AP HUG Unit 6 Vocab 1

Borchert’s Transportation Model

a framework identifying five distinct historical periods, or "epochs," that shaped U.S. urbanization based on dominant transportation technologies

city

a legally defined, permanently settled, and densely populated municipality serving as a central hub for economic, social, and political functions

city-state

a sovereign, independent state consisting of a single city and its immediately surrounding countryside or hinterland

central place theory

developed by Walter Christaller in 1933, explains the spatial distribution, size, and number of human settlements based on the premise that cities act as "central places" providing goods and services to surrounding market areas

Central Business District

the commercial, office, and cultural nucleus of a city, characterized by high-density land use, vertical development (skyscrapers), and high accessibility

Clustered rural settlements

an agricultural-based community where families live in close proximity, with homes and farm buildings situated together, surrounded by shared fields

dispersed rural settlements

a pattern characterized by isolated, widely spaced homes, farms, or buildings spread across a large agricultural area rather than concentrated in a central village

Ecumene

the portion of Earth's surface permanently inhabited by humans, characterized by settlement, agriculture, and infrastructure

Enclosure Movement

the process of consolidating small, communal landholdings into larger, privately owned, and fenced farms

Gravity Model

a mathematical formula used to predict the interaction between two locations based on their size and distance from each other

Higher-order services

specialized, high-value services (e.g., hospitals, universities, luxury retail) that are needed less frequently and require a large, wealthy population (high threshold) to remain profitable

Lower-order services

essential, frequently purchased, or convenience services—such as bakeries, grocery stores, or gas stations—that require a low threshold population to remain profitable

Market Area/Hinterland

the geographic region surrounding a central place (service node/city) from which a business attracts customers

Primate City

the largest city in a country, being at least twice as populous as the second-largest city and dominating the nation's economic, political, and cultural life

range

the maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a service or obtain a good

Rank-Size Rule

in a country with an even distribution of cities, the nth-largest city will have 1/n the population of the largest city

Site

the physical characteristics of a specific location, including absolute location, topography, climate, water sources, vegetation, soil, and elevation

situation

relationship, connectivity, and interaction with surrounding environmental and human-made features

settlement

a permanent collection of buildings where people reside, work, and obtain services

Service

any activity that fulfills a human want or need in exchange for money

Threshold

the minimum number of people (population) or demand required to support a service and make it profitable

Urban Hearth

geographic region where the first cities, large-scale civilizations, and complex urban societies emerged

Urbanization

the process by which an increasing percentage of a population moves from rural areas to live in cities and urban settlements, resulting in the rapid growth, expansion, and industrialization of urban areas

Urban Hierarchy

a ranking of settlements (hamlets, villages, towns, cities) based on their size, population, and the complexity of services offered

Air and water quality

The scale of unusable to useable water and air in an area of a city. The water quality depends

on the source and how it travels to the area in which it is disposed for use by an individual.

Bid-rent theory

geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand on real estate changes as

the distance towards the Central Business District (CBD) increases. The closer land is to the CBD, the more

competition there will be for the land, since businesses wish to maximize profit.

Counterurbanization

the process of people moving away from urban areas to smaller settlements and rural areas.

Ecological footprint

the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land

required to sustain their use of natural resources.

Farmland protection policies

policies enacted by governments that protect farmland and prevent it from being sold

into other use. Uses zoning to identify areas of agricultural land use.

Infilling

building on empty parcels of land within a checkerboard pattern of development

infrastructure

the underlying framework of services and amenities needed to facilitate productive activity.

Linear settlement patterns

linear rural settlements comprise buildings clustered along a road, river, or dike to

facilitate communications

Long lot survey

distinct regional approach to land surveying found in the Canadian Maritimes, parts of Quebec,

Louisiana, and Texas whereby land is divided into narrow parcels stretching back from rivers, roads, or canals

Low density housing

there is a smaller density of dwellings per unit area of property. ex. acre

You will find less congestion and more privacy

Medium density housing

this could be a subdivision or urban neighborhood

High density housing

the highest density of residents per unit area of land. ex. condos

This is nosiest and most congested area

Metes and bounds system

A system of land surveying east of the Appalachian Mountains. It is a system that relies

on descriptions of land ownership and natural features such as streams or trees. Because of the imprecise nature of

metes and bounds surveying, the U.S. Land Office Survey abandoned the technique in favor of the rectangular survey

system.

Reurbanization

movement of people back into an area that has been previously abandoned. It is usually a

government's initiative to counter the problem of inner city.

Satellite City

when an established town near a very large city grows into a city independent of the larger one.

Suburbanization

movement of upper and middle-class people from urban core areas to the surrounding outskirts to

escape pollution as well as deteriorating social conditions.

Sustainable design initiatives

sustainable design: communities use smart growth and green building to create

neighborhoods that are economically thriving and environmentally responsible.

Township and range system

A rectangular land division scheme designed by Thomas Jefferson to disperse settlers

evenly across farmlands of the U.S. interior.