unit 6 vocab

Urbanization & Urban Structures:

* Urbanization: The process by which the population of cities grows.

* Urban Area: A central city and its surrounding built-up suburbs.

* Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): In the United States, a central city of at least 50,000 population, the county within which the city is located, and adjacent counties meeting one of two conditions: at least 50 percent of their residents work in the central city's county, or at least 15 percent of their residents work in the central city's county.

* Micropolitan Statistical Area: An urbanized area of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 inhabitants, the county in which it is located, and surrounding counties with a high degree of social and economic integration with the core county.

* Suburbanization: The process of population movement from within towns and cities to the rural-urban fringe.

* Edge City: A large node of office and retail activities on the edge of an urban area.

* Megalopolis: A continuous urban complex in the northeastern United States.

* Central Business District (CBD): The downtown heart of a central city, marked by high land values, a concentration of business and commerce, and the clustering of the tallest buildings.

* Concentric Zone Model (Burgess Model): A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are spatially arranged in a series of rings.

* Sector Model (Hoyt Model): A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a series of sectors, or wedges, radiating out from the central business district (CBD).

* Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris and Ullman Model): A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a collection of independent centers or nodes.

* Urban Realms Model: A spatial model of the American city that suggests a decentralization of the urban core and the emergence of self-sufficient suburban "realms" or edge cities.

* Latin American City Model (Griffin-Ford Model): A model of Latin American cities showing a blend of traditional elements and modern industrialization, with a spine extending from the CBD surrounded by elite housing, and a periphery of squatter settlements.

* Southeast Asian City Model (McGee Model): A model of Southeast Asian cities featuring a port zone and lacking a formal CBD, with elements of the city clustered around the port and extending outward in zones and sectors.

* Filtering: The process of change in the use of a house, from single-family owner occupancy to abandonment.

* Redlining: A process by which banks draw lines on a map and refuse to lend money to purchase or improve property within the boundaries.

* Blockbusting: A process by which real estate agents convince white property owners to sell their houses at low prices because of fear that persons of color will soon move into the neighborhood.

* Gentrification: A process of converting an urban neighborhood from a more run-down area to a more affluent area.

* Urban Sprawl: The unrestricted growth of housing, commercial developments, and roads over large expanses of land, with little concern for urban planning.

Urban Challenges & Issues:

* Underclass: A group in society prevented from participating in the material benefits of a more developed society because of a variety of social and economic hardships.

* Squatter Settlement: An area within a city in a less developed country in which people illegally establish residences on land they do not own or rent and erect homemade structures.

* Informal Economy: Economic activity that is neither taxed nor monitored by a government; and is not included in that government's Gross National Product (GNP); as opposed to a formal economy.

* Ghettoization: A process occurring in many inner cities in which members of a minority group are concentrated in a specific neighborhood, often due to social or economic pressures.

* White Flight: The emigration of white residents from an urban area in anticipation of or in reaction to the in-migration of minority residents.

* Environmental Justice: The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

* Urban Decay: The process by which a previously functioning portion of a city deteriorates and becomes decrepit over time.

* Infrastructure: The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

Urban Planning & Sustainability:

* New Urbanism: A planning and development approach based on the principles of walkable blocks and streets, human-scaled buildings, and mixed-use development.

* Smart Growth: Legislation and regulations to limit suburban sprawl and preserve farmland.

* Greenbelt: A ring of land maintained as parks, agriculture, or other open space to limit the sprawl of an urban area.

* Sustainable Urban Development: Urban development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

* Transit-Oriented Development (TOD): The creation of compact, walkable, mixed-use communities centered around high-quality public transit systems.

* Mixed-Use Development: Development that combines different types of land use within a single area, such as residential, commercial, and recreational.

* Urban Renewal: Program in which cities identify blighted inner-city neighborhoods, acquire the properties from private owners, relocate the residents and businesses, clear the site, build new public utilities, and turn the land over to private developers.