Unit 6: Urban Patterns and Processes

urbanization

the increasing percentage of a population living in cities rather than rural areas, driven by migration and natural increase. It involves the physical growth of urban areas, the rise of megacities, and a societal shift toward industrial/service economies. Ex: rapid urbanization in developing/periphery countries - Mumbai, India. 

Blockbusting

rapid change in the racial composition of a neighborhood due to realtors encouraging sales Ex: white flight 

Redlining

banks and lenders refusing to provide mortgages for people who lived in minority neighborhoods. Ex: The home owners’ loan corporation (HOLC) created “residential security maps” to evaluate the “riskiness” of lending in city neighborhoods 

Gentrification

the rehabilitation of deteriorated, old, abandoned buildings by middle class or higher people moving in. Ex: Harlem in New York City 

Urban Sprawl

the unrestricted and unplanned growth of housing and commercial land. Ex: Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area 

Suburbanization

the process of population movement from central urban areas into the surrounding outskirts, or suburbs, leading to the rapid growth of low-density residential and commercial areas. It is characterized by car dependency, single-family housing, and the expansion of peripheral, functionally uniform areas at the expense of the urban core. Ex: Levittown, New York (long island) in the late 1940s and 1950s 

Edge City

a concentrated, high-density suburban node of business, shopping, and entertainment located on the outskirts of a major city. Ex: Tysons, Virginia, located outside Washington D.C. 

Squatter Settlements

in LDC primate cities, or islands of development, rural migrants "squat" near industrial factories or on public land illegally; because they don't pay taxes, there is no infrastructure so they spread disease easily. Ex: Favelas (aka informal settlement, slum, or shanty town) 

Bid-rent curve

the theory that land cost increases as one gets closer to the CBD. Ex: Chicago or New York, or any city with a strong single historic downtown

Site characteristics

the features of a location that exist only within that space: climate, geography, topography, cultural landscape. Ex: Topography, water availability, soil and climate, natural resources

Situation characteristics

the connections a location has to other locations: infrastructure, connectivity, relative rank. Ex: transportation lines, trade routes, or proximity to other major cities 

Zoning

laws which determine how land should be used. Ex:  residential, commercial, industrial  

Basic industry

an economic activity that generates income for a place by exporting a good or service to other locations. Ex: automobile factory 

Non-basic industry

an economic activity that provides a good or service to the people living within a community; cannot self-support the community. Ex: local hair salon 

Primate city

a city whose population is greater than twice the size of the next largest city. Ex: Paris 

Rank-size rule

the population of the nth city is (1/n)x(the population of the largest city). Ex: United States urban hierarchy

Gated Communities

residential neighborhoods, often suburban, restricted by fences, walls, or security gates, designed to control access for safety and privacy. Ex: gated enclaves in Johannesburg, South Africa

Greenbelt

a policy-driven land-use designation—typically a ring of undeveloped, agricultural, or parkland—surrounding an urban area to prevent urban sprawl. Ex: metropolitan green belt surrounding London, United Kingdom 

Range (of a service)

the time or physical distance it would take someone to travel to a central place. Ex: large range = major airport (international airport)

Threshold

the number of people a service requires in order to stay in business. Ex: professional sports stadiums need a large population 

Chistaller’s hexagonal ranges/central place theory

the theory that each central place has a hexagonal range so it is easy to make functional regions. Ex: distribution of towns and cities across the American Midwest (specifically Illinois or Iowa) 

Central business district (CBD)

the downtown, high-density nucleus of a city, characterized by a concentration of retail, office, financial, and cultural services. Typically located at the original site of settlement, it serves as the most accessible transportation node with the highest land values and tallest buildings. Ex: The Loop in Chicago 

Gravity model

a mathematical formula used to predict the level of interaction (migration, trade, communication, traffic) between two places based on their population size and the distance between them. Ex: bigger and closer places have more interaction

Agglomeration

the spatial clustering of people, businesses, or industries in close proximity, typically within urban areas, to share infrastructure, labor pools, and services for mutual economic benefit. Ex: Wall Street/lower manhattan, NYC (Finance agglomeration)

Burgess concentric zone model

the city model which was based on 1920s Chicago (recreational auto era). Ex: Chicago early 20th century  

Hoyt’s sector model

the city model which was based on the late 1930s Chicago where transportation helped create wedge shapes. Ex: Chicago in the early 20th century  

Harris and Ullman's multiple nuclei model

the city model based on 1940s Chicago where the impact of the GI Bill helped create edge cities. Ex: Los Angeles, California metropolitan area 

Galactic city model

the city model which likely represents most southern American cities where the city center is less significant. Ex: Detroit, Michigan 

Ford Griffin South American city model

the model which stresses squatter settlements on the edge of the city. Ex: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

The sub-Saharan African city model

the city model which is most segregated between colonial and native people, evidenced by infrastructure networks. Ex: Nairobi, Kenya or Mombasa, Kenya 

McGee southeast Asian city model

the city model which represents the site characteristics of the fragmented island states it belongs to. Ex: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia or Jakarta, Indonesia