Urban Geography: Key Terms and Models

AP Human Geography Term Definition A built-up residential and shopping district connected to a central city by major Suburb transportation routes. Megacity A large city with more than 10 million people. A large settlement of people with an extensive built environment that functions as a City center of politics, culture, and economics. A modern approach to planning and developing cities and communities that values New Urbanism walkability, attracting diverse incomes, and access to public spaces. Vernacular A structural model of the American city centered on a central business district with Sector Model (Hoyt) distinct areas of manufacturing and residences extending in wedge-shaped zones from the CBD (like pieces of pie). An area of economic production that is located inland and is connected to the world Hinterland by a port. Division of a city into different regions (e.g., residential or industrial) by use or Functional zonation purpose (e.g., housing or manufacturing). Homes bought in suburbs with the intent of tearing them down and replacing them Teardowns with much larger homes, often referred to as McMansions. How cities shape and are shaped by geopolitical processes at national, regional and Urban Geopolitics global scales. McMansions Large homes often built in place of tear-downs in American suburbs. Large urban areas on the outskirts of major cities, typically found on major roads. Are Edge cities characterized by extensive space for offices and retail, and few residential areas. Layout of American cities, including a central business district (CBD) and suburban Multiple Nuclei Model business districts that each serve as nuclei around which businesses and residences (Harris and Ullman) cluster. Legal restrictions on land use that determine what types of building and economic Zoning laws activities are allowed. Manufacturing conducted in slums, typically relying on intensive hand labor and lowHutment factories cost machines. Model of African cities showing how colonial cities were often built around African African City Model (DeBlij) cities. The central city has three CBDs: traditional, informal, and colonial. Designed to help see the layers of history in cities in Africa. of Latin American cities showing central plazas and wide streets commonly Latin American City Model Model designed by Spanish colonizers. Designed to help see the layers of history built in (Griffin-Ford/New Ford) cities in Latin America. of Southeast Asian cities showing a city with an old colonial port zone Southeast Asia City Model Model surrounded by a large commercial district and no formal CBD. Designed to help see (McGhee) the layers of history built in cities in Southeast Asia. Modern city in which the old downtown plays the role of a festival or recreational Galactic City Model area, and widely dispersed industrial parks, shopping centers, high-tech industrial spaces, edge-city downtowns, and industrial suburbs. Movement of whites from the city and adjacent neighborhoods to outlying suburbs in White flight response to a growth in the number of residents who are a different race. Common in U.S. cities in response to blockbusting. Observed statistical relationship that the population of a city will be inversely Rank-size rule proportional to its rank in the hierarchy. For example, second largest city is half the population of largest city. Physical attributes of the location of a human settlement - for example, at the head of Site navigation of a river or at a certain elevation. Portion of the economy that is not taxed or regulated by government. Goods and Informal economy services are exchanged based on barter or cash systems, and earnings are not reported to government. Rapidly changing racial or class composition of a neighborhood that occurs when real Blockbusting estate agents persuade residents to sell homes because of fear that another race or class of people is moving into the neighborhood. Redistribution of representatives based on population change. For example, seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are reapportioned across states after each census before each state redistricts. Region along the Nile River in North Africa where the first urban revolution occurred Nile River Valley 3200 BCE. Huang He and Wei Valleys Region in China where the first urban revolution occurred around 1500 BCE. Indus River Valley Region in South Asia where the first urban revolution occurred around 2200 BCE. Region in central America where the first urban revolution occurred around 200 Mesoamerica BCE. Region in southwest Asia where the first urban revolution occurred around 2200 Mesopotamia BCE. Renewal or rebuilding of a lower income neighborhood into a middle- to upper-class Gentrification neighborhood, which results in driving up property values and rents and the dispossession of lower income residents. Residential neighborhoods where access is controlled in order to define exclusive Gated communities space and deter movement of people and traffic through the neighborhood. Residential zone where lowest income residents in the city live, especially in the Latin Disamenity sector American city model. Often built on unstable or undesirable land. The expansion of low density urban areas around a city. New urbanism a modern Urban sprawl approach to planning and developing cities and communities that values walkability, attracting diverse incomes, and access to public spaces. The layout of a city, including the sizes and shapes of buildings and the pathways of Urban morphology infrastructure. Primate city The lead city in a country in terms of size and influence. Situation The position of a city or place relative to its surrounding environment or context. The transformation of societies from agriculture villages to permanently settled First Urban Revolution cities, which occurred independently in five separate hearths. Acropolis The upper, fortified part of an ancient Greek city. Commonly a religious site. Central Business District The zone of a city where businesses cluster and around which a city and its (CBD) infrastructure are typically built. Suburbanization Transformation of farmland and small towns outside of an urban area into suburbs. Urban area that is not suburban. Generally, the older or original city that is Central City surrounded by suburbs. Urban model that explains the distribution of social groups around a central business Concentric Zone Model district (CBD) using 5 concentric zones with the newest built on the outskirts. (Burgess) Created by Ernest Burgess in 1925 based on Chicago, United States. Walter Christaller’s theory that the size and locations of cities, towns, and villages Central Place theory are logically and regularly distributed. Redlining