Cities and Urbanization Vocabulary

A comprehensive list of terms and definitions related to urbanization and cities.

reurbanization

When suburbanites choose to return to live in cities.

megacities

A city with a population of more than 10 million people.

world (global) cities

Cities that exert political, cultural, and socioeconomic influence throughout the world regardless of size.

leap-frog development

When developers purchase land and build communities beyond the periphery of the city’s built area.

urban hierarchy

Ranking based on the influence and/or population size of cities.

percent urban

The proportion of the population that lives in cities and towns as compared to those that live in rural areas.

nodal cities

Cities that function as command centers on a regional or even national level.

urban system

An interdependent set of cities that interact on the regional, national, and global scale.

suburbanization

A largely residential area adjacent to an urban area.

primate city

A city that is at least twice as large as the next largest city in an urban system.

boomburbs

Rapidly growing communities (over 10% per 10 years) that have a population over 100,000 and are not the largest city in the metro area.

metacities

A continuous urban area with more than 20 million people.

gravity model

Larger places that are closer together will have more interactions than places that are smaller and further apart.

edge cities

Mini downtown areas that are nodes of economic activity and have developed in the periphery of larger cities.

market area

The zone that contains people who will purchase goods and services around the central place.

exurbs

Prosperous residential districts beyond the suburbs.

nodal region

A focal point in a matrix of social and economic interconnections.

hexagonal hinterlands

Allows central places of different sizes to distribute themselves in a clean pattern across a given region.

pedestrian cities

Cities shaped by the distance people could walk.

threshold

The size of population necessary for any particular service to exist and remain profitable.

streetcar suburbs

Communities that grew up along rail lines, often forming a pinwheel shaped city.

megalopolis

A chain of connected cities such as the Bos-Wash Corridor.

range

The distance people will travel to obtain specific goods or services.

urbanization

The process of developing towns and cities.

metropolitan area

An uninterrupted urban area made of towns, suburbs, and cities.

galactic city model

Model that describes the layout of a city where the original central business district is surrounded by a system of smaller nodes that mimic the functions of the CBD.

commercial spine

Urban core that is comprised of theaters, restaurants, parks, and other amenities.

peripheral model

Model that describes the suburban neighborhoods surrounding an inner city and served by nodes of commercial activity along a beltway.

inner city

Residential area, dominated by apartment buildings and row houses, surrounding the CBD.

multiple-nuclei model

Model that describes the layout of a city as having multiple functional nodes, each with characteristics that either repel or attract certain kinds of activity.

unincorporated areas

Populated regions that do not fall within the legal boundary of any city or municipality.

concentric zone model

Model that describes the layout of a city as a series of rings that surround the central business district.

periférico

The outer ring of the city which usually lacks infrastructure and has high poverty.

squatter settlements

Densely populated, informal settlements on the periphery of a city.

incorporation

The act of legally joining together to form a new city.

municipality

A local entity that is all under the same jurisdiction.

commensal relationship

When commercial interests benefit one another.

invasion and succession

The process by which one ethnic or social group gradually replaces another through filtering.

infrastructure

The facilities and systems that serve a population.

disamenity zones

Area not connected to city services, typically under control of criminals.

informal economy zone

Periodic markets, curbside, car-side, and stall-based businesses that often hire temporary labor and do not follow all regulations.

filtering

When housing passes from one social group to another.

central business district

The commercial heart of a city.

traditional CBD

Small shops clustered along narrow, twisting streets; typically found in European countries.

urban infill

The process of increasing residential density of an area by replacing open space and vacant housing with residences.

suburbanization of business

The movement of commerce out of cities to suburbs where rents are cheaper and commutes for employees are shorter.

residential density gradient

Population and housing-density decline the further you move out from the CBD.

colonial CBD

Broad straight avenues with large homes, parks, and administrative centers.

functional zonation

The idea that portions of the urban area have specific and distinct purposes.

sector model

Model that describes how different types of land use and housing were located near the CBD in a city’s early history and then grew outward in the form of wedges rather than rings.

census tract

Contiguous geographic regions that function as the foundation of a census.

land tenure

The legal protection of contracts to show ownership of land or structures.

gated communities

Neighborhoods with limited access and entry points.

zones of abandonment

Areas of a city that have been deserted by their owners for either economic or environmental reasons.

urban redevelopment

The process of renovating a site within a city by removing the existing landscape and rebuilding from the ground up.

transit-oriented development

Locates mixed-use residential and business communities near mass transit stops.

census block

In densely populated urban areas, a single block surrounded by four streets.

environmental injustice

The disproportionate exposure of minorities and the poor to pollution and its impacts, plus the unequal protection of their rights under the law.

brownfields

An area that consists of dilapidated buildings and polluted or contaminated soil; expensive to remove or repair.

redlining

The process by which banks refuse loans to those who want to purchase and improve properties in certain areas.

urban canyon

Streets lined with tall buildings, which can channel and intensify wind and prevent natural sunlight from reaching the ground.

mixed-use neighborhoods

Vibrant, livable, walkable neighborhoods that are a mixture of residential and commercial buildings.

blockbusting

When people of one ethnic or racial group sell their homes upon learning that members of another group are moving into the neighborhood.

urban heat island

An area of a city that is warmer than the surrounding areas.

ecological footprint

The impact of human activity on the environment.

new urban design

Defined by human-scale neighborhoods, reclaiming neglected spaces, giving access to multiple modes of transportation, increasing affordable housing, and creating mixed-use neighborhoods.

gentrification

The process of converting an urban, inner-city neighborhood from a mostly low-income, renter-occupied area to a wealthier, owner-occupied area of a city.

suburban sprawl

The rapid spread of development outward from the inner city.

slow-growth cities

Policies to slow the outward spread of urban areas and place limits on building permits in order to encourage a denser, more compact city.

inclusionary zoning

Practices which offer incentives to developers to set aside a percentage of housing for low-income renters or buyers.

eminent domain

The legal statute that allows the government to claim private property from individuals for public development projects (the government must pay the individuals fair market value for their property).

greenbelts

Areas of undeveloped land around an urban area, created to limit a city’s growth and preserve farmland.

scattered approach

City- or government-provided rental assistance for individuals to disperse public housing throughout a given area.

urban wildlife

Rats, raccoons, pigeons and other animals that can thrive in cities but often carry disease and can be a nuisance.

urban renewal

A policy allowing local governments to clear out inner-city slums, displacing residents to low-income government housing developments.