Unit 6 APHG Vocab

hinterland

the trading area that surrounds a city; the often uncharted areas beyond

site

for a city, it's specific location

situation

for a city, it's relative location and setting based on its access and role in the larger spatial area (trade nexus, defense post, etc.)

hearths of urban settlements

Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus River Valley, Northern China, Mesoamerica

gateway cities

established by European powers in Latin America and elsewhere as control centers for the colonial government

urbanization

the rapid growth of, and migration to, large cities

rural-to-urban migration

movement of people from the country to a major city, usually in search of better economic opportunity

supercity

a very large city

megalopolis

a group of supercities that have merged together into one large urban area

world city

a city that serves as an important linkage or connection point in the global economic system; examples are London, New York City, Singapore, Dubai

megacity

a metropolitan area with a population of 10 million or more; they can suffer from a number of urbanization challenges, depending on site and situation

suburbanization

movement of people from urban core areas to surrounding outer edges; American phenonmenon

edge cities

formation of the industrial and office parks, apartments and condominium, gated communities, and commercial operations in the suburban areas, creating new complexes that are more self-sufficient

primate city

theory by Jefferson, which proposed this city is at least twice as large as the next largest city in the country, and more than twice as significant

rank-size rule

theory proposed by Zipf, which states that if all cities in a country are placed in order from the largest to the smallest, the rate of decrease in size of each city's population is large at first but quickly slows. (Second largest city is one half, third largest city is one third, etc.)

central place theory

Christaller's theory that cities exist for economic reasons, and people gather in those cities to share goods and ideas. Cities are distribution centers in this theory.

gravity model

a theory about spatial interaction based on Newton's law of gravity; larger places attract more people, ideas & goods than smaller places; cities closer together have a greater attraction

central business district

the center of every urban land use model; the area of skyscrapers, business headquarters, large banks, etc.

bid-rent curve

the concentric circles of the concentric zone model are based on the amount people will pay for the land

basic sector

workers who produce goods and services for individuals outside the urban area; produce an income flow of new money into the city

non-basic sector

workers who produce goods and services for people employed within the urban area; do not generate an income flow into the city

uneven development

when some areas receive lots of investment dollars, while other areas receive only token amounts; a major concern in some U.S. cities

segregation

physical separation of two groups of a population; in the United States this is racial and income based, which remains an issue in US cities

urban sprawl

a development unique to the United States where suburban growth creates an automobile dependent space; resulted from separate-use designations for commercial, residential, etc.

urban renewal

process of identifying properties in inner-city neighborhoods that are then acquired, cleared of residents and structures, and then handed over to private investors or public agencies for construction of new spaces; criticized for reducing low-cost housing and destroying older neighborhoods' sense of community

public housing

government-constructed and regulated low-income residences

gentrification

process of middle-class and higher-income families renovating older neighborhoods, where houses belonged historically to wealthy and are often cheap; critics claim it diverts government funds from low-income housing and uses it for middle-class renovation

congregation

minority groups based on ethnicity, religion, culture or lifestyle live closer together to provide support and minimize conflict with non-minority groups

ghettoization

the concentration of a certain group of residents to a certain area against their will through either legal means or practices of social discrimination

new urbanism

urban design movement of 1980s in the U.S.; main emphasis was to return to a sense of community and earlier neighborhoods, with sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly access to services and residences

green building

practice of building structures that uses materials and processes known to be environmentally safe and resource-efficient; typically takes advantage of renewable resources, and green roofs

Concentric zone model

Created by sociologist Ernest Burgess in 1925.

Sector Model (Hoyt)

A model or urban land use that places the central business district in the middle with wedge-shaped sectors radiating outwards from the center along transportation corridors.

Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris-Ullman)

A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a collection of nodes of activities.

Latin America Urban Model

CBD and traditional market; spine from CBD for wealthy

Galactic City Model

mini edge city that is connected to another city by beltways or highways

African City Model

model that suggests that African cities have more than one CBD, which is a reminiscent of colonialism

Urbanization

Movement of people from rural areas to cities

Epochs of Urban Growth (Borchert)

Describes urban growth based on transportation technology; each new form of technology produced a new system that changed how people moved themselves and goods in and between urban areas

urban hierarchy

a ranking of cities based on their size and functional complexity

Globalization

the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.

core

National or global regions where economic power, in terms of wealth, innovation, and advanced technology, is concentrated

periphery

the outermost part or boundary; often weakest economic part of the system

semi-periphery

places where core and periphery processes are both occurring; places that are exploited by the core but in turn exploit the periphery (gaps between rich and poor)

metropolitan area

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

Islamic City Model

Influenced by religious beliefs; center often a mosque. Perimeter defined by a wall

Southeast Asia City Model

highly coastal cities based on trade, has a port zone, government zone, residential zones

Residential land use

Land that is used for housing; often high density in cities

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.

infrastructure

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

Sustainable Design Initiatives

Communities that use smart growth and green building techniques to create neighborhoods that are economically thriving and environmentally responsible

Walkable mixed-use areas

residential areas with access to services and other businesses without requiring residents to use a car as their main mode of transportation, or even own one

Smart growth policies

Legislation and regulations to limit suburban sprawl and preserve farmland.

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.

Greenbelts

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

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

Quantitative data

numerical data

Census Tract

An area delineated by the U.S. Bureau of the Census for which statistics are published; in urbanized areas, census tracts correspond roughly to neighborhoods.

Qualitative data

Data associated with a more humanistic approach to geography, often collected through interviews, empirical observations, or the interpretation of texts, artwork, old maps, and other archives.

Insurance discrimination

Unfair or illegal treatment of or denial of rights to persons on the basis of certain arbitrarily chosen attributes or characteristics

Housing Affordability

A measure of how easy it is for people to buy their own house (based on factors such as average house prices, average incomes and interest rates)

food desert

an area typically in a highly populated, lower income urban environment, where healthy, fresh food is difficult to find

Public Services

Services offered by the government to provide security and protection for citizens and businesses.

Disamenity Zones

areas not connected to city services and under the control of drug lords and gangs

Zones of Abandonment

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

municipality

A city, town, etc. having its own incorporated government for local affairs.

Urban sustainability

a city can be organized without reliance on the surrounding countryside and power itself with renewable energy

sanitation

conditions relating to public health, especially the provision of clean drinking water and adequate sewage disposal

air/water quality

A measurement of the pollutants in the air and water; a description of healthiness and safety of the atmosphere.

Brownfields

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

Farmland Protection

Policies enacted by governments that protect farmland and prevent it from being sold into other use

Energy Use

ways in which energy is expended; often high in cities