Option G - Urban Environments

Site

Site

The physical characteristics of the settlements location (social, economic, political characteristics)

Situation

Location of a settlement in relation to important features, communication routes, and other settlements

Defensive (example of site)

Difficult to attack e.g. hill-top or island

Hill-foot

Sheltered, with flat land for building and farming

Gap

Lower, more sheltered land between two hills

Wet point

Close to water in a dry area

Dry point

On higher, dry areas close to wetlands e.g. marshes or flooding rivers

Route center

The focus of routes (e.g. roads) from the surrounding area

Bridging point

Where bridges can be built over a river

Hamlet

Small - collection of homes - population 10-100

Village

• Rural in character

• Population less than 10,000

Town

• A settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city

• Less than 100,000 population

City

• Legal status in some countries

• Over 100,000

Conurbation

An urban area incorporating adjacent centers e.g. former free-standing towns and villages

Metropolis

A large urban agglomeration, usually over 1 million

Millionaire city

Over 1 million

Megacity

Urban metropolis over 10 million

Megalopolis

A chain of roughly adjacent metropolitan areas

Settlement Hierarchy

Putting settlement in a region or country into a rank order either by population or type and range of services

Isolated dwelling

An individual household, no services available and the residents will have to travel to the local village for low order goods

Threshold

Minimum demand/sales a business needs to stay in operation

Range

The distance people will be willing to travel for that product

Urban area

A built up area that forms part of a city or town

Informal/formal activities

Informal activity are untaxed, unregulated jobs whereas formal economy refers to taxed, regulated activities e.g. people in office work

Suburbanization

When people move away from central areas and live in suburban areas on the edges of cities and commute into workplaces

Gentrification

The process of renovation and deteriorated urban neighborhoods through the influx of more affluent residents or enterprises

Counter urbanization

A process involving the movement of population away from larger urban areas to smaller urban areas, new towns, new estates or villages on the edge or just beyond the city limits

Urban renewal

The development of activities to increase residential population densities within the existing built up areas of a city

Urban circular system

A sustainable city in which there are recycling reuse and reduction of resources, renewable form of energy, and measures taken to reduce the ecological footprint

Urban sprawl

The rapid expansion of the geographic extent of cities/towns, often characterized by low-density housing and increased reliance on private cars for transportation

Inequalities

Differences between poverty and wealth, as well as in people’s wellbeing an access to things like jobs, housing and education

Pollution

The presence of chemicals, noise, dirt or other substances which have harmful or poisonous effects on an environment

Sanitation

Measures designed to protect public health, including the provision of clean water and the disposal of sewage and waste

Traffic congestion

Occurs when there is too great a volume of traffic for roads to cope with, so traffic jams form and traffic slows to a crawl

Bid rent

The value of the land for different purposes (e.g. commercial, manufacturing or residential)

Nodality

The degree of connectedness a location has in relation to transport communications

Sphere of influence

The total area from which people are wiling to travel to an urban function

Peak land value intersection

The region within a settlement with the greatest land value and commerce. It is usually in the CBD and has the greatest density of transport links

Industrialization

The period in 19th century Europe when heavy industries were located close to urban centers for close access to consumer and labour markets

Deindustrialization

The process of industrial closure due to lack of productivity and the global shift of manufacturing

The Burgess or Concentric Zone Model

A model based on the idea that land values are highest in the center of a town or city. This is because competition is high in the central parts of the settlement

Positive segregation

When groups of people of the same ethnicity chose to group close together, often for support or to be close to facilities (community centers, worship)

Negative segregation

When groups of people are forced to live in close proximity due to being excluded from other areas

Urban growth

The increase in the number of people living in urban areas

Urbanization

The increase in the % (or proportion) of a population living in an urban area

Centripetal population movement

The movement of people towards the city from the countryside

Rural urban migration

Movement of people away from the countryside to towns and cities

Natural increase

Birth rate is higher than death rate

Push factors

Negative factors that cause someone to move away from a location

Pull factors

Positive factors that attract someone towards a location

Inner city

The zone of the city that is characterized by older industry, high-density housing, urban decay and gentrification

Urban decay

Richer people move away from the area and some regions are left derelict (poor condition) due to the lack of demand for inner city land

Centrifugal movement

The outward population movements away from the center of a city

Heat islands

Urbanized areas that experience higher temperatures than outlying areas. Structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes such as forests and water bodies

Urban system growth

The construction of new infrastructure, power, water lines, improved sewage provision and the provision of services

Resilient cities

Cities that have the ability to absorb, recover and prepare for future shocks. They promote sustainable development, well-being, and inclusive growth

Urban ecological footprint

The amount of land required to sustain a population with the resources they need, and to assimilate their waste

Vertical zoning

The same building is used for one function on one floor and another function on another floor

Central Place Theory

Shows how urban places grow in importance due to their centrality and connectivity to urban places around them