APHuG Unit 6 Vocabulary Terms

Bazaar

Traditional street market common in Islamic cities.

Blockbusting

Practice where agents scare homeowners into selling cheaply by suggesting minority groups are moving in.

Brownfields

Abandoned or contaminated industrial sites targeted for redevelopment.

Census Tract

Small geographic unit used by the U.S. Census Bureau for data collection.

Central Business District (CBD

Downtown core of a city with high business, office, and transportation concentration.

Central Place Theory

Theory explaining distribution, size, and spacing of cities based on consumer behavior.

City

Large, densely populated settlement with official boundaries.

Commuter Zone

Outer ring where residents travel to work in the CBD.

Concentric Zone Model

Model showing urban growth in circular rings from the CBD outward.

Counterurbanization

Movement of people from cities to rural or smaller areas.

Edge City

Large business and retail center located on the urban fringe near highways.

Exurb

Small community beyond suburban areas.

Festival Setting

Redeveloped urban area focused on cultural or historical attractions.

Filtering

Process where housing declines in value and becomes occupied by lower-income residents.

Galactic City Model

Model showing urban areas connected by beltways (ring roads).

Gentrification

Process where wealthier residents move into older areas, increasing property values and displacing lower-income residents.

Greenbelts

Protected open land surrounding cities to limit urban sprawl.

Hamlet

Very small settlement with few services.

Hinterland (Market Area)

Area surrounding a city that depends on it for goods and services.

Informal Sector

Economic activity that is unregulated and not officially recorded.

Inner City

Central urban area often associated with lower-income populations.

Invasion and Succession

Process where new groups move into and replace existing populations in neighborhoods.

Latin America City Model

Model with a CBD, commercial spine, and decreasing housing quality outward.

Megacity

City with a population over 10 million.

Megalopolis

Large region formed by merging metropolitan areas.

Metacity

City with over 20 million people.

Metropolitan Area

Region including a central city and surrounding suburbs functioning as one system.

Multiple Nuclei Model

Model showing cities develop around multiple centers instead of one CBD.

Neighborhood

Local community within a city sharing common characteristics.

New Urbanism

Urban planning approach promoting walkable, mixed-use communities.

Peak Land Value Intersection (PLVI

Point in CBD with highest land value and accessibility.

Primate City

Largest city in a country, more than twice the size of the second largest.

Range

Maximum distance people are willing to travel for goods/services.

Rank-Size Rule

Rule stating city population is inversely related to its rank in a hierarchy.

Redlining

Practice of denying loans/services to certain neighborhoods based on race or income.

Restrictive Covenants

Legal agreements restricting property ownership or land use.

Sector Model

Model showing city growth in wedges along transportation routes.

Smart Growth

Policies aimed at reducing sprawl and promoting sustainable development.

Squatter Settlement

Unplanned settlement where people build homes without legal land ownership.

Suburb

Residential area surrounding a central city.

Suburbanization

Movement of people from urban centers to suburbs.

Tertiary Sector

Service-based economic activities (transportation, healthcare, retail).

Threshold

Minimum population needed to support a business or service.

Town

Settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city.

Underclass

Group experiencing long-term poverty and limited economic opportunity.

Urban Area

Region consisting of a city and its developed surroundings.

Urban Hearth

Region where early cities first developed.

Urban Heat Island

Phenomenon where cities are warmer due to human activity and infrastructure.

Urban Hierarchy

Ranking of settlements by size and economic importance.

Urban Infill

Development of unused land within existing urban areas.

Urban Renewal

Redevelopment of older or deteriorating urban areas.

Urban Sprawl

Uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into rural land.

Urbanization

Increase in the percentage of people living in cities.

Village

Settlement larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town.

World City

City with major influence on global economy and culture.

Zone

Area within a city designated for a specific use.

Zone in Transition

Mixed-use area surrounding the CBD with industry and housing.

Zoning Laws

Government rules regulating land use and building types.