Unit 6 - cities

urbanization

process of developing towns and cities

site

refers to the physical characteristics of a place

situation

refers to the location of a place relative to its surroundings

urban sprawl/suburban sprawl

the unrestricted growth in many urban areas

suburbanization

the process of people moving to residential areas on the outskirts of cities

edge cities

a large concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment on the outskirts of a city

exurbs

communities beyond the traditional suburb

boomburbs

suburb (or exurb) that is growing so rapidly it begins to approach the population of the core city itself

megacities

a metro area with a population over 10 million

metacities

a metro area with a population over 20 million

world city (global city)

a city that exerts influence far beyond its boundaries

primate city

a city in a country that is at least twice the population of the country's next largest city

rank-size rule

the concept that the nth largest city is 1/n the size of the country's largest city (in terms of population)

gravity model

model based on distance decay principle involving population size and absolute distance

Christaller's central place theory

theory that explains the number, size, and range of urban markets. This theory consists of central place and market area and is based on threshold and range.

central place

where people go to receive goods and services (healthcare, education, retail, food

market area

people within market area go to central place to receive goods and services

threshold

the size of the population necessary for any particular service to exist and remain profitable

range

the distance people will travel to obtain goods or services

central business district (CBD)

place of business and commerce, typically located in the physical center of a city.

Burgess Concentric Zone Model

a model that explains housing around a central business district: from the inside to the outside, the layers are the CBD, transition zone, working class housing, middle-income housing, and the suburbs (high-class housing)

Hoyt Sector Model

model that illustrates a city that is divided into sectors: one side might be low-income while the other might be high-income

Harris and Ullman Multiple-Nuclei Model

model that explains a city with multiple city "centers" each with certain activities, ex. manufacturing centers, medical centers, education centers

Galactic City Model

similar to Multiple-Nuclei model, which includes multiple city centers, but instead shows "edge cities" with the features of multiple CBDs

Latin American City Model (Griffin-Ford Model)

A two-part CBD, with one colonial and one post-colonial market. The colonial one is the traditional market center, while the post-colonial one is the modern high-rise center with a pedestrian commercial area. Quality of housing decreases as move away from CBD

disamenity zones

areas not attached to city services (infrastructure, police), instead are often under control of drug lords or gangs

African City Model

consists of a 3-part CBD: traditional CBD with small, clustered shops but a formal economy, colonial CBD with large homes and broad streets and a market area with an informal economy. Also has residential zones based on ethnicity and informal squatter settlements

squatter settlements

homes and building built where people have no legal right to the land

land tenure

legal right to own land

zoning ordinances

rules and regulations that determine how property in cities can be used, categorized between residential, commercial and industrial

infilling

process of "filling in" empty spaces in cities. Increases population density but can reduce green spaces

public transportation

transportation (buses, subways, light rail, trains) operated by government

brownfields

large areas with many abandoned buildings, typically factories

zones of abandonment

abandoned neighborhoods, mainly due to terrible crime and economic conditions

segregation

the separation of people on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation

redlining

refers to systematic denial of home mortgage and insurance applications to certain candidates

blockbusting

practice of real estate agents getting property owners (usually white) to sell their homes at low prices because racial minorities (usually African Americans) are moving into the neighborhood

Great Migration

migration of African Americans from the South to the North to escape Jim Crow laws

gentrification

the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and business

fragmentation

decision-making and jurisdiction (power/control) are often split amongst different levels of government

environmental justice

fair treatment of all people with respect to development and enforcement of environmental laws

ecological footprint

impact of a person or community on the environment

New Urbanism

movement where people have begun to rethink design and layout of cities, based on smart and slow growth

smart growth

growth should be more compact, involving creativity

slow growth

limitation of sprawl, and protection of green areas

mixed land use

using land for a variety of purposes, including housing/accomodation, business, and recreation

inclusionary zoning

zoning ordinance that requires share of new construction to be affordable by low income people

greenbelts

undeveloped natural land surrounding (or near) urban areas

urban growth boundaries (UGBs)

a boundary beyond which land must be preserved in its natural state or be used for agriculture