APHG Unit 7 - Urban Patterns and Processes

blockbusting

A process by which real estate agents convince white property owners to sell their houses at low prices because of fear that persons of color will soon move into the neighborhood

boomburbs

rapidly growing city that remains essentially suburban in character even as it reaches populations more typical of a large city

brownfields

contaminated industrial or commercial sites that may require environmental cleanup before they can be redeveloped or expanded

census data

systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population

central business district

The downtown or nucleus of a city where retail stores, offices, and cultural activities are concentrated; building densities are usually quite high; and transportation systems converge.

commodification

The process through which something is given monetary value; occurs when a good or idea that previously was not regarded as an object to be bought and sold is turned into something that has a particular price and that can be traded in a market economy.

disamenity zone

the very poorest parts of cities that in extreme cases are not even connected to city services (amenities)

economic sector

a subdivision or smaller part of an economy, such as industry and agriculture

edge cities

A term introduced by Joel Garreau in order to describe the shifting focus of urbanization in the United States away from the CBD toward new loci of economic activity at the urban fringe. These cities are characterized by extensive amounts of office and retail space, few residential areas, and modern buildings

exurbs

communities that arise farther out than the suburbs and are typically populated by residents of high socioeconomic status

gentrification

A process of converting an urban neighborhood from a predominantly low-income renter-occupied area to a predominantly middle-class owner-occupied area.

gravity model

A model that holds that the potential use of a service at a particular location is directly related to the number of people in a location and inversely related to the distance people must travel to reach the service.

greenbelts

A ring of land maintained as parks, agriculture, or other types of open space to limit the sprawl of an urban area.

infilling

The process by which population density in an urban center is increased by building on waste land or underused land.

infrastructure

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

land use

Various ways humans use the land such as agricultural, industrial, residential, or recreational

megacities

cities with more than 10 million people

megalopolis

a region in which several large cities and surrounding areas grow together

metropolitan area

a major population center made up of a large city and the smaller suburbs and towns that surround it

mixed-use design

Urban design that blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, etc. so that they are physically and functionally integrated.

multiplier effect

An effect in economics in which an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent.

new urbanism

A movement in urban planning to promote mixed use commercial and residential development and pedestrian friendly, community orientated cities. New urbanism is a reaction to the sprawling, automobile centered cities of the mid twentieth century.

NIMBY (not in my back yard)

an attitude expressing opposition to a proposed site for a potentially unpopular facility such as a landfill.

primate city

The largest settlement in a country, if it has more than twice as many people as the second-ranking settlement.

public service

a service offered by the government to provide security and protection for citizens and businesses

range (of a service)

The maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a service.

rank-size-rule

A pattern of settlements in a country, such that the nth largest settlement is 1/n the population of the largest settlement.

redlining

A discriminatory real estate practice in North America in which members of minority groups are prevented from obtaining money to purchase homes or property in predominantly white neighborhoods. The practice derived its name from the red lines depicted on cadastral maps used by real estate agents and developers. Today, redlining is officially illegal.

sanitation

Disposal of waste products

sense of place

State of mind derived through the infusion of a place with meaning and emotion by remembering important events that occurred in that place or by labeling a place with a certain character.

site

The physical character of a place

situation

the location of a place relative to other places

slow-growth cities

urban communities where the planners have put into place smart growth initiatives to decrease the rate at which the city grows horizontally to avoid the adverse affects of sprawl

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.

suburban sprawl

unplanned development by many different entities, often as part of urban outgrowth

suburbanization

The process of population movement from within towns and cities to the rural-urban fringe.

sustainable design

philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of social, economic, and ecological sustainability

threshold

The minimum number of people needed to support the service

urban hierarchy

A ranking of settlements (hamlet, village, town, city, metropolis) according to their size and economic functions.

urbanization

An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.

walkable city

A city that has options, such as grocery stores, bakeries, butchers, and other services, within walking distance of residences to reduce the need for automobiles, thus reducing pollution and traffic congestion.

white flight

working and middle-class white people move away from racial-minority suburbs or inner-city neighborhoods to white suburbs and exurbs

world cities

cities generally considered to play an important role in the global economic system

zones of abandonment

areas that have been deserted in a city for economic or environmental reasons

zoning ordinances

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