Unit 6 & 7 Vocabulary

Agglomeration: The clustering of businesses and industries in a specific area to take advantage of shared resources and infrastructure.

Asian Tigers: Refers to the economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, known for their rapid industrialization and high growth rates from the 1960s to 1990s.

Back Offices: Operations that support but do not face customers, often outsourced to lower-cost locations to reduce overhead costs.

Basic and non-basic: Basic industries bring money into the local economy, while non-basic industries circulate money within the economy.

Blockbusting: A practice in real estate where agents convince homeowners to sell their properties at low prices by instilling fear of incoming minority populations, then reselling at higher prices.

Borchert’s 4 Epochs: A model describing the evolution of urban transportation in the U.S., including sail-wagon, iron horse, steel rail, and auto-air-amenity epochs.

Breaking Point: The outer limit of a city's sphere of influence where an individual will stop traveling for goods or services due to cost or convenience.

Break-of-bulk point: A location where transfer among transportation modes occurs, which can lead to lower transportation costs.

Bulk Gaining Industry: An industry that produces goods that weigh more after production (e.g., soft drink) and thus are located near the market.

Bulk Reducing Industry: An industry that produces goods that weigh less after production (e.g., copper) and is located near the raw materials.

CBD (Central Business District): The commercial and business center of a city, characterized by high land values and a concentration of business and commerce.

Census tract: A statistical subdivision of a county that is used for census purposes, usually containing around 4,000 people.

Central Place Theory: A spatial theory in urban geography that seeks to explain the size and distribution of human settlements by their economic functions.

Concentric Zone Model: A model of urban land use that depicts a city as a series of concentric rings, each representing different land uses.

Conglomerate corporations: Corporations that own a collection of diverse companies across multiple industries, often to mitigate risk.

Cottage Industry: Small-scale, decentralized manufacturing typically conducted in homes rather than factories, often involving artisanal goods.

Daily urban system: The extent of daily travel and economic interactions that occur within a metropolitan area, including commuting patterns.

DeBiji Model: A model that illustrates the development patterns of cities, especially in India, emphasizing the relationship between urban and rural areas.

Deglomeration: The process of moving away from concentration in large urban centers, often due to high costs and competition.

Deindustrialization: The decline of industrial activity in a region, often resulting in job losses and shifts towards service-oriented economies.

Density Gradient: The change in population density in an urban area as one moves from the center to the periphery.

Dispersed settlements: Pattern of settlement where houses and buildings are spread out, often seen in rural areas.

Economic base: The primary industries that drive the economy of a region, providing jobs and income.

Ecotourism: Sustainable tourism focused on natural environments, promoting conservation and reducing impact on local ecosystems.

Edge Cities: Suburban areas that have developed into significant urban centers, often with business and retail hubs outside the urban core.

Favelas, barrio: Informal settlements typically characterized by inadequate infrastructure and services found in urban areas of developing countries.

Footloose industries: Industries that are not tied to specific locations based on resource availability or transport, allowing them to locate anywhere.

Fordism/Post-Fordism: Fordism refers to mass production using assembly lines, while Post-Fordism emphasizes flexibility, customization, and lean manufacturing.

Forward capitals: A city relocated to a new area as a forward administrative center, intended to promote development in that region.

Functional specialization: The concept of cities or areas specializing in certain economic activities, enhancing efficiency and production.

Gentrification: The process whereby higher-income individuals move into lower-income neighborhoods, leading to increased property values and displacement of existing residents.

Ghettoization: The process of a particular group being confined to a specific area, often associated with socioeconomic disadvantages.

Global Assembly Line: The process of producing goods in different locations around the world, taking advantage of local labor and resources.

Gravity Model: A model that predicts the interaction between two cities based on their populations and distance apart, akin to the law of gravitation.

Greenbelt: An area of open land around a city maintained for recreational use, preventing urban sprawl and protecting the environment.

Griffin-Ford Model: A model illustrating the layout of urban areas in developing countries, showcasing a blend of traditional and modern elements.

Growth Pole: Economic development that attracts further investment and growth, often resulting in a spatial concentration of activities.

Hinterland: The area that surrounds a city and supports it economically, often providing raw materials and labor.

Hotelling Theory of Spatial Competition: A theory that explains how businesses position themselves relative to competitors in order to maximize their market share.

Hoyt Sector Model: A model that describes urban land use in sectors radiating from the city center, often based on transportation routes.

Industrial Revolution: The period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries marked by the transition to new manufacturing processes, influencing urban growth and economic shifts.

