AP Human Geo Unit 6 Vocab Review

ecumene

the permanently inhabited portion of the earth’s surface

rural areas

farms and villages with low concentrations of people

urban areas

cities with high concentrations of people

suburbs

primarily residential areas near cities

settlement

a place with a permanent human population

urbanization

the developing of towns and cities

percent urban

an indicator of the proportion of the population that lives in cities and towns as compared to those that live in rural areas

site

the characteristics at the immediate location

situation

the location of a place relative to its surroundings and its connectivity to other places

city-state

consisted of an urban center (the city) and its surroundings territory and agricultural villages

urban hearth

early city-states emerged in an area generally associated with defensible sites and river valleys in which seasonal floods and fertile soils allowed for an agricultural surplus

ex: the Tigris-Euphrates Valley (Mesopotamia), the Nile River Valley, and Nile Delta

urban area

defined by as a central city plus land developed for commercial, industrial, or residential purposes, and includes the surrounding suburbs

metropolitan area (metro area)

a collection of adjacent cities economically connected across which population density is high and continuous

metropolitan statistical area (MSA)

another way to define a city

micropolitan statistical areas

cities of more than 10,000 inhabitants but less than 50,000 with a high degree of integration

nodal region

focal point in a matrix of connections

social heterogenity

the population of cities as compared to other areas contains a greater variety of people

Borchert’s transportation model

describes urban growth based on transportation technology

pedestrian cities

cities shaped by the distances people could walk

streetcar suburbs

communities that grew up along rail lines

suburbanization

the process of people moving, usually from the cities into residential areas on the outskirts of cities

sprawl

the rapid expansion of the spatial extent of a city

leap frog development

when developers purchase land and build communities beyond the periphery of the city’s built area

boomburbs (boomburgs)

rapidly growing communities (over 10 percent per 10 years) that have a total population of over 100,000 people and are not the largest city in the metro area

edge cities

nodes of economic activity that have developed in the periphery of large cities

counter urbanization (deurbanization)

the counter-flow of urban residents leaving cities

exurbs

the prosperous residential districts beyond the suburbs

reurbanization

as some suburbanites return to live in the city

megacities

have a population of more than 10 million people

megalopolis

describes a chain of connected cities

conurbation

an uninterrupted urban area made of towns, suburbs, and cities

world cities or global cities

cities that exert influence far beyond their national boundary

urban hierarchy

a ranking based on influence or population size

nodal cities

command centers on a regional and occasionally national level

urban system

an interdependent set of cities that interact on the regional, national, and global scale

rank size rule

it states that the nth largest city in any region will be 1/nth the size of the largest city

higher order services

expensive services that need a large number of people to support, and are only occasionally utilized

ex: large malls, luxury car dealerships

lower order services

less expensive services that require a small population to support and are used on a daily or weekly basis

ex: local grocery stores, gas stations

primate city

a city that is more developed than other cities in the system and consequently disproportionately more powerful

gravity model

states that larger and closer places will have more interactions than places that are smaller and farther from each other

central place theory

used to explain the distribution of cities of different sizes across a region

central place

a location where people go to receive goods and services

market area

a zone that contains people who will purchase goods or services

hexagonal hinterlands

the shape was a compromise between a square-people living in the corners would be farther from the central place-and a circle-where there would be overlapping areas of service

threshold

the size of population necessary for any particular service to exist and remain profitable

range

the distance people will travel to obtain specific goods or services

functional zonation

the idea that proportions of an urban area (regions, or zones within the city) have specific and distinct purpose

central business district (CBD)

the commercial heart of a city

bid rent thory

explains agricultural land use and land use in the CBD

industrial/commercial zone

the zone outside the CBD that is dedicated to industry

commercial relationship

which is when commercial interest benefit eachother

residential zone

areas where people live

concentric zone model

describes a city as a series of rings that surrounds the CBD

Hoyt’s sector model

describes how different types of land use and housing were all located near the CBD early in a city’s history

Harris and Ulman multi-nuclei model

suggests that functional zonation occurs around multiple centers or nodes

peripheral model

describes suburban neighborhoods surrounding an inner city and served by nodes of commercial activity along a ring road or beltway

galactic city model

in it an original CBD became surrounded by a system of smaller nodes that mimicked its function

mosque

the building in the center of an islamic city that is usually surrounded by a complex of structures to serve the public

citadel

a fortress designed to protect the city with its related palace and barracks for soldiers

Griffin-Ford model

used to describe Latin American cities

commercial spine

composed of theaters, restaurants, parks, and other amenities, ends with a mall

mall

at the end of the commercial spine

periferico

the outer ring of the city in Latin American cities

shantytowns

areas of poorly built housing in Latin American cities

favelas (barrios)

neighborhoods marked by extreme poverty, homelessness, and lawlessness

disamenity zones

areas not connected to city services and under the control of criminals

traditional CBD

existed before European colonization has small shops clustered along narrow twisting streets; includes the formal economy

colonial CBD

has broad, straight avenues and large homes, parks, and administrative centers

informal economy zone

thrives with curbside, car side, and stall based businesses that often hire people temporarily and do not follow all regulations

periodic markets

were small scale merchants congregate weekly or yearly to sell their goods

informal settlements (squatter settlements)

densely populated areas that often lack sufficient public services for electricity, water, and sewage

McGee model

describes the land use of many large cities in Southeast Asia where the focus of the modern city is often a former colonial port zone

zoning ordinances

regulations that define how property in specific geographic regions may be used

urban planning

a process of promoting growth and controlling change in land use

residential zones

those areas of a city devoted to where people live rather than to commercial or industrial functions

inner city

residential areas surrounding the CBD

residential density gradient

as one moves farther from the inner city population and housing unit density declines and types of housing change

filtering

neighborhoods undergo transformations over time as existing residents move out and new ones move in; houses pass from one social group to another

invasion and succession

refers to the process by which one social or ethnic group gradually replaces another through filtering

urban infill

the process of increasing the residential density of an area by replacing open space and vacant housing with residences

suburbanization of business

the movement of commerce out of cities to suburbs where rents are cheaper and commutes for employees are shorter

municipality

refers to the local entity that is all under the same jurisdiction

incorporation

the act of legally joining together to form a new city

bedroom communities

commuter suburbs within the larger metro area

unincorporated

populated regions that do not fall within the legal boundary or any city or municipality

public transportation

buses, subways, light rails, and trains that are operated by a governmental agency

sustainability

using the Earth’s resources while not causing permanent damage to the environment

smart growth policies

used to combat urban sprawl and create a new vision for cities that are more sustainable and equitable; focuses on city planning and transportation systems of an urban region

greenbelts

areas of underdeveloped land around an urban area

slow growth cities

cities that desire to slow the population growth and development that could consume and alter their communities

new urban design

used to put smart growth into action within communities

mixed use neighborhoods

neighborhoods that have a mix of homes and businesses; vibrant, lively, walkable; homes have a variety or sizes and price ranges to create a socially diverse community, shared open spaces and community gathering spaces are also common

urban infill

the process of building up underused lands within a city

transit oriented development (TOD)

locates mixed use residential and business communities near mass transit stops resulting in a series of more compact communities which decreases the need for automobiles

livability

a set or principles that supports sustainable urban designs

population composition

shows where people live; gives a description of the people’s income, gender, ethnicity, race, family size, and other details

census tracts

contiguous geographic regions that function as the foundation of a census

census block

located in a densely populated urban area, very small, and consists of a single block bounded by four streets (used for census)

redlining

the process by which banks refuse loans to those who want to purchase and improve properties in certain urban areas

racial segregation in housing

when people live in separate neighborhoods based on their ethnicity or race