Unit 7 Vocab – Cities & Urban Land-Use Patterns

Agglomeration

The clustering of people or activities in a limited space, often for economic benefits.

African city model

Created by geographer Harm de Blij and was first published in 1977, this is an urban model that reflects the unique patterns of urbanization found within African cities.

Blockbusting

A practice by real estate agents to induce fear and panic selling among white homeowners, leading to racial integration.

Boomburb

A rapidly growing suburb that is economically independent and exhibits urban characteristics.

Brownfields

Previously developed land that is not currently in use and may be contaminated.

Basic Industries

Industries that produce goods for export to other areas, providing economic base for a region.

Business services

Services that assist businesses in their operations, such as consulting and advertising.

Central business district (CBD)

The commercial and business center of a city, characterized by high land values.

Central place

A market center for the exchange of goods and services by people attracted from the surrounding area.

Central place theory (Christaller)

A spatial theory that explains the size, number, and distribution of human settlements.

Consumer services

Services offered to individual consumers for their personal use.

Concentric Zone Model (Burgess)

A model that represents urban land use in concentric rings, with the CBD at its center.

De facto segregation

Racial segregation that occurs without legal enforcement, often as a result of social and economic factors.

Disamenity

Areas that are considered undesirable or have decreasing quality of life.

Exurb

A residential district located outside a city and beyond the suburbs.

Footloose industry

Industries that are not tied to any specific location and can be situated anywhere.

Gravity model

A model that predicts the interaction between two places based on their population and distance.

Hinterland

The area surrounding a city that is impacted by its economy and services.

Nonbasic industries

Industries that serve the local population and do not generate economic exports.

Primate city

The largest city in a country or region, significantly larger than the second largest.

Primate city rule

A principle stating that a country's largest city serves as the political, economic, and cultural hub.

Public services

Services provided by the government to its citizens, including education and sanitation.

Range (of a service)

The maximum distance consumers are willing to travel for a particular service.

Rank-size rule

A principle that states that the size of a city is inversely proportional to its rank in a hierarchy.

Service

Any activity that fulfills a human want or need and is paid for by consumers.

Threshold

The minimum market size needed to support a business.

Annexation

The process of legally adding land area to a city.

Bid Rent Theory

A model that explains how the price and demand for real estate change as the distance from the CBD increases.

Blockbusting

A real estate practice which involves persuading owners to sell their property under the assumption that racial integration will decrease property values.

Commuter zone

The outer area of a metropolitan area where residents travel to the city for work.

Density Gradient

The change in population density in an urban area as one moves from the center to the periphery.

Disamenity sector

Areas in a city that are less desirable due to factors such as crime and poor living conditions.

Edge city

A suburban area that has developed its own economic and commercial activities.

Entrepot

A port city where goods are imported, stored, and exported.

Filtering

The process in which a household moves to a better housing situation, leaving behind less desirable housing.

Food Desert

Areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.

Gateway city

A city that serves as a point of entry for goods and people into a region.

Gentrification

The process of urban renewal that results in the influx of more affluent residents into previously lower-income neighborhoods.

Greenbelt

An area of open land surrounding a city, often used for recreation and agriculture.

Latin American City Model

developed by Ernest Griffin and Larry Ford in 1980 which is an urban model that reflects the unique structure and patterns of Latin American cities.

New Urbanism

An urban design movement that promotes walkable neighborhoods and a sense of community.

Megaopolis/conurbation

A large chain of metropolitan areas that grow together.

Megacity

A very large city, typically with a population over ten million.

Metacity

An urban agglomeration with a population of over 20 million.

Metropolitan statistical area (MSA)

A geographical region with a high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area.

Micropolitan statistical area

A smaller region than an MSA, usually centered around a city with a population between 10,000 and 50,000.

Mixed-use zoning

A planning strategy that allows for different types of land uses, such as residential, commercial, and industrial.

Mixed-use development

A real estate development that combines residential, commercial, cultural, and institutional uses.

Multiple nuclei model (Harris & Ullman)

A model that suggests cities have multiple centers of activity, rather than a single CBD.

Redlining

The discriminatory practice of denying services based on the racial or ethnic composition of a neighborhood.

Sector Model (Hoyt)

A model that describes urban land use in sectors radiating from the CBD.

Smart growth

Urban planning strategies that aim to minimize urban sprawl and promote sustainable development.

Slow growth policies

Approaches to urban development intended to limit population growth and maintain community characteristics.

Southeast Asia City Model

Developed by T.G. McGee, this is an urban model reflecting the unique structure and development patterns of cities in Southeast Asia.

Urban Sprawl

The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into the surrounding rural land.

Squatter settlement

A temporary housing area built by people living in poverty without legal claim to the land.

Urbanization

The process by which cities grow and populations migrate from rural to urban areas.

Urban cluster

A geographic area with a population of at least 2,500 but less than 50,000.

Urbanized area

An area with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment.

Urban Realm Model

A model that depicts cities as a series of realms, each with its own economic and cultural functions.

World Cities

Cities that have significant influence on global economics, politics, and culture.