Unit 6 Urbanization

Urbanization
The increasing proportion of a population living in urban areas, often resulting from rural-to-urban migration and natural population growth.

Suburbanization
The process of population movement from cities to residential areas located on the outskirts of cities, often leading to the expansion of suburban areas.

Urban Sprawl
The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural land, often leading to environmental degradation and increased dependence on automobiles.

Boomburbs
Rapidly growing suburban areas that are not yet fully urbanized but have become significant economic and residential centers.

Edge City
A large suburban development that has a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial areas, typically located at the edge of a major city and often developed along major highways.

Decentralization
The movement of economic, political, or social power away from a central authority to lower levels of government or other locations within a region.

Exurbs
The areas located beyond the suburbs, often characterized by lower-density housing, rural landscapes, and higher income levels.

Megacities
Cities with a population of over 10 million people, typically characterized by extensive infrastructure, high population density, and significant economic influence.

Metacities
Cities with populations exceeding 20 million people, often characterized by global influence, a variety of economic sectors, and immense urban sprawl.

World City (Global City)
A city that plays a central role in global economic, political, and cultural affairs, acting as a hub for international trade, finance, and communications (e.g., New York, London, Tokyo).

Urban Hierarchy
A ranking of cities based on their population, economic importance, and influence on global or regional scales, with larger cities being higher in the hierarchy.

Rank-Size Rule
A theory stating that the population of a city will be inversely proportional to its rank in the urban hierarchy, meaning the second-largest city will have half the population of the largest, the third-largest will have a third, and so on.

Primate City
A city that is disproportionately larger than the next largest city in a country, often serving as the cultural, political, and economic center (e.g., Paris in France).

Gravity Model
A model that predicts the interaction between two cities based on their size and distance, with larger cities exerting more "pull" and cities closer together having greater interaction.

Central Place Theory (Christaller)
A theory that explains the size and distribution of settlements based on the idea that settlements serve as central places providing services to surrounding areas, with larger settlements offering more specialized services.

Bid-Rent Theory
A theory that explains how the price and demand for land decrease as the distance from the central business district (CBD) increases, influencing land use patterns in cities.

Concentric Zone Model (Burgess)
A model of urban land use that divides cities into concentric rings, with the CBD at the center, followed by zones for industry, working-class housing, and more affluent housing.

Sector Model (Hoyt)
A model that suggests cities grow in sectors or wedges, with different land uses (such as industry or high-income housing) extending outward from the CBD along transportation routes.

Multi-Nuclei Model (Harris and Ullman)
A model that argues that cities do not grow around a single CBD, but rather multiple centers of economic, political, and social activity develop independently.

Galactic City Model
A model of urban development that shows a decentralized city, with a CBD surrounded by edge cities and connected by a network of highways, often with suburban sprawl.

Disamenity Zone
The poorest, most underdeveloped areas of a city, often characterized by poverty, substandard housing, and lack of infrastructure (often coinciding with squatter settlements).

Squatter Settlement
Informal housing settlements built on land that people do not own, often located on the outskirts of cities in developing countries, where residents lack access to basic services.

Low-Density Housing
Residential areas where the population is spread out over a large area, typically associated with suburban areas or exurbs.

Medium-Density Housing
Residential areas with a moderate population density, typically found in suburban or urban areas with a mix of housing types.

High-Density Housing
Residential areas with a high population density, often consisting of apartment buildings or other forms of vertical housing in urban centers.

Urban Infill (Infilling)
The process of developing vacant or underused land within a built-up urban area, often to increase density and reduce urban sprawl.

Infrastructure
The basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society, including transportation, communication, sewage, water, and energy systems.

Public Transportation
A system of transportation available to the general public, often including buses, trains, subways, and ferries, which is used to reduce congestion and improve mobility.

Sustainability
The ability to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, especially regarding environmental, social, and economic factors.

Smart Growth Policies
Urban planning strategies aimed at promoting sustainable development, reducing sprawl, and creating more walkable, livable cities through mixed-use zoning and public transit.

Greenbelts
Areas of open land surrounding a city that are protected from urban development, often to preserve natural landscapes, provide recreational spaces, and limit urban sprawl.

Slow-Growth Cities
Cities with relatively low rates of population and economic growth, often due to a combination of factors such as limited resources, high costs of living, or demographic trends.

New Urbanism (New Urban Design)
A movement promoting the creation of walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods with a focus on sustainability, community, and reducing the reliance on cars.

Mixed-Use Neighborhoods (Mixed Land Use)
Urban areas where residential, commercial, and recreational spaces are integrated into a single neighborhood to promote walkability and reduce dependence on cars.

Walkability
The measure of how easy and safe it is to walk within a city or neighborhood, which is influenced by factors such as pedestrian infrastructure, safety, and access to amenities.

Livability
The overall quality of life in a given location, including factors such as housing, access to services, transportation, environment, and social opportunities.

Quantitative Data
Data that is expressed in numerical terms, often used in geographic analysis to identify patterns, trends, and relationships.

Population Composition
The structure or makeup of a population, including variables such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, education, and occupation.

Redlining
The discriminatory practice of denying services (e.g., loans, insurance) or charging higher rates in specific areas, often based on racial or ethnic composition.

Blockbusting
The practice of persuading homeowners to sell their property at low prices by instilling fear that minority groups will soon move into the neighborhood, leading to a decline in property values.

Affordability
The ability of individuals or families to pay for housing and basic services, with affordability often being a key factor in urban planning and development.

Inclusionary Zoning
Policies that require a certain percentage of new housing developments to be affordable for low- and moderate-income residents.

Gentrification
The process by which wealthier individuals or families move into a lower-income neighborhood, leading to increased property values, displacement of original residents, and changes in the neighborhood's character.

Zones of Abandonment (Disamenity Zones)
Areas in a city that have been abandoned or neglected, often due to poverty, lack of investment, or environmental hazards.

Environmental Injustice (Environmental Racism)
The disproportionate exposure of minority or low-income communities to environmental hazards, such as pollution or hazardous waste.

Ecological Footprint
A measure of human impact on the environment, specifically the amount of land and resources needed to support a population's lifestyle.

Brownfields
Abandoned or underused industrial sites that may be contaminated and require remediation before they can be redeveloped for new uses.