AP Human - Unit 8

urbanization

refers to the movement of people to towns/cities and the resulting expansion of the rural countryside

influences on urbanization

changes in transportation and communication, population growth, migration, economic development, and government policies

site

the actual physical qualities of the place that a city occupies which can influence origin, function, and growth
e.g. coastal plain, valley, mountains

situation

the relative location of a city (what is it near) which can influence origin, function, and growth
e.g. located near shipping routes (Hong Kong, Singapore)

megacity

a large city with over 10 million people and found increasingly in the periphery and semi-periphery

metacity

a large city with over 20 million people and found increasingly in the periphery and semi-periphery

Suburbanization

the transformation of large areas of rural land to urban uses

suburbs

a residential area located on the periphery of a city

suburban sprawl

unrestricted suburban growth and development over large areas spreading out from a city in which cars provide primary source of transportation

edge city

a concentration of residential and economic (business, shopping, entertainment) activity located in the suburbs

exurb

a residential area beyond the suburbs, often in more rural areas

boomburb

residential and economic urban area that is not the largest city in their metropolitan area, but has a large population (100,000+) and tends to be spread along highways (e.g. Irvine, CA)

world city

city that functions as a service center of the world economy driving globalization at the top of the urban hierarchy

network

a system of interconnected people, goods, information, transportation, communication, finance

globalization

the process of increased interconnectedness among countries most notably in the areas of economics, politics, and culture

urban hierarchy

settlements ranked by population, number of services and sphere of influence

rank size rule

the idea that the population of a city or town will be inversely proportional to its rank in the urban hierarchy
if the largest city in a country contained 1 million citizens then the:
2nd largest city would contain 500,00 (1 million/2)
3rd largest city would contain 333,333 (1 million/3)
4th largest city would contain 250,000 (1 million/4)

primate city

a country's largest city, at least twice as large as the next largest city and more than twice as significant (usually the capital city) and represents national culture

gravity model

a measure of the interaction of places used to predict the movement of people

Christaller's Central Place Theory

explains the distribution, size, location, and interaction of settlements in an urban system
settlements provide a set of goods and services to their hinterland, which is the surrounding market area
larger settlements are fewer and farther apart and serve a large market area, providing low order goods as well as high-order goods
smaller centers serve smaller market areas generally providing low order goods

low order goods

products that are replenished frequently such as
food and other routine household items

high order goods

specialized items such as cars, furniture,
fine jewelry, and household appliances that are bought less often

threshold

the minimum number of people needed for a
business to prosper

range

the maximum distance people will travel to purchase
goods and services

Burgess Concentric Zone Model

a spatial model of the American city that suggests the existence of five concentric rings
around a CBD (Central Business District)

Hoyt Sector Model

a spatial model of the American city that suggests that land-use areas conform to a
wedge-shaped pattern focused on the downtown core (CBD)

Harris-Ullman Multiple Nuclei Model

a spatial model that shows the mid 20th century American city consisting of
several land-use zones (nodes) arranged around a CBD (Central Business District)

galactic city (peripheral) model

a spatial model in which American urban areas consist of a central city surrounded by a large suburban area, shopping malls, office parks, industrial areas, and service complexes tied together by a beltway, or ring road

Bid rent theory

geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand on real estate changes as the distance towards the Central Business District (CBD) increases.

Latin American City Model

a spatial city model that includes a prestigious, commercial axis (spine)
which emanates outward from the CBD and is surrounded by
a peripheral area containing squatter settlements; the city structure
can be attributed to colonialism, the rapid rise of industrialization,
and rapid population increase

Southeast Asian city Model

a spatial city model that includes an old colonial port zone that is the
focal point of the city reflecting a city oriented around exports, and
radiating outward from the port zone are the Western commercial zone
and Alien commercial zone

sub saharan africa city model

a spatial city model that is difficult to formulate due to the imprint of
European colonialism, but often consists of a colonial CBD as well as
a traditional CBD, and a market zone that is surrounded by squatter settlements
(informal satellite townships)

red lining

a discriminatory real estate practice in North America in which members of minority groups are prevented from obtaining money to purchase homes or property in predominately white neighborhoods

blockbusting

a real estate technique used to encourage people to sell their property at a very low price by giving the impression that the neighborhood was changing for the worse, especially in reference to minorities moving in and led to a significant turnover in housing which benefited real estate agents and led to the "white flight" to the suburbs

affordable housing

residential units that are economical for the section of society whose income is below the median household income

access to services

measure of people's ability to pay for services without financial hardship

high crime rates

contributing factors include lack of job availability, less access to quality schools, and real or perceived lack of opportunity

environmental injustice

disproportionate exposure to communities of color and the poor to pollution and its effects on health and the environment; includes inadequate access to healthy food, inadequate transportation, unsafe neighborhoods with poor air and water quality

