AP HuGe Chapter 13 Vocabulary Terms

annexation

legally adding land area to a city in the United States

census tract

an area delineated by the US Bureau of the Census for which statistics are published; in urban areas, census tracts correspond roughly to neighborhoods

central business district (CBD)

the area of a city where retail and office activities are clustered

central city (city)

an urban settlement that has been legally incorporated into an independent, self-governing unit known as municipality

combined statistical area (CSA)

in the united states two or more contiguous CBSAs tied together by commuting patterns

concentric zone model

a model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are spatially arranged in a series of rings 

core-based statistical area (CBSA)

in the united states any MSA or uSA

density gradient

 the change in density in an urban area from the center to the periphery 

edge city

a large node of office and retail activities on the edge of an urban area

filtering

a process of change in the use of a house, from a single-family owner occupancy to abandonment

gentrification

a process of converting an urban neighborhood from a predominantly low-income, renter-occupied area to a predominantly middle-class, owner occupancy to abandonment

greenbelt

a ring of land maintained as parks agriculture or other types of open space to limit the sprawl of the urban area

informal settlement

an area within a city in a less developed country in which people illegally establish residences on land they do not own or rent and erect homemade structures 

megalopolis

a continuous urban complex in the northeastern united states

metropolitan statistical area (MSA)

in the US an urbanized area of at least 50,000 population the county within which the city is located and adjacent counties meeting one of the several tests indicating a functional connection to the central city

micropolitan statistical area (mSA)

an urbanized area between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants in the county in which it is located and adjacent counties tied to the city

multiple nuclei model

a model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a collection of nodes and activities

peripheral model

a model of North American urban areas consisting of an inner city surrounded by large suburban residential and business areas tied together by a beltway or ring road

primary census area (PCSA or PSA)

in the US and CSAany MSA not included in the CSA or any uSA not included in the CSA

public housing

government-owned housing rented to low-income individual with rents set at 30% of the tenant's income

redlining

a process by which financial institutions draw red colored lines on a map and refuse to lend money for people to purchase and improve property within the lines 

rush hour

the four consecutive 15-minute periods in the morning and evening with the heaviest volumes of traffic

sector model

a model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a series of sectors or wedges radiating out from the central business district

smart growth

legislation and regulations to limit suburban sprawl and preserve farmland 

social area analysis

statistical analysis used to identify where people of similar living standards ethnic backgrounds and lifestyles live

sprawl

development of new housing sites at relatively low density and at locations that are not contagious to the existing built-up area

squatter settlement

an area within a city in a less developed country in which people illegally establish residences on land they do not own or rent and erect homemade structures 

suburb

a residential or commercial area situated within an urban area but outside the central city 

sustainable development

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

underclass

a group in society prevented from participating in the material benefits of a more developed society because of a variety of social and economic characteristics

urban renewal

a process where privately owned properties within a designated renewal area are purchased or taken by eminent domain by a municipal redevelopment authority, razed, and then reconveyed to selected developers who devote them to other uses

urban area

a central city and its surrounding built-up suburbs

urban cluster

urban area of 2,500-50,000 inhabitants

urbanized area

urban area of 50,000+ people

zoning ordinance

a law that limits the permitted uses of land and maximum density of development in a community