Investor flight: The trend where investors move their capital out of a particular area due to unfavorable market conditions.

Just in time delivery: An inventory strategy that aims to reduce waste by receiving goods only as they are needed in production.

Location Theory: The study of how location affects economic activity and decision-making in both agriculture and industry.

Maquiladora: A factory in Mexico that assembles imported materials into finished goods for export, often operating under favorable economic conditions.

McGee Model: A model that describes the land use of Southeast Asian cities, highlighting the mixing of various cultures and functions.

Medical tourism: Traveling to another country for healthcare services due to lower costs or superior quality.

Mega city: A metropolitan area with over 10 million inhabitants, often associated with rapid urbanization.

Megalopolis: A large-scale city formation consisting of multiple metropolitan areas that are interconnected.

Metropolitan Area Digital Divide: The gap in access to information technology and the internet within urban areas, often reflecting socioeconomic disparities.

MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area): A geographical region with a high population density and close economic ties throughout the area.

Minimills: Smaller steel production facilities using electric arc furnaces to recycle scrap steel into new products, often resulting in less environmental impact.

Multiple Nuclei Model: A model that proposes cities have multiple centers or nodes, each catering to different functions and populations.

Multiplier Effect: The concept that an initial change in spending (like a new factory) will lead to a larger increase in economic activity in the overall economy.

New International Division of Labor: The outsourcing of jobs and production to countries offering lower wages and operational costs.

Offshore Financial Centers: Regions that provide financial services to non-residents, often with low taxation and regulatory environments.

Peripheral Model: A model of urban development emphasizing the impact of peripheral areas on metropolitan growth and structure.

Primate City Rule: A city that is much larger and more influential than any others in the country, often drawing population and economic resources.

Racial Steering: The practice of real estate agents guiding clients towards or away from certain neighborhoods based on race.

Range: The maximum distance consumers are willing to travel to purchase a good or service.

Rank-size Rule: A principle that states the population of a city will be inversely proportional to its rank position in the urban hierarchy.

Redlining: A discriminatory practice where services (like banking) are denied to residents of certain areas based on racial or ethnic composition.

Right to Work Laws: Laws that prohibit union security agreements and guarantee that employees are not obliged to join a union.

Rostow Model: A theory of economic development that outlines five stages of growth that countries experience, moving from traditional to modern economies.

Rust Belt: The region in the U.S. characterized by declining industry and rising unemployment, particularly in manufacturing sectors.

SEZ (Special Economic Zones): Designated areas in a country where business and trade laws differ from the rest of the country, often attracting foreign investment.

Single Market Manufacturers: Companies that produce goods tailored for a specific use within a single market, emphasizing efficiency over volume.

Site Factors, Situation Factors: Site factors are the physical characteristics of a location, while situation factors refer to the location's relation to other places.

Social Area Analysis: A method to study the spatial structure of urban areas by analyzing demographic data and social characteristics.

Squatter Settlement: An informal housing area where residents occupy land without legal rights, typically lacking basic services.

Subsidized Housing: Housing assisted with financial support from the government to lower rents and increase affordability for low-income individuals.

Tariffs: Taxes imposed on imported goods to protect domestic industries and revenue.

Tax Abatement: A reduction in taxes granted by the government to encourage investment in certain areas or sectors.

Tax Havens: Countries or regions offering minimal tax liabilities to attract foreign businesses and investment.

Telecommuting: Working remotely from a location outside the traditional office, made possible by technology.

Threshold: The minimum market size required for a business to operate successfully.

Unplanned city: Urban areas that develop without a clear planning process, often resulting in chaotic and inefficient land use.

Urban Banana: A conceptual model representing urbanization patterns from the northeastern U.S. through Western Europe and into Japan.

Urban Hierarchy: The classification of cities into different levels based on population size, economic influence, and functions.

Urban Realms Model: A model portraying cities as comprised of multiple, interacting realms, each functioning semi-independently.

Urban Sprawl: The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into the surrounding rural land, often characterized by low-density development.

Vertical Geography: The study of the cultural, economic, and environmental differences that occur at different elevations in mountainous regions.

Weber Least Cost Theory: A theory outlining the optimal location of a manufacturing plant based on minimizing transportation, labor, and agglomeration costs.

World City: A city with significant international influence, often being a major center for finance, culture, and politics on a global scale.

Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory: A theory that views the world as a complex system divided into core, semi-periphery, and periphery nations based on economic and political power.

Zoning Laws: Regulations that govern how land in a particular area can be used, influencing urban form and development patterns.