Disamenity Zones

area located within the city characterized by slums and the homeless and in extreme cases are controlled
by gangs or drug lords

Zones of Abandonment

areas with lack of jobs, declining land values and falling demand that cause people to leave and businesses to close

squatter settlements

residential areas characterized by extreme poverty with shelters constructed of found materials (scrap wood, etc.) that usually exist on land just outside of cities that is neither owned or rented by its occupants with little or no access to water, sewage, garbage removal, or education

land tenure

system regulating the rights to ownership and control and usage of land

inclusionary zoning

planning ordinances that provide affordable housing to people with low to moderate incomes

local food movements

food that is produced within a short distance of where it is comsumed, often accompanied by a social structure and supply chain different from the large-scale supermarket system

urban renewal

the redevelopment of areas within an urban area, typically neighborhoods in economic decline

gentrification

the restoration of deteriorated urban areas by wealthier (mostly middle-income) people who move into, renovate, and restore housing and sometimes businesses

functional fragmentation of government

refers to the way governmental institutions are dispersed between many local agencies including state, county, city and neighborhood levels

Urban sustainability

the idea that a city can meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs in terms of economic, environmental and social impact

low density housing

land use pattern meant for a small number of residential homes that include a lot of open space and contain the fewest people per geographic unit

medium density housing

land use pattern in which residential units include multi-unit housing, such as townhomes as well as single-unit housing

high density housing

land use pattern in which land is occupied by residential units that include multi-unit housing such as high-rise buildings and contain the highest people per geographic unit

zoning

classifying land and identifying the types of activities that are permitted

mixed land use

land development that blends a combination of residential, commercial, cultural, institutional and/or industrial uses

smart growth policies

urban planning that avoids urban sprawl and focuses on long term implications with sustainable design initiatives and guides development into more convenient patterns and into areas where infrastructure allows growth to be sustained over the long term

new urbanism

smart growth policy that creates walk-able, mixed land use neighborhoods with commercial and residential areas

green belt

an area of natural land on which building is restricted and whose main purpose is to curb the outward expansion of a large urban area

slow growth cities

smart growth policies that concentrate growth in walkable urban centers to decrease sprawl

consumer service

Businesses that provide services primarily to individual consumers, including retail services and education, health, and leisure services

business service

a service that primarily meets the needs of other businesses, including professional, financial, and transportation services

public service

a service offered by the government to provide security and protection for citizens and businesses

settlement

a permanent collection of buildings where people reside, work, and obtain services

central place theory

A theory that explains the distribution of services, based on the fact that settlements serve as centers of market areas for services; larger settlements are fewer and farther apart than smaller settlements and provide services for a larger number of people who are willing to travel farther.

central place

a market center for the exchange of goods and services by people attracted from the surrounding area

hinterland

The area surrounding a central place, from which people are attracted to use the place's goods and services.

rank-size rule

A pattern of settlements in a country, such that the nth largest settlement is 1/n the population of the largest settlement.

periodic market

a collection of individual vendors who come together to offer goods and services in a location on specified days

global city

a major center for the provision of services in the global economy

basic business

exports primarily to customers outside the settlement

nonbasic business

serve primarily customers living in the same settlement

economic base

A community's collection of basic businesses

Clustered rural settlement

A rural settlement in which the houses and farm buildings of each family are situated close to each other and fields surround the settlement.

Dispersed rural settlement

A rural settlement pattern characterized by isolated farms rather than clustered villages.

central city

an urban settlement that has been legally incorporated into an independent, self-governing unit known as a municipality

urban area

consists of a central city and its surrounding built-up suburbs

megalopolis

a region in which several large cities and surrounding areas grow together

cbd

The area of a city where retail and office activities are clustered.

suburb

area within urban area but not in central city

annexation

Legally adding land area to a city in the United States

density gradient

The change in density in an urban area from the center to the periphery.

smart growth

Legislation and regulations to limit suburban sprawl and preserve farmland.

underclass

A group in society prevented from participating in the material benefits of a more developed society because of a variety of social and economic characteristics.

Public Housing

Housing owned by the government; in the United States, it is rented to low-income residents, and the rents are set at 30 percent of the families' incomes.