ap hug unit 7

Agglomeration

Clustering of businesses or industries in one area for shared services and infrastructure.

Agora

Open public space in ancient Greek cities used for assemblies and markets.

Barrios

Poor urban neighborhoods in Spanish-speaking cities, often marginalized.

Base ratio

The ratio of basic to non-basic workers in a settlement’s economy.

Basic and non-basic sectors

Basic sectors export goods/services; non-basic sectors serve the local area.

Bosnywash

A megalopolis from Boston to Washington D.C.

Bid-rent theory

Explains how land value decreases as distance from the CBD increases.

Blockbusting

Realtors cause white flight by exploiting racial fears, reselling homes at higher prices.

CBD (central business district)

The commercial and business center of a city.

Centralization

Concentration of activities and control in a central urban area.

Central-place theory

Explains how services are distributed and why settlements exist in a regular pattern.

Christaller, Walter

Geographer who created Central Place Theory.

Central City

The original urban core, often surrounded by suburbs.

Commercialization

Transforming an area into one meant for business and commerce.

Commuter zone

Area where people live and commute into the city for work.

Concentric zone model

Urban model where the city grows in rings outward from the CBD.

Complementary regions

Areas that benefit each other through trade and service exchanges.

Counterurbanization

Movement from cities to rural areas.

Conurbation

A large urban area formed by merging towns and cities.

Disamenity sector

The poorest urban areas not connected to city services.

Economic base

The industries that bring money into the city.

Edge City

Suburban area with business, shopping, and entertainment, not just housing.

Emerging cities

Rapidly growing urban areas becoming more significant globally.

Feminization of poverty

The increasing presence of women among the world’s poor.

Functional zonation

Division of a city into areas for specific functions.

Gentrification

Wealthier people move into poor neighborhoods, causing displacement.

Ghetto

Urban area dominated by one ethnic or economic group, often impoverished.

Green belts

Rings of open land around cities to limit urban sprawl.

Griffin-Ford Model

Model of Latin American cities combining traditional and global elements.

Hinterland

The area served by an urban center.

Hearths of Urbanization

Places where cities first developed historically.

Informal economy

Economic activities not taxed or regulated by the government.

Infrastructure

Basic services and systems supporting a city like roads and water.

Inner city

Area around the CBD with aging infrastructure and poverty.

In situ accretion

Area of transition between squatter settlements and CBD in Latin American cities.

Manufacturing city

City shaped by factories and industrial jobs.

McGee Model

Urban model describing Southeast Asian cities.

McMansions

Large, mass-produced suburban homes often considered excessive.

Megacity

City with over 10 million people.

Metropolitan area

A central city and its surrounding suburbs.

Mercantile city

City based on trade and commerce, especially in colonial times.

Multi-nuclei model

Urban model with multiple centers of activity.

New Urbanism

Urban planning promoting walkability and mixed-use development.

Nucleated

Settlement with buildings grouped around a central point.

Peripheral model

Urban model showing suburbs and edge cities around a central city.

Physical city

The built-up area of a city, including structures and roads.

Primate city

A city that is much larger than any other in the country.

Rank-size rule

A country's second-largest city is half the size of the largest, and so on.

Redlining

Denial of loans or insurance in certain neighborhoods, often racially based.

Sector model

Urban model with development growing in sectors radiating out from the CBD.

Site

The actual physical characteristics of a place.

Situation

The location of a place relative to its surroundings.

Shantytowns

Makeshift, unplanned urban settlements lacking services.

Smart growth

Urban planning focused on sustainability and efficiency.

Slum

Overcrowded urban area with substandard housing and few services.

Social area analysis

Analysis of where different social groups live in a city.

Social structure

The way society is organized in terms of class, role, or status.

Spaces of consumption

Areas designed to encourage spending, like malls.

Specialization

Focusing on one type of economic activity.

Special function cities

Cities with a specific purpose, like capitals or religious centers.

Squatter settlement

Area where people build homes illegally on land they don’t own.

Suburb

Residential area outside the main city.

Suburbanization

Movement from the city to surrounding suburbs.

Sunbelt Phenomenon

Shift of population and jobs to the southern U.S.

Tenement

Old, crowded apartment building in poor urban areas.

Tear-downs

Older homes demolished to build larger, modern ones.

Trade area

Region from which a city gets customers.

Transportation centers

Cities where transportation routes converge.

Urban renewal

Rebuilding and revitalizing decayed urban neighborhoods.

Underclass

People excluded from mainstream economic and social life.

Underemployment

Working below skill level or part-time when full-time is needed.

Urban hierarchy

Ranking of cities by size and function.

Urban sprawl

Uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into rural lands.

Urban realms Model

Shows cities as a collection of connected but distinct "realms."

Urbanization

Growth of cities as people move from rural to urban areas.

World city

A global city central to world economic, political, or cultural systems.

Zone

Area in a city designated for a specific use.

Zoning Laws or ordinance

Laws controlling how land in a city can be used.