Unit 6: Cities and Urban Land Use

Key Concepts & Definitions

1. Site & Situation Factors

  • Site: Physical characteristics of a location (e.g., climate, water sources, topography).

  • Situation: The relative location of a city in relation to surrounding areas (e.g., trade routes, proximity to resources).

  • Role of Transportation: Cities grow due to access to trade, highways, ports, and railroads.

2. Mega & Meta Cities

  • Megacity: A city with a population over 10 million (e.g., New York, Tokyo).

  • Metacity: A city with a population over 20 million (e.g., Jakarta, Mexico City).

  • Challenges: Rapid population growth, strain on infrastructure, traffic congestion, and informal settlements.

3. World Cities & Global Influence

  • Metropolises

  • Top 4 World Cities: New York, London, Tokyo, Paris.

  • Characteristics: Global financial hubs, diverse economies, international corporate headquarters, major transportation networks.

4. Bid Rent Theory & Density of Housing

  • Bid Rent Theory: Land prices decrease as distance from CBD increases.

  • Density: High in urban cores, medium in suburbs, low in rural areas.

5. Christaller’s Central Place Theory

  • Market Area (Hinterland): The area served by a central place.

  • Threshold: Minimum population needed for a service.

  • Range: Maximum distance people travel for a service

  • High vs. Low Order Services: High-order (specialized services like hospitals), Low-order (basic services like grocery stores).

  • Gravity Model: Predicts interaction between cities based on population size and distance.

6. Urban Models

  • Burgess Concentric Zone Model: Cities grow outward in rings from the CBD.

  • Hoyt Sector Model: Cities develop in sectors based on transportation and economic factors.

  • Harris & Ullman Multiple Nuclei Model: Cities have multiple centers of activity.

  • Galactic City/Peripheral Model: Suburban areas linked by beltways with declining urban cores.

  • Latin American City Model (Griffin-Ford): Wealthy live near the CBD, while squatter settlements form on the periphery.

  • African City Model (De Blij): Three CBDs (colonial, market, and traditional).

  • Southeast Asian Model: No formal CBD; commercial zones cluster around ports.

7. Suburbanization & Sprawl

  • Driven by GI Bill, highways, prefab construction, desire for space.

  • Urban Sprawl: Expansion of low-density developments outward from cities.

  • Smart Growth Strategies: Mixed-use zoning, mass transit, urban growth boundaries.

8. Ecological Footprint & Sustainability

  • Ecological Footprint: The impact a city has on resources.

  • Greenbelts: Areas where development is restricted to limit sprawl.

  • Sustainable Urban Design: Public transportation, green buildings, renewable energy zoning.

9. Inner City Challenges & Housing Discrimination

  • Blockbusting: Realtors scare homeowners into selling due to racial fears.

  • Redlining: Banks refuse loans to certain areas based on race.

  • Food Deserts: Areas with limited access to fresh food.

  • Public Housing: Government-subsidized housing for low-income residents.

  • Ghettoization: Formation of high-poverty, minority-dominated urban areas.

  • Disamenity Zones: Areas lacking infrastructure and basic services.

  • Zones of Abandonment: Deserted urban areas due to economic decline.

  • Brownfields: Abandoned industrial sites that may be contaminated.

10. Urban Revitalization & Gentrification

  • Urban Renewal: Redevelopment of blighted areas to attract investment.

  • Gentrification: Renovation of urban neighborhoods, often displacing lower-income residents.

  • Mixed-Use Developments: Combine residential, commercial, and recreational spaces.

  • New Urbanism: Promotes walkable, community-oriented neighborhoods.

  • Public Mass Transit: Light rail, bus rapid transit, subways.

11. Urban Planning & Zoning

  • Zoning Types: Traditional, Mixed-Use, Inclusionary.

  • Urban Growth Boundaries: Limits on expansion to protect farmland and green space.

  • Farmland Protection Policies: Prevent urban development on agricultural land.

  • Census Tracts: Geographic regions with about 10,000 people used for demographic studies.

  • Social Area Analysis: Examines socio-economic factors like income, race, and ethnicity.

  • Regional Planning: Cooperation between city, county, and state governments.

12. Squatter Settlements

  • Informal, often illegal housing areas in rapidly growing cities (e.g., favelas in Brazil).

  • Lack of infrastructure, sanitation, and formal housing.

13. Key Urban Theories & Principles

  • Law of Primate Cities: A country's largest city is disproportionately larger than the next largest.

  • Rank-Size Rule: The nth largest city is 1/n the size of the largest city.

  • Infrastructure & Sustainability: Cities invest in roads, utilities, and mass transit to support growth.

Study Strategies:

✅ Use flashcards for key definitions. ✅ Practice identifying city models with real-world examples. ✅ Watch APHG review videos on urban geography. ✅ Answer practice FRQs on urbanization trends. ✅ Compare U.S.. urban challenges vs. global urban challenges.