APHG - Chapter 15 - Urban Settlements

Boomburb

a suburb that has grown rapidly into a large and sprawling city with more than 100,000 residents (page 410)

Central place theory

a theory used to describe the spatial relationship between cities and their surrounding communities (page 414)

Edge city

a type of community located on the outskirts of a larger city with commercial centers with office space, retail complexes, and other amenities typical of an urban center (page 410)

Exurb

a typically fast-growing community outside of or on the edge of a metropolitan area where the residents and community are closely connected to the central city and suburbs (page 410)

Infill

redevelopment that identifies and develops vacant parcels of land within previously built areas (page 410)

Megacity

a city with a population of more than 10 million people (pg 420)

Metacity

a city with a population of more than 20 million people (pg 420)

Metropolitan area

a city and the surrounding areas that are influenced economically and culturally by the city (page 403)

Primate city

the largest city in a country, which far exceeds the next city in population size and importance (page 414)

Range

in central place theory, the distance that someone is willing to travel for a good or service (page 414)

Rank-size rule

explanation of size of cities within a country; states that the second-largest city will be one-half the size of the largest, the third largest will be one-third the size of the largest, and so on (page 413)

Threshold

in central place theory, the number of people needed to support a business (page 414)

Urban area

a city and its surrounding suburbs (page 403)

Urban sprawl

areas of poorly planned, low-density development surrounding a city (page 409)

World cities

a city that wields political, cultural, and economic influence on a global scale (page 421)