AP Human Geography Unit 6 Vocab

African Cities Model

A generalized diagram of an urban area in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Bid-Rent Theory

The further land is from the the cheaper it is.

Blockbusting

Process by which real estate agents convince white property owners to sell their houses at low prices for fear that black families will move into the neighborhood.

Boomburb

Fast growing suburbs.

Borchert’s Model of Urban Growth

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

Brownfield

Abandoned or underused industrial or commercial properties that may be contaminated.

Central Business District

Where a large amount of businesses are located.

Central Place Theory

Model that explains the distribution of cities and services across a landscape.

City

A place where there is a relative concentration of people.

Conurbation

Large continuous urban or industry developed area formed by the merging of multiple cities through population growth and physical expansion.

Concentric Zone Model

City having a central business district which is surrounded by a series of rings with varying levels of development.

De Facto Segregation

People are segregated into separate areas by fact rather than by law or policy.

Disamenity Zone

An area of a city or region that lacks basic infrastructure and public services.

Ecumene

The permanently inhabited portion of the earth surface.

Edge City

Suburb that grown to the point that it develops its own economic cone and can exist independently of the city it borders.

Eminent Domain

The power of governments to acquire land from private landowners and convert it to public use or to a use with public benefit.

Ethnic Enclave

Geographic areas where a particular ethnic group is concentrated.

Exurbanization

When people move from cities to rural areas.

Filtering

Process of subdivision of houses and occupancy by successive waves of lower income.

Food Desert

An area where where is no healthy food available.

Forward Capital

Symbolically relocated capital city usually because of either economic or strategic reasons.

Galactic City Model

A model made up of an inner city with large suburban residential and business areas surrounding it.

Gated Community

Residential areas enclosed by gates.

Gentrification

Process where a previously low-income or deteriorated urban areas undergoes revitalization through economic development.

Ghettos

A neighborhood where a minority group is forced to live.

Gravity Model

A model that predicts how much two places interact.

Greenbelts

A policy and land-use designation that keeps underdeveloped land around cities to prevent urban sprawl.

Hinterland

the surrounding rural area that depends on a central city or town for goods and services.

Infill

The construction of new buildings in underutilized or vacant land lots within urban areas.

Informal Economy

Economic activity that is neither taxed nor monitored by a government.

Latin American Cities Model

Diagram that shows the structure of cities in Latin America.

Megacity

Cities with 10 million or more people.

Megapolis

A chain of interconnected cities.

Metacity

Cities with more than 20 million people.

Metropolitan Area

A city and adjacent areas across which population density is high and continuous.

Mixed-Use Neighborhood

Community where residential housing is integrated with commercial spaces like shops.

Multiple Nuclei Model

City that does not have one central area but has several houses that act as the central area.

New Urbansim

Seeks to encourage local community development and sustainable growth in an urban area.

Pedestrian Cities

Urban areas designed to prioritize walking.

Primate city rule

A city that is disproportionately larger and more influential than any other city in its country.

Range

The maximum distance people are willing to travel to access goods or services.

Rank-Size Rule

A pattern where a city’s population size is inversely proportional to its rank within a country.

Redlining

A discriminatory practice that denies financial services based on where people live.

Rural

Areas outside cities and towns/ lower population densities.

Sector Model

Model of urban land use.

Satellite City

An established town near a very large city grows into a city independent of the larger one.

Settlement

A place with a permanent human population.

Shantytown

Improvised settlements consisting of hand built dwellings.

Smart Growth

Planning and development strategy that aims to create sustainable communities by reducing sprawl.

Southeast Asian Cities Model

Model that describes layout of cities in Southeast Asia.

Squatter Settlement

Area where people build homes on land they don’t legally own.

Suburbanization

Process of people moving from cities to outskirts of other cities.

Threshold

The minimum population or market area needed to support a particular good or service.

Urban Canyon

A narrow street in a city where tall buildings on both sides create a canyon lake environment.

Urban Decay

Process where a city or part of a city falls into disrepare.

Urbanization

The ongoing process of developing towns and cities.

Urban Development

The process of renewing and revitalizing urban areas.

Urban Sprawl

Uncontrolled expansion of cities and towns into surrounding areas.

Urban System

Interconnected networks of urban areas that function together through transportation, communication, and economic areas.

World City

City that exerts influence far beyond national boundaries.

Zoning

System of laws that regulate how land can be used in a specific area.