Unit 6 AP Human Geo

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

central city

an urban settlement that has been legally incorporated into an independent, self-governing unit known as a municipality

urban area

consists of a central city and its surrounding built-up suburbs.

urbanized area

is an urban area with at least 50,000
inhabitants

urban cluster

an urban area with between 2,500 and 50,000 inhabitants

Central business district (CBD)

the most central place in a city, with a high concentration of public services, business services, and consumer services

megacity

an urban settlement with a total population in excess of 10 million people (mainly in developing countries)

metacity

has more than 20 million people

network cities

Two or more independent cities cooperate because they perform complementary functions aided by fast transportation & communication infrastructure

suburb

a residential or commercial area situated within an urban area but outside the central city

annexation

the process of legally adding land area to a city

causes of rise of suburbs

\-Prefab Housing Production

\-More land at cheaper cost

\-Social and demographic trends – white flight, fear of crime

sprawl

the development of low-density suburbs in locations not contiguous to the existing built-up area.

density gradient

density change in an urban area-number of houses per unit of land diminishes as distance from the center city increases

smart growth

Legislation to limit suburban growth and preserve farmland

edge cities

a relatively large urban area situated on the outskirts of a city, typically beside a major road.

exurb

a district outside a city, especially a prosperous area beyond the suburbs. More rural and less walkable than a suburb.

boomburb

an outlying residential district of a city that is expanding rapidly.

world cities and globalization

\-Main linkage is through economics

\-Many of these cities are international headquarters for businesses; linked to other parts of the world through finance & banking as well

urban hierarchy

Refers to size & functional complexity of cities

rank-size rule

Used to describe distribution of city populations among urban areas in a developed country

primate city

An urban center that is disproportionately larger than the second largest city in a country that dominates the country’s social, political and economic activities

gravity model

Used to predict the interaction between two cities based on:

* population sizes
* distance between the places
* number of migrants moving from one place to the other
* the flow of trade goods between the two locations

central place theory

based on:

Range: maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a
service

Threshold: minimum number of people needed to support a
service

Higher-order services have larger ranges & thresholds

concentric zone model

Suggests that households in older homes are much more likely to live in an inner ring and the household in a newer house in an outer ring

sector model

Suggests that the household with a more modest income is unlikely to live in the same sector of the city as the household with the higher income

multiple nuclei model

Suggests people with the same ethnic or racial background are likely to live near each other

galactic (peripheral) model

where an urban area consists of an inner city surrounded by large suburban residential and service nodes or nuclei tied together by a beltway or ring road.

European city structure

* The CBD will have high-density residential areas. It will also feature consumer services directed to a residential population
* The historic core will be preserved and skyscrapers will be absent
* Higher income residencies will be in the center, lower incomes
on the periphery

Latin American City Model

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 Asia 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

redlining

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

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

zone 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 impacts of gentrification

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 impacts of gentrification

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

local agency interactions

* collaboratively to provide services and reduce common threats
* 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 sustainability

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

impacts of sustainability

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

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

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

slow growth cities

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

sustainability pros

reduction of urban sprawl
improved walkability
improved transportation
improved and diverse housing options
improved livability
promotion of sustainable options

sustainability cons

increased housing costs
de facto segregation
loss of historical character/place character

quantitive date

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

qualitative date

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