AP human geo unit 6

needs the complete unit to be added

Urban areas

Areas (cities) with high concentrations of people

Suburbs (Suburban Areas)

Land areas around central cities where population density lessens and people live on land that costs less than central city land.

Rural Areas

Areas with low concentrations of people (farms, villages, hamlets)

Urbanization

The process of developing towns and cities

Urban Hearths

The first areas around the world that developed cities. Earliest: Mesopotamia, in modern Iraq; Nile River Valley and Delta in modern Egypt; Indus River Valley in modern Pakistan; Huang-He floodplain in modern China.

Fall Line

A narrow strip of land that marks the geological boundary between an upland region and a plain. Early settlements arose along fall lines and adjacent to rivers to take advantage of waterfalls and rapids for power.

City-State

The most prosperous agricultural settlements grew into sovereign, often walled, cities

Settlement Hierarchy

Generally speaking, size influences how a settlement is categorized

Isolated Dwelling

A few buildings at most, with at most a handful of residents and usually a significant distance away from shops or services.

Hamlet

Very small in size and population, will have few, if any, services or shops.

Village

Larger than a hamlet, but still small in size and population. Will have a small number of services and shops.

Town

larger than a village and generally will have at least one market and a variety of services and shops.

City

These are the largest category of clustered settlement and will have a variety of markets, shops, and services, including speciality services otherwise unsustainable with a smaller population base. These tend to have greater social heterogeneity, meaning that they have a greater variety of people, ethnicities, races, religions, etc.

Metropolitan Area

A city and its surrounding communities that have strong links socially and economically to the city

Megacity

A city of more than 10,000,000 people (examples: Moscow, Russia, with a population of 21.7 million; Lagos, Nigeria, with a population of 10.9 million)

Metacity

A city of more than 20,000,000 people  (examples: Beijing, China, with a population of 13.2 million; Lima, Peru, with a population of 10.9 million)

World City

A city of disproportionately large influence that can affect events, people, markets, etc., around the world (New York City, Tokyo, Paris).

Megalopolis

Occurs when several metropolitan areas are technically separate, but their populations have grown densely populated between and amongst them, forming a large, sprawling urban area

Edge City

These develop on the outskirts of cities and include residences, office space, retail stores, and other city center-like features; less residential population density.

Boomburg

A suburb that has grown rapidly to more than 100,000 people (more residential than edge cities).

Exurb

Results when a prosperous community has grown rapidly beyond the suburbs. People do remain closely connected to the central city and its suburbs and often can work remotely. This is a form of deurbanization that counters migrant flows into cities.

Tract housing

Occurs when multiple similar homes are built on the same tract (unit) and subdivided into lots (sometimes called “cookie-cutter” housing)

Urban sprawl

 Expansion of urban areas in an unplanned, often chaotic manner.

infill

Redevelopment of cities via development of vacant lots and maximizing space (ex: turning a parking lot into a parking garage). Often this involves vertical construction

Zoning

The process of dividing a city or urban area into zones that designate what types of land uses and development are permitted (ex: only single family housing or only businesses).

traditional zoning

Occurs when buildings and/or land development is reserved for only one type of activity. A town divided into areas for only residences and only businesses would conform to this

Mixed-use zoning

Occurs when buildings and/or land development includes both residential and commercial space.

Inclusionary Zoning laws

Requires affordable housing to be incorporated into residential or mixed-use developments. These laws ensure that poorer people are not excluded from access to areas that are gentrifying.

Infrastructure

Physical and organizational systems that allow for improved living for groups of people. This included automobile public transportation, government services, utilities and open spaces.

New Urbanism

Promotes sustainable urban growth and personal connectivity. Emphasizes quality of life, and encourages building a sense of place and community. Usually incorporates mixed-use zoning.

Greenbelt

A reserved area of undeveloped land around an urban area.

Smart-growth policies

Preserves open, undeveloped spaces, including farmland, near urban areas. These policies often incorporate slow-growth measures designed to curb urban sprawl by limiting horizontal development via an urban growth boundary.

transportation-oriented development

A type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business, and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. It also prioritizes non-automobile modes of transportation. Walkability

Regional Planning

Occurs above the municipality level to efficiently plan and place services, infrastructure, and growth.

De Facto Segregation

This involves residential separation, usually along racial or ethnic lines, but from cultural, economic, or social differences among groups.

de jure segregation

segregation occurring directly by law

Gated Communities

Planned neighborhoods with limited access, often with security services in place and strict guidelines regarding the appearance of properties.

Filtering

This refers to a change in the use of a house from a single family home to rented units in a multi-family dwelling, and eventually to an abandoned building. Initially, a wealthy family may have built and used the home before moving to the suburbs, then the property may have been subdivided. Deterioration over time leads to poorer tenants and eventual non-use.

red lining

A process by which banks refuse loans to people who want to purchase and/or improve properties in certain urban areas perceived to be risky. This practice has disproportionately affected people of color.

Blockbusting

A practice in which people of one ethnic group (usually middle class white people) are frightened into selling their homes at low prices when they learn that members of another ethnic group (usually black or brown people) are moving into their neighborhood. Investors profit by buying those properties low and reselling them for a high profit.