Unit 6 vocab

Relative Location

The location of a place in relation to other places and features.

Connectivity

The degree of economic, social, or political connection between different places.

Consumer Services

Services provided primarily to individual consumers who desire them and can afford to pay for them.

Business Services

Services that facilitate the activities of other businesses.

Public Services

Services provided to secure protection and security for citizens and businesses.

Agglomeration

The clustering of businesses and industries in a specific area.

World Cities

Urban centers that play a major role in the global economy and are linked to other global cities.

Global City

A major center for the provision of services in the global economy.

Christaller’s Central Place Theory

A theory explaining how the most profitable location can be identified.

Market Area/Hinterland

The area surrounding a service from which customers are attracted.

Brownfields

Properties potentially contaminated by hazardous substances or pollutants.

Rank-Size Rule

The size of a city is proportional to its rank in the hierarchy of cities.

Primate City Rule

In a country, the largest settlement has more than twice the population of the second largest.

Primate City

The largest settlement in a country, with a population exceeding twice that of the second ranking.

Gravity Model

A model relating the potential use of a service to the number of people and the distances they travel.

Periodic Market

A collection of vendors offering goods and services on specified days.

Local Food Movement/Locavore

A movement connecting food producers and consumers in the same region.

Mixed Land Use

Urban areas that blend residential, commercial, and institutional uses.

Megacity

An urban settlement with over 10 million residents.

Metacity

An urban settlement with over 20 million residents.

Periphery

Countries with very low living standards and industrial productivity.

Semi Periphery

Countries with living standards lower than core countries but higher than periphery countries.

Edge Cities

Urban areas with large suburban residential and business areas surrounding a central city.

Exurbs

Areas at the edge of metropolitan areas, featuring low housing density.

Suburban Sprawl

The spreading of urban developments on undeveloped land near a city.

Sprawl

Development of new housing sites at low densities, away from existing urban areas.

Boomburbs

Suburban communities with over 100,000 residents that are not core cities.

Infilling

Building new retail, business, or residential units on vacant or underused land.

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

An urbanized area with at least 50,000 population and functional connections to surrounding areas.

Micropolitan Statistical Areas (μSAs)

Urbanized areas of 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants with functional ties to surrounding areas.

Core-based Statistical Area (CBSA)

The collective term for all metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas.

Combined Statistical Area (CSA)

Two or more contiguous core-based statistical areas linked by commuting patterns.

Megalopolis

A continuous urban complex in the northeastern United States.

Central Business District (CBD)

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

Burgess Concentric-zone Model

Model showing social groups arranged in rings around a central area.

Hoyt Sector Model

Model showing social groups arranged in sectors radiating from the CBD.

Harris and Ullman Multiple Nuclei Model

Model showing social groups arranged around several nodes of activity.

Galactic/Peripheral City Model

Model consisting of an inner city surrounded by suburban residential and business areas.

Latin America Urban Model

Model combining radial sectors and concentric zones, reflecting Latin American culture.

Southeast Asia Urban Model

Model featuring high, middle, and low-income residential areas based on distance from the center.

Africa Urban Model

Diagram of urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa, incorporating pre-colonial and colonial elements.

New Urbanism

Movement promoting local community development and sustainable growth in urban areas.

Greenbelts

Reserved areas preventing urban sprawl, comprising farms, parks, and forests.

Disamenity Zones

Very poor city areas, often disconnected from city services and controlled by gangs.

Squatter Settlements

Residential areas developed without legal claims or permissions from authorities.

Census Tracts

Areas designated for statistical publication, roughly corresponding to neighborhoods.

Smart Growth

Development strategies that promote sustainability and attractiveness in urban areas.

Slow Growth Cities

Urban areas prioritizing sustainable and equitable development over rapid growth.

Transportation Oriented Development

Urban development maximizing residential and commercial spaces near public transport.

Zoning Ordinance

Rules defining how property can be used in specific geographic zones.

Gentrification

The process of converting low-income neighborhoods into middle-class owner-occupied areas.