Terms, Ideas, and Concepts for Urban Geography - Unit 6

Urban Hierarchy

The organization of cities and towns into a ranked system based on their size, functions, and influence.

PLVS

Peak Land Values, usually where people meet. (EX: Intersections).

Hinterland

The economic reach of a city. Are people drawn to the city’s goods and services?

Urbanization

The movement from rural land to urban land.

Rapid Urbanization

The accelerated shift from people moving from rural lands to urban land.

Site

Coordinates, the physical characteristics of a place.

Situation

The place’s location relative to other locations and the surrounding features.

Zoning Laws

Local governmental regulations that make a city more uniform. Dictating how land is used in specific areas.

First Urban Revolution

The innovation of the city that occurred separately in five different hearths. People became engaged in economic activities beyond agriculture, including crafts, the military, trade, and government.

Second Urban Revolution

At the end of the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain. There was soon to be a massive change in Europe. The places most ready for industrialization have had the second agricultural revolution, surplus capital from mercantilism and colonialism, and were located near coal fields.

Primate City

The highest-ranked city in the country, which no other city in that country can compete with. It is the largest and most influential city, often serving as the political, economic, and cultural center.

Rank-size Rule

A principle in urban geography that states the population of a city or town will be inversely proportional to its rank in the hierarchy of cities within a country. This means the second largest city will have half the population of the largest, the third will have a third, and so on.

Central Place Theory

A spatial theory in urban geography that explains the size, number, and distribution of human settlements. It suggests that urban centers provide services to surrounding areas in a hierarchical manner. Used hexagons to divide areas in accordance with the Central Place Theory.

Walter Christaller

A German geographer who developed the Central Place Theory, introducing concepts of central places and their market areas.

Food Deserts

Areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, typically found in low-income neighborhoods. These regions often lack grocery stores and fresh produce, leading to poor dietary options for residents.

Shantytowns

Informal settlements characterized by inadequate housing, poor sanitation, and lack of infrastructure, often formed at the outskirts of urban areas.

Squatter Villages

Informal settlements where residents occupy land without legal rights, often lacking basic services and infrastructure. Primarily formed for other homeless people to come together for safety.

Core Regions

Regions or countries that dominate trade, control the most advanced technologies, and have the highest levels of productivity and wealth. These areas often attract migrants seeking better opportunities, leading to a significant flow of people from peripheral or semi-peripheral regions to the core, resulting in both economic growth and demographic changes.

Semi-Periphery

Areas that fall between core and periphery, displaying some industrialization and economic development, but are still dependent on core countries and exploit periphery countries.

Periphery

Regions or countries that are less developed, often providing raw materials and labor to the core while lacking significant technological advancements and wealth.

New Urbanism

An urban design movement that promotes walkable neighborhoods, mixed-use development, and sustainable living as a way to create vibrant and functional communities.

Mega City

A city with a population of more than 10 million.

Meta City

A city with a population of more than 20 million.

Blockbusting

A real estate practice where agents induce panic selling in a neighborhood by suggesting that racial or ethnic minorities are moving in, thus manipulating homeowners to sell their properties at lower prices.

Gentrification

A complex urban process where deteriorating neighborhoods undergo transformation through an influx of more affluent residents, leading to increased property values and the displacement of long-term, lower-income residents. (Try to lure in DINKS)

Agglomeration

The clustering of people, businesses, and activities in a particular area, creating a concentration that often leads to increased efficiency and collaboration.

Galactic City

The process where cities expand outwards instead of growing upwards.

Urban Sprawl

The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into the surrounding rural land, resulting in low-density, car-dependent development patterns. This phenomenon is often characterized by the spread of suburbs and residential areas that push into previously undeveloped regions, leading to environmental, social, and economic consequences.