APHG Harder Vocabulary

Gentrification

The process where higher-income residents and businesses move into lower-income, urban neighborhoods, renovating buildings and increasing property values

Environmental Determinism

The theory that the physical environment—climate, geography, and ecology—shapes and determines human culture, behavior, and societal development

Environmental Possibilism

A geographical theory stating that while the environment sets constraints or limitations, it does not strictly determine human actions

Acculturation

The process of cultural and psychological change that occurs when individuals or groups come into prolonged, direct contact with a new culture

Assimilation

The process of absorbing or adapting to a new group, culture, or idea, making it similar to the whole

Time-Space Compression

The set of processes that make the world feel smaller and more connected

Friction of Distance

A geographical concept stating that as the distance between two locations increases, the cost, time, and effort required to connect them also increase

Agglomeration

The clustering of people, businesses, and industries in a specific area to share resources, infrastructure, and labor

Commodification

The process of turning goods, services, ideas, or cultural elements—previously not for sale—into products bought and sold for a profit