Urban Studies midterm

Fire trap/ tenement

• a four or five story building often not up to safety standards

• fire trap is informal term of tenement

• tenements as part of urban renewal

urban renewal

redeveloping an urban area; typically involves removing slums

rent control

when the government controls how much a landlord can charge for rent

environmental determinism

the environment determines how you grow/ succeed

tower in the park

high rise building surrounded by open area, often grassy/ park-like

group homes (half-way homes)

homes for people who have recently left prison and are transitioning back into society

validity

if a piece of information is true (portrays reality)

reliability

if a piece of information is consistent over time/ space and if they can be replicated

defining urban, suburban, and rural

defined by land use, density, and proximity to regional resources

gentrification

the process of an area moving from low income/ property values to high income/ property values

urban decline

when an area moves from high income/ property values to low income/ property values

colonization

movement of population and power (colonizer) to another (colony) where there is political dependence of the colony on the colonizer

zoning by right

the ability to build things in places where the zoning laws allow it without the needs for special permits

approval not required (ANR)

diving lots into smaller lots and then selling those and having those be split into small lots etc. → this leads to urban sprawl etc.

metropolitan flood

The idea that an urban environment will continue to spread indefinitely