AP Human Geography 6.1 Introduction To Urbanization

Ecumene

The permanently and known inhabited portion of the Earth's surface

Urbanization

The ongoing process of developing towns and cities

Settlement

A place with a permanent population

Percent Urban

Proportion of population that lives in cities as compared to rural area

Borchert's Model of Urban Growth

A model developed by geographer John Borchert that describes urban growth based on transportation technology

City

A place where there is a relative concentration of people

Metropolitan Area

A single, densely populated core city and its surrounding suburbs

Megalopolis

A chain of interconnected cities

Megacities

Cities with 10 million or more people

Metacity

A city with a population of over 20 million people

World City

A city that exerts influence far beyond its national boundaries

Suburbanization

The process of people moving, usually from cities, to residential areas on the outskirts of cities

Boomburb

Large (100,000+ residents), fast-growing suburbs

Edge City

A suburb that grows to the point that it develops its own economic core (business, retail, entertainment) and can exist independently of the city it borders

Counter-Urbanization

When people move from urban to rural areas

Exurbs

Wealthy commuter communities located beyond suburbs