Unit 6 / Urban / Modules 44-48

automobile cities

Cities whose size and shape are dictated by and almost require individual automobile ownership

boomburb (also called boomburg)

A place with more than 100,000 residents that is not a core city in a metropolitan area; a large suburb with its own government

capitalism

An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit rather than owned and run by the state

central place

A settlement that makes certain types of products and services available to consumers

central place theory

A model, developed by Walter Christaller, that attempts to understand why cities are located where they are

city

A relatively large, densely populated settlement with a much larger population than rural towns and villages; cities serve as important commercial, governmental, and cultural hubs for their surrounding regions

communism

An economic and political system in which all property is publicly owned and managed

concentric zone model

A model of a city's internal organization developed by E. W. Burgess that shows rings of factory production and different residential zones radiating outward from a central business district

decentralize

In an urban context, to move business operations from core city areas into outlying areas such as suburbs

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

edge city

A concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment that developed in the suburbs, outside of a city's traditional downtown or central business district

exurb

A semirural district located beyond the suburbs that is often inhabited by well-to-do families

galactic city model / peripheral model

A model of a city's internal organization in which the central business district remains central, but multiple shopping areas, office parks, and industrial districts are scattered throughout the surrounding suburbs and linked by metropolitan expressway systems

gentrification

The displacement of lower-income residents by higher-income residents as an area or neighborhood improves

gravity model

The idea that the closer two places are, the more they will influence each other

Griffin-Ford / Latin American city model

A model of the internal structure of the Latin American city developed by Ernst Griffin and Larry Ford

Hoyt sector model

A model of a city's internal organization, developed by Homer Hoyt, that focuses on transportation and communication as the drivers of the city's layout

infill development (infilling)

The building of new retail, business, or residential spaces on vacant or underused parcels in already developed areas

megacity

A city with more than 10 million residents

metacity

A city with more than 20 million residents

metropolis

A very large and densely populated city, particularly the capital or major city of a country or region

metropolitan area

An area composed of a heavily populated urban core and its less populated surrounding areas

metropolitan statistical area

In the United States, a region with at least one urbanized area as its core

micropolitan statistical area

In the United States, a region with one or more urban clusters of at least 10,000 people as its cores

multiple-nuclei model

A model of a city's internal organization, developed by Chauncy Harris and Edward Ullman, showing residential districts organized around several nodes (nuclei) rather than one central business district

primate city

A city that is much larger than any other city in the country and that dominates the country's economic, political, and cultural life

range

In central place theory, the distance people will travel to acquire a good

rank-size rule

The population of a settlement is inversely proportional to its rank in the urban hierarchy

redevelopment

A set of activities intended to revitalize an area that has fallen on hard times

site

An absolute location of a place on Earth

situation

The relative location of a place in reference to its surrounding features, or its regional position with reference to other places

sprawl

The tendency of cities to grow outward in an unchecked manner

suburbanization

The movement of people from urban core areas to the surrounding outskirts of a city

suburbs

A populated area on the outskirts of a city

threshold

In central place theory, the number of people required to support businesses

urban

Relating to a city

urban hierarchy

A ranking of cities, with the largest and most powerful cities at the top of the hierarchy

urbanization

The movement of people from rural areas to cities

world cities

A world center of trade, finance, information, and migration