APHG: Models and Theories

Malthusian Theory // Thomas Malthus

What and Who?

Theory that population increases exponentially whereas agriculture increases linearly; eventually, the world would run out of food. This would occur because population grew exponentially while food supply grew arithmetically.

Possibilism // N/A

What and Who?

Theory that the physical environment may limit human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment.

Boserup Theory // Ester Boserup

What and Who?

Theorized that food production can, and will, increase to match the needs of the population (critic of Malthusian Theory).

Population Pyramid // N/A

What and Who?

Shows percentage of population in 5-year age groups, with the youngest group at the base of the pyramid and the oldest group at the top. The length of the bar represents the percentage of the total population in that group. Males are usually on the left and females on the right.

Demographic Transition Model // N/A

What and Who?

A sequence of demographic changes in which a country moves through five stages from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates through time.

Laws of Migration // Ernst Ravenstein

What and Who?

A set of 11 "laws" regarding migration. It states that most migration occurs over short distances, migration occurs in steps, long range migrants usually move to urban areas, females are more migratory than males but males are more migratory over long distances, and migration is usually caused by economic causes.

Epidemiological Transition Model // N/A

What and Who?

The theory that says that there is a distinct cause of death in each stage of the demographic transition model. It can help explain how a country's population changes so dramatically.

Anatolian Hearth Theory // Colin Renfrew

What and Who?

Theory that believes Indo-European began in Turkey and diffused into Europe and South Asia along with agricultural practices (not military conquest) around 5,000 BC.

Nomadic Warrior Theory // Marija Gimbutas

What and Who?

Theory that the Indo-European language family spread from Central Asia by Kurgan warriors on horses that conquered much of Europe and South Asia around 3,000 BC.

Von Thunen Model // Von Thunen

What and Who?

This model is used by geographers to explain the important relationship between the proximity a farm has to market and the crops grown on the farm. This model is typically conveyed via six concentric rings, each representing an agricultural activity, with the market as the central node.

Green Revolution // Norman Borlaug

What and Who?

Period when the productivity of global agriculture increased drastically as a result of new advances. During this time period, new chemical fertilizers and synthetic herbicides and pesticides were created. High-yield crops are crops that are specifically designed to produce more overall yield.

Central Place Theory // Walter Christaller

What and Who?

Theory that was developed to explain the distribution of cities of goods and services across a region.

Hint: The central place (a location where people go to receive goods and services) varies from tiny communities to major cities

Concentric Zone Model // E.W. Burgess

What and Who?

A 1923 urban model of the internal structure of American cities in which social groups are spatially arranged in a series of rings extending out from the CBD. The further from the CBD, the better the quality of housing, but the longer the commuting time

Sector Model // Homer Hoyt

What and Who?

A 1939 urban model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a series of sectors, or wedges, radiating out from the central business district. corridors, such as rail lines, public transit and major roads, are mainly responsible for the creation of wedges, thus transport has guiding effect on land uses.

Multi-Nuclei Model // Ullman and Harris

What and Who?

Type of urban model developed in 1945 wherein cities have numerous centers of business and cultural activity instead of one central place. Other nodes can develop from their economic specialization.

Galactic Model // Chauncey Harris

What and Who?

This model of U.S. cities features a ring road and modern amenities like airports. It argues that edge cities are likely to pop-up around the ring road

Bid Rent Theory // N/A

What and Who?

Geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand on real estate changes; land value decreases as distance from the Central Business District (CBD) increases

Latin American Model // Ernst Griffin and Larry Ford

What and Who?

Urban model where the CBD has a traditional market center and a modern high-rise center. The elite residential sector is an extension of the CBD in the "spine". Generally, poverty levels increase with distance from CBD with squatter settlements on the outskirts.

Southeast Asian Model // McGee

What and Who?

Urban model where the focal point of the city is the colonial port zone combined with the large commercial district that surrounds it.

Sub-Saharan African Cities Model // N/A

What and Who?

Urban model that usually has 3 CBDs - a traditional CBD with one story buildings that existed before colonization, more vertical colonial CBD, and informal economy zone that includes periodic markets; squatter settlements around the periphery

Gravity Model // N/A

What and Who?

Predicts the degree of interaction and probability of mobility between two places; there are greater flows to bigger cities and between nearer cities

Dependency Theory // N/A

What and Who?

The theory that the periphery is poor because it was economically dependent on the core in a disadvantageous relationship originally established under colonialism and imperialism.

World System Theory // Wallerstein

What and Who?

A dependency theory on economic development that says in an increasingly unified world economy countries depend on each other, with some benefiting more than others. (World is divided into core, semi-periphery and periphery regions)

Stages of Economic Growth // Rostow

What and Who?

This model defines development of all regions as occurring in five stages of varying lengths dependent on a region's rate of development. All states move through these stages of development at varying rates.

Least Cost Theory // Alfred Weber

What and Who?

Theory that tries to explain and predict the location pattern of industry; focuses on key variables of transportation, labor and agglomeration. The most effective location to place a factory with minimal transportation costs.

Environmental Determinism // N/A

What and Who?

The view that the natural environment has a very controlling influence over various aspects of human life including cultural development.

Malthusian Theory

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Possibilism

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Population Pyramid

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Demographic Transition Model

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Epidemiological Transition Model

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Anatolian Hearth Theory

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Nomadic Warrior Theory

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Von Thunen Model

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Central Place Theory

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Concentric Zone Model

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Sector Model

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Multi-Nuclei Model

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Galactic City Model

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Bid Rent Theory

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Latin American Model

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Southeast Asian Model

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Sub-Saharan African Cities Model

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Gravity Model

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Dependency Theory / World System Theory

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Stages of Economic Growth Model

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