Unit 6 Study Guide: Cities and Urban Land-Use Patterns and Processes

These flashcards cover major concepts in urban geography, focusing on urbanization, cities across the world, internal structures, sustainability, and the challenges of urban development.

What are the six main urban hearths?

Mesoamerica, Peru, Nile Valley, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, Huang He Valley.

What do site factors refer to?

Characteristics of a place that are specific to that location.

What do situation factors refer to?

Characteristics that are near a place and impact its growth, development, or daily life.

How has transportation impacted settlements?

1) Allows people to live farther from urban areas 2) Changes settlement patterns and business locations 3) Increases the amount of goods and services across a geographic area.

What is urban decentralization?

The movement of a population away from an urban area to the peripheral areas.

What distinguishes a megacity from a metacity?

A megacity has a population higher than 10 million; a metacity has a population higher than 20 million.

Define urban hierarchy.

A system that classifies cities based on their population size, economic activity, and level of global connectivity.

What is a primate city?

A city that has twice the population of the next largest city in the state.

What is the rank-size rule?

The population of the second largest city in the state is half that of the largest city.

What does the central place theory show?

The spatial distribution of different settlements and goods/services.

What is the concept of urban sustainability?

An urban environment that promotes sustainable economic and social growth while also promoting environmental sustainability.

How do bid-rent theory and urban structure relate?

Land is more expensive closer to the CBD; as one moves away from the CBD, the price of land decreases.

What characterizes mixed-use buildings?

Multi-story buildings that have multiple uses and functions.

What is brownfield site?

An abandoned property that was previously used for industrial or commercial purposes and is contaminated with hazardous pollutants.

What is deindustrialization?

The decline of industrial production and manufacturing in an economy or region.

What is redlining?

A discriminatory practice where banks refused to provide loans to people living in neighborhoods deemed risky.

What is urban blight?

The deterioration and decay of buildings in an urban area, resulting in loss of value, abandonment, and vandalism.

What is gentrification?

The process of an urban area being revitalized, often leading to the displacement of lower-income residents by wealthier ones.

What are linkages in urban geography?

The connections between different places or regions.