Urbanization and City Structures (Set 5 20-24)

A collection of key vocabulary terms related to urbanization, city structures, and economic factors.

Food Desert

An area where residents lack access to healthy, nutritious foods due to distance.

Urbanization

Urban growth or development.

Megacities

Cities with populations of more than 10 million people.

Metacities

Cities with populations of more than 20 million people and a network of urban areas that have grown together.

Suburbanization

The process of people moving, usually from cities to residential areas on the outskirts of cities.

Urban Sprawl

The rapid development outward from the center of the city.

Edge City

Nodes of economic activity along the periphery of large cities.

World City

A city that wields political, cultural, and economic influence on a global scale.

Rank-Size Rule

The second city in a country will be half the size of the first, and the third, a third of the size.

Primate City

The largest city in a country, which far exceeds the next city in population size and importance.

Burgess Concentric-Zone Model

A model depicting a city growing outward from a central business district in concentric rings.

Hoyt Sector Model

A model depicting a city with wedge-shaped sectors emanating from the central business district along transport routes.

Gentrification

The process where wealthier residents move into older revitalized neighborhoods, often displacing low-income residents.

Mixed Land-Use

Zoning that has a mix of homes and businesses.

Urban Walkability

How easy, safe, and convenient it is to walk throughout a city.

Environmental Injustice

Disproportionate exposure of minorities to pollution and its impacts.

Urban Renewal

Cities were given grants to tear down old areas of the city to rebuild new downtowns.

Brownfields

Previously used land that may be contaminated but is not currently in use.

Colonialism

Control by one power over a dependent area or people.

Industrialization

The development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale.

Primary Economic sector

Sector that involves the extraction of natural resources.

Secondary Economic sector

Sector that involves manufacturing and industrial processes.