesses away from the established city center toward the urban fringe

edge city

nodes of economic activity that have developed in the periphery of large cities

exburb

prosperous residential districts beyond the suburbs that are caused by the ability to work remotely and affordability of land

boomburb

rapidly growing communities (over 10% per 10 years), have a population of over 100,000 and are NOT the largest city in the metro area

megacities

population more than 10 million people

metacities

sometimes called hyper cities, have a population greater than 20 million

megalopolis

a chain of connected cities

world city

cities that exert influence beyond there national boundaries, also called global cities

urban hierarchy

a ranking, based on influence or population

rank-size rule

describes one way in which the sizes of cities within a region may develop. it states that the nth largest city in any region will be 1/n the size of the largest city

primate city

when the largest city is more than twice as large as the second largest city. these cities are more developed than other cities in the system and are disproportionately more powerful than the system’s other cities. they are the economic, social, and political hub and offer more services than the other cities. countries that follow a unitary or strong central form of government often follow this

gravity model

states that larger and closer places will have more interactions than places that are smaller and farther from each other

Christaller’s central place theory

a model proposed to explain the distribution of cities of different sizes across a region. the model used consumer behavior related to purchasing goods and services to explain the distribution of settlements. the model concludes that larger cities will be farther spaced from each other than smaller towns or villages

Central Business District

the commercial heart of a city, often located near the physical center of a city

Burgess concentric-zone model

describes a city as a series of rings that surrounds a CBD. the first ring is a transition zone that mixed industrial uses with low- cost housing. the next 3 rings are residential. the 2nd ring is for working class housing, the 3rd is for more expensive housing, the last one is for larger homes on the edge of the city and in the suburbs

Hoyt sector model

described how different types of land use and housing were all located near the CBD early in a cities history

Harris and Ullman multiple nuclei model

suggested that functional zonation occurred around multiple centers or nodes. the characteristics for each node repelled or attracted certain activities

galactic city model

an original CBD is surrounded by a system of smaller notes that mimicked its function. as suburbs grew, they took on some CBD functions. some nodes grew large enough to become edge cities

Latin American city model

a two part CBD is at the center of the city, a traditional market center adjacent to a modern high-rise center. the most desirable housing is located there, next to the developed center of the city. this high quality housing extends outward from the urban core

Southeast Asian city model

the focus of the modern city is often a former colonial port zone. these cities might have a government zone or a commercial zone dominated by foreign merchants and ambassadors.

African city model

can have several regions such as : the traditional CBD - which existed before colonization, has small shops clustered along narrow, twisting streets. includes the formal economy; the colonial CBD- broad, straight avenues and large homes, parks, and administrative centers; informal economy zone - curbside, car side, and stall based businesses that often do not follow all regulations. this zone includes periodic markets, where small-scale merchents congregate weekly or yearly to sell goods; a zone of mining; residential zones based on ethnicity

periferico

outer ring of latin american city model, which shows poverty, lack of infrastructure, and areas of poorly built housing

infilling

the process of increasing the residential density of an area by replacing open space and vacant housing with residences, used in suburbs to reduce urban sprawl.

urban planning

a process of promoting growth and controlling change in land use

filtering

when houses pass from one social group to another, usually occurring when people with less wealth move into the houses after wealthier residents move, creating a ripple effect down the social scale

Infrastructure

the facilities and systems that serve the populations

municipality

the local entity that is all under the same jurisdiction

mixed land use

combines residential, commercial, cultural, or institutional functions into a building, block, or neighborhood. usually planned and built in small, dense areas to increase walkability and cycling.

urban walkability

the capacity of the built environment to promote walking

transport-oriented development

locates the mixed use residential and business communities near mass transit stops, resulting in more compact communities, decreasing the need for automobiles

smart-growth policies

developed to combat urban sprawl and create a new vision for cities that are more sustainable and equitable . focuses on city planning and transportation systems of an urban region

sustainable design initiatives

reduce negative impacts on the environment, and the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance

sustainable design zoning

when the government enforces sustainable design practices

greenbelts

areas of undeveloped spaces near the city, created to limit a city’s growth and preserve farmland.

New urbanism

seeks to encourage local community development and sustainable growth in an urban area

slow-growth cities

adopt policies to slow the outward spread of urban areas and place limits on building permits in order to encourage a denser , more compact city

de facto segregation

people are segregated into separate areas by fact rather than by law or policy

quantitative data

data that can be counted, measured, or sequenced by numeric value

qualitative data

based primarily on surveys, field studies, photos, video, and interviews from people

census data

specific information about people

housing discrimination

illegal practice of denying an individual or group the right to buy or rent a home based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or family status.

redlining

the process by which banks refuse loans to those who want to purchase and improve properties in certain urban areas

blockbusting

when people of an ethnic group sold their homes upon learning that members of another ethnic group were moving into the neighborhood

housing affordability

rapid urbanization can lead to rising housing prices, which can make it difficult for low- and middle-income families to purchase houses

environmental injustice

the disproportionate exposure of minorities and the poor to pollution and its impacts, plus the unequal protection of their rights under the law

disamenity zone

the very poorest parts of cities that in extreme cases are not even connected to city services (amenities) and are controlled by gangs and drugs

zone of abandonment

areas of a city that have been deserted by their owners for either economic or environmental reason. in some cases, entire cities have been abandoned, such as Chernobyl

squatter settlement

a residential area that has developed without legal claims to the land and/or permission from the concerned authorities and/or landowners to build a house

land tenure

ethe legal protection of contracts to show ownership of the land or structure

inclusionary zoning

incentives for developers to set aside a percentage of housing for low income renters or buyers

urban renewal

allowed governments to clear out the blighted inner-city slums

gentrification

the process of converting an urban inner city neighborhood from a mostly low income, renter ooccupied area to a predominately wealthier, owner occupied area of a city

urban sustainability

the ability of a city or urban area to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

ecological footprint

the impact of human activity on the environment

suburban sprawl

the spread of rapid development outward from the inner city

Urban canyons

streets lined with tall buildings, can channel and intensify wind, and prevent natural sunlight from reaching the ground

Urban heat island

an area of a city warmer than surrounding areas

brownfields

areas which used to have factories - consists of dilapidated buildings and polluted or contaminated soils

urban redevelopment

renovating a site within a city by removing the existing landscape and rebuilding from the ground up