IB Geo - Urban Environmentts

Option G - Urban Environments

site

the exact location of a city (features inherent to its location), you can find it on a map

situation

of a city related to its surrounding features, both human-made and atrial. the situation of a city includes characteristics that are external to the settlement

hierarchy of settlements

settlements arranged by the size

range

the maximum distance that people are prepared to travel for a good or service

function

‘what the place does,’ or ‘the reason the city is there’

threshold

the minimum number of people required for a good or service to stay in business

low-order goods

necessity goods or convenience goods bought frequently, such as bread, newspapres

high-order goods

luxury or shopping goods bought or used infrequently, watches, cars

sphere of influence

the area served by a settlement

bit rent theory

land at the centre of the city if more expensive for two reasons: it is (or was) the most accessible to public transport, there is only a small amount available

urbanization

the process of transition from a rural to a more urban society. statistically, urbanization reflects an increasing proportion of the population living in settlement defined as urban

urban growth

the increase in the number of people who live in towns and cities, measured either in relative or absolute terms

natural increase

the difference between the number of births and number of deaths in a given population

the urban transition

the passage form a predominantly rural to a predominantly urban society

bid-rent value

the prices of land to rent normally per meter squared a year

CBD

central business district; the centre of commercial activity in an urban place

commercial activity

business activity including shops, restaurants, offices, finance and tourist activity

deindustrialisation

the closure of industries in HIC caused by the global shift

gentrification

the modernisation of a neighbourhood through in migration of wealthier individual and enterprises

global shift

the movement of manufacturing from HIC cities to NEE and LIC city

industrial activity

tends to refer to manufacturing and heavy industries

nodality

the degree of connectivity of a place through transport routes

rural urban fringe

the margin of an urban place where it meets the countryside

PLVI

peak land value intersection; the region in a settlement with the greatest land value and commerce, usually in the CBD

informal economy

small scale, locally owned, and labour intensive economy

centripetal movement

the migration of people towards the centre of an urban area

ex. Lagos, Nigeria

centrifugal movement

the movement of people out of the center of an urban area

ex. Detroit, USA

suburbanization

the outward expansion of towns and cities

counter-urbanization

a process involving the movement of population away from larger urban areas to smaller urban areas, new towns, new estates, etc.

urban sprawl

at uncontrolled growth of urban areas at their edges

deindustrialization

the long-tern, absolute, decline in employment in the manufacturing sectors of an economy

ex. Detroit, USA

microclimate

the climate of a very small or restricted area, especially when this differs from the climate of the surrounding area.

urban microclimate

localized and distinct climatic conditions in urban areas, especially when compared to the surrounding rural landscape. 

urban heat island effect

the effect where urban areas are generally warmer than those of the surrounding countryside; temps are on average 2-4 degrees celsius warmer

reasons for the UHI

1. heat produced from human activity

2. buildings have high thermal capacity

3. reduced number of open water bodies

4. blanketing effect of smoke, smog, haze

resilient city

a city that is economically productive, socially inclusive, and environmentally friendly; and can also adapt to environmental change and/or disasters

ex. NYC, USA; Lagos, Nigeria

eco-city

a city designed to have minimal environmental impact

ex. Singapore; Masdar City; UAE

smart city

a city that is performing well in six catagories: economy, environment, people, living conditions, governance, mobility

ex. Songdo, South Korea