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