Unit 6 APHG

Central Place Theory

Developed by Walter Christaller, this theory explains the distribution of services and settlements based on the idea that settlements serve as central places providing services to surrounding areas

Concentric Zone Model

Proposed by Ernest Burgess, this model describes urban growth in a series of concentric rings emanating from the central business district (CBD), with each ring representing different land uses

Sector Model

Developed by Homer Hoyt, this model suggests that cities develop in sectors or wedges, with certain areas being more attractive for specific activities due to environmental factors or historical development

Multiple Nuclei Model

Proposed by Chauncy Harris and Edward Ullman, this model posits that cities have multiple centers (nuclei) around which different activities cluster, rather than a single CBD

Urban Realms Model

Developed by James Vance, this model describes how large metropolitan areas are made up of separate, self-sufficient urban areas or realms, each with its own CBD

Central Business District (CBD)

The downtown or central area of a city, characterized by a concentration of retail stores, offices, and cultural activities

Edge City

A large node of office and retail activities located on the outskirts of an urban area, often with a concentration of business and commercial establishments

Gentrification

The process of renovating and improving a neighborhood, often leading to the displacement of lower-income residents due to rising property values

Urban Heat Island

An urban area that experiences higher temperatures than its rural surroundings due to human activities and the modification of land surfaces

Urban Sprawl

The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural land, often leading to increased reliance on automobiles and loss of agricultural land

Clustered Rural Settlement

A rural settement patem where houses and far buildings are close together, with fields surrounding the collection of buildings

Dispersed Rural Settlement

A rural settlement pattern where individual farmhouses are spread out over a large area, with fields separating them

City-State

An independent, sell-governing city that includes the settlement and the surrounding countryside

Primate City

A city that is disproportionately larger than any other city in the country, often serving as the political, economic, and cultural center

Rank-Size Rule

A patten of settlement sizes in a country where the population of a city is inversely proportional to its rank in the urban hierarchy

Slum

A heavily populated urban area characterized by substandard housing and squalor

Squatter Settlement

An area of a city where people live in makeshift housing without legal rights to the land, often lacking basic services

Urbanization

The process by which an increasing percentage of a population lives in cities and suburbs

Suburbanization

The process of population movement from within towns and cities to the rural-urban fringe

Counterurbanization

The movement of people from urban areas to rural areas, often seeking a higher quality of life