Chapter 13, key issue 3 Ap Human Geography Vocab

suburb

A residential or commercial area situated within an urban area, but outside the central city.

public transit

Shared transportation systems available to all and is provided by the city.

rapid transit

Fixed heavy rail (subways) or fixed light rail (streetcars).

residential segregation

Residential segregation is the physical separation of two or more groups into different neighborhoods, or a form of segregation that sorts population groups into various neighborhood contexts and shapes the living environment at the neighborhood level.

smart growth

Legislation and regulations to limit suburban sprawl and preserve farmland.

new urbanism

Development, urban revitalization, and suburban reforms that create walkable neighborhoods with a diversity of housing and jobs. This counters urban sprawl. New urbanists want to create neighborhoods that promote a sense of community and a sense of place. A general new urbanist community is designed with one central shopping center clustered around by neighborhoods.

green belts

Rings of open space.

density gradient

The change in density in an urban area from the center to the periphery.

sprawl

Development of new housing sites at relatively low density and at locations that are not contagious to the existing built-up area

annexation

Legally adding land area to a city in the United States.

council of government

A cooperative agency consisting of representatives of local governments in a metropolitan area in the US.

megalopolis

Large metropolitan areas that are so close together that they form one continuous urban complex.

peripheral model

A model of North American urban areas consisting of an inner city surrounded by a large suburban residential and business areas tied together by a beltway or ring road.

zoning ordinance

A law that limits the permitted uses of land and maximum density of development in a community.

rush hour

The four consecutive 15-minute periods in the morning and evening with the heaviest volumes of traffic.

transportation epochs

John Borchert predicted and explained growth of cities and how Cities evolved based on access to transportation.