U6 | Urbanization & Suburbanization

Rural

Area primarily used for agriculture

Urban

Densely developed area with residential, commercial, and industrial uses

Suburban

Residential area connected to a major city

Metropolitan

Includes a large city and its surrounding suburbs

Zoning

Laws that regulate building size and purpose on specific land

Residential

Zoned for building homes (apartments, single-family houses, etc.)

Commercial

Zoned for services like stores, offices, and hotels

Industrial

Zoned for manufacturing, distribution, and power plants

Infrastructure

Systems and services connecting buildings (roads, electricity, etc.)

Consumer Service

Services paid for by individual consumers (retail, education, leisure, etc.)

Business Service

Services provided to other businesses (transportation, finance, etc.)

Public Service

Provides security and protection (law enforcement, firefighting, etc.)

Amenity

Provides comfort, convenience, or enjoyment

Food Desert

Areas lacking convenient access to affordable, healthy food options like grocery stores

Redlining

Discriminatory practice denying services that made homebuying more expensive for non-White residents

Blockbusting

Deceptive practice scaring White homeowners into selling at low prices, then sold at a higher price to non-White homebuyers

White Flight

Movement of Whites from urban to suburban areas in 1950s-1960s

Gentrification

Transformation of low-income neighborhoods to attract higher-income residents

Urban Sprawl

Low-density development over a large area with distant residential and commercial areas

Commuting

Routine travel between home and work

Public Transportation

a system of busses, trains, etc. used to travel around a city