hg vocab VII
African city model: A model that describes the structure and spatial layout of African cities, often featuring a combination of traditional urban cores, colonial influences, and post-colonial urban developments.
Annexation: The process by which a city expands its territorial boundaries to include adjacent areas, often involving the incorporation of surrounding land into the city's jurisdiction.
Bid-rent theory: An economic theory that explains the pricing of land based on its distance from a central business district (CBD); it asserts that land is valued more highly near the CBD due to demand for accessibility.
Borchert's Epochs: A framework for understanding the evolution of urban transportation systems over time, proposed by John R. Borchert, detailing different epochs of urbanization including the sail-wagon epoch, iron horse epoch, and the car-oriented epoch.
CBD (Central Business District): The commercial and business center of a city, characterized by a high concentration of businesses, offices, and retail establishments.
Census tract: A geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census, typically containing a population of around 1,200 to 8,000 people, used for statistical purposes in urban planning and analysis.
Central city: The main city or core area of an urban region, often serving as the historical and economic center of metropolitan areas.
Christaller, Walter: A German geographer known for developing the central place theory, which explains the size, number, and distribution of human settlements.
Combined statistical area: A geographic region that includes multiple adjacent metropolitan areas, used for statistical purposes by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Concentric zone model: A model of urban land use that divides a city into concentric rings, with the CBD at the center and different social and economic groups occupying outer rings.
Commuter zone: The outer ring in the concentric zone model, where people live in suburban areas and commute to the central city for work.
Counter urbanization: A demographic trend wherein people move from urban areas to rural areas, often seeking a higher quality of life or lower cost of living.
Density gradient: A concept in urban geography that describes the change in population density as one moves away from the city center.
Deindustrialization: The decline of industrial activity in a region or economy, often characterized by the closure of factories and the shift to a service-based economy.
Economic base: The foundational economic activities that drive a city's economy, distinguishing between basic (export) and non-basic (local) industries.
Edge city: A term for a suburban downtown that has developed with its own economic and cultural identity, often characterized by a concentration of business, commercial, and office space.
Ethnic neighborhood: A residential area predominantly inhabited by members of a specific ethnic group, providing a sense of community and cultural identity.
Favela: A Brazilian term for a type of informal settlement or slum, often characterized by substandard housing and a lack of basic services.
Forward capital: A city strategically placed to promote development in a particular area, often distanced from the traditional national capital.
Filtering (filter process): An economic and social process in urban housing, where higher-income households move out of a neighborhood, allowing lower-income residents to move in, leading to the deterioration of housing quality.
Gateway city: A city that serves as a point of entry into a country or region, often facilitating trade and immigration.
Galactic city: An urban model that describes a city that has decentralized structures with multiple centers and a widespread urban footprint influenced by suburban growth and transportation networks.
Gentrification: The process by which wealthier individuals move into an urban neighborhood, leading to rising property values and the displacement of lower-income residents.
Greenbelts: Areas of open land around a city that are preserved for agriculture, recreation, or conservation to prevent urban sprawl.
In-filling: The process of developing vacant or underused parcels within existing urban areas, as opposed to expanding outward into undeveloped land.
Informal settlement: A residential area where the inhabitants have no legal claim to the land and lack access to basic services, often termed a slum.
Infrastructure: The basic physical systems of a city or country, including transportation, communication, sewage, and water supply systems essential for economic activity and quality of life.
Islamic City: A historical urban model reflecting the culture and architecture of Islamic civilization, often characterized by a central mosque, narrow streets, and a mix of residential and commercial uses.
Latin American city model: An urban model that highlights the structure of cities in Latin America, characterized by a central plaza surrounded by commercial activities and a sector extending outward that includes slums.
Megalopolis: A large, densely populated urban area that stretches across multiple cities and suburbs, often characterized by economic and infrastructural interdependence.
Megacity: A city with a population of over 10 million people, exhibiting significant economic influence and complexity.
Mixed-use development: An urban planning strategy that combines residential, commercial, cultural, and recreational spaces in one location to encourage interaction and accessibility.
Metropolitan statistical area: A region that encompasses a densely populated urban core along with adjacent territories that have a high degree of economic and social integration with the urban core.
Micropolitan statistical area: A geographical region centered around a small city with a population of at least 10,000, which is linked economically to surrounding areas.
Multiple nuclei model: A model of urban land use that posits cities consist of multiple centers around which different types of activities cluster, rather than having a single center.
New urbanism: An urban design movement that promotes walkable neighborhoods, mixed-use developments, and sustainable communities in order to improve quality of life.
Peripheral model: An approach to urban development that emphasizes the growth of suburbs around a central city, often accompanied by economic and social economic challenges for the urban core.
Postindustrial city: A city characterized by a shift from manufacturing-based to service-oriented economy, often facing issues of urban decay and revitalization.
Primate city: A city that is significantly larger and more influential than any other city in a country, often serving as the economic, political, and cultural center.
Public housing: Governmentally subsidized housing designed to provide affordable accommodation for low-income residents.
Redlining: The practice of denying services to residents of certain areas based on racial or ethnic composition, historically leading to discrimination in housing and community development.
Squatter settlement: An unauthorized residential area where people illegally occupy land, often lacking basic services and infrastructure.
Sector model: A model of urban land use developed by Homer Hoyt, which suggests that cities develop in sectors or wedges radiating out from the CBD, shaped by transportation lines and socioeconomic factors.
Smart growth: An urban planning approach that prioritizes sustainable land use, public transportation, and the preservation of open space to combat urban sprawl.
Social area analysis: A research technique used to analyze and categorize urban areas based on demographic and socioeconomic factors, often to identify patterns of inequality or segregation.
Suburb: A residential area located on the outskirts of a city, typically characterized by lower population density and single-family homes.
Sustainable development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, emphasizing ecological and social balance.
Sprawl: The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural land, often resulting in increased traffic and environmental degradation.
Tenement: A multi-family urban dwelling, often associated with low-income housing, typically characterized by poor living conditions.
Urban renewal: A program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use, often aimed at improving infrastructure and housing.
Urbanization: The process by which an increasing percentage of a population comes to live in urban areas, often affecting social and economic dynamics.
Underclass: A social class that is at the bottom of the socioeconomic hierarchy, often characterized by poverty and lack of economic opportunities.
World city: A city that serves as an important nodal point in the global economy, often characterized by significant financial, cultural, and political influence.
Zoning ordinance: Legal regulations that dictate how land can be used and developed in a particular area, designed to control urban development and land use.