Human Geo: Unit 6 Vocab

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

e.g. LDCs: Mumbai, São Paulo, Jakarta, Lima, Shenzhen, MDC: Paris

meta-city

a large city with over 20 million people and found increasingly in the periphery and semi-periphery
e.g. LDCs: Delhi, Mexico City, Cairo, Beijing, Mumbai
MDCs: Tokyo

suburbanization

the transformation of large areas of rural land to urban uses

suburb

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
(hamlet, village, town, city, world city)
e.g. New York City, London, Tokyo, Paris

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
e.g. hamlet, village, town, city

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

e.g. Paris, France and London, England

gravity model

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

Christaller’s Central Place Theory

* (early 1933) 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

urban models

models that are useful for explaining internal structures of cities

Burgess Concentric Zone Model

(1923) a spatial model of the American city that suggests the existence of five concentric rings
around a CBD (Central Business District)

Hoyt Sector Model

(1939) 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 and Ullman Multiple Nuclei Model

(1945) 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 Model (Peripheral Model)

(1997) 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

• extension of the von Thünen model that implies that rent is
equal to the value of the product minus production and
transportation costs
• shows what various land users are prepared and able to pay
for access to the center market (CBD)
• the further from the center market (CBD), the lower
the cost for a site
• intensive and extensive farming practices are in part
by land costs

Latin American City Model

(1980) 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 African 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)

housing discrimination

discrimination in the purchase or rental of housing on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, age,
national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or veteran status

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

a discriminatory banking practice of refusing to loan money to people in “risky” neighborhoods, creating a downward spiral in which poor neighborhoods became increasingly rundown

insurance companies to refuse coverage or to cancel policies

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 (health services, infrastructure)

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 zone

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 consumed, 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

negative consequences include impact to existing groups

* displaces poorer residents
* disregards the needs and interests of vulnerable groups
* disregards lawful rights of vulnerable groups (e.g. coercion)
* disproportionately improves quality of life

positive consequences include added revenue from increased city productivity

* new employment opportunities
* improved housing
* improved infrastructure
* increase in visitors/tourism

functional fragmentation of government

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

interaction between local government agencies can be

collaboratively to provide services and reduce common threats or competitively through taxation and/or land use decisions that can be harmful to an entire region

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

challenges to urban sustainability

managing suburban sprawl, sanitation needs, climate change, air and water quality standards, the ecological footprint of cities, and energy use

responses to urban sustainability challenges

regional planning efforts, remediation and redevelopment of brownfields,establishment of urban growth boundaries (e.g. greenbelts), and farmland protection policies

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

residential buildings and patterns of land use

reflect and shape the city’s culture, technological capabilities, cycles of development and infilling

infilling

development of vacant areas within existing urban areas

location and quality of a city’s infrastructure

affects economic development and social development

sustainable development

meeting human development goals while sustaining the natural systems that provide the natural resources upon which the economy and society depend

zoning

classifying land and identifying the types of activities that are permitted
e.g. residential, industrial, commercial, agricultural

mixed land use

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

walkability

a measure of how friendly an urban area is to walking

transportation-oriented development

land use pattern that includes a mix of commercial, residential, office and entertainment space centered around or located near public transport; dense, walkable, mixed use development near transit that attracts people to connect communities

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

e.g. London

slow growth cities

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

quantitative data

census and survey data provide information about changes in population composition and size

qualitative data

field studies and narratives provide information about individual attitudes toward urban change