Unit 6 Vocab - Urban Geography

Question 1

affordability

Answer 1

the ability of individuals or families to pay for housing without sacrificing other essential needs, typically measured as a percentage of income spent on housing cost

Question 2

balance of power

Answer 2

distribution of power among countries or alliances of countries

Question 3

blockbusting

Answer 3

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

Question 4

boomburbs

Answer 4

large, rapidly growing city that retains a suburban character, even as it reaches pops typical of urban core cities

Question 5

brownfields

Answer 5

abandoned industrial sites, real property of which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant

Question 6

burgess concentric zone model

Answer 6

city grows outward from a central area in rings

Question 7

christaller’s central place theory

Answer 7

theory that explains how and where central places in the urban hierarchy should be functionally and spatially distributed with respect to one another

Question 8

cycles of development

Answer 8

patterns and stages through which countries or regions progress economically, often involving transitions from traditional to more industrialized and developed state

Question 9

decentralization

Answer 9

degree to which decision-making authority is given to lower levels in an organization’s hierarchy

Question 10

de facto segregation

Answer 10

segregation resulting from economic or social conditions or personal choice

Question 11

disamenity zones

Answer 11

poorest parts of cities that in extreme cases are not even connected to regular city services and are controlled by gangs or drug lords

Question 12

diverse housing options

Answer 12

variety of housing types (single family, townhouse, apartment, duplex) catering to different income levels and family structures

Question 13

ecological footprint

Answer 13

measures how sustainable an individual or group of people are living in their environment

Question 14

edge cities

Answer 14

a large node of office and retail activities on the edge of an urban area

Question 15

environmental injustice

Answer 15

a set of actions that harm the environment while simultaneously alienating specific groups and communities

Question 16

exurbs

Answer 16

the ring of prosperous communities beyond the suburbs, that are commuter towns for an urban area

Question 17

farmland protection policies

Answer 17

discourages Federal activities that would convert farmland to nonagricultural purposes

Question 18

field studies

Answer 18

research conducted in real-world settings rather than in controlled environments like laboratories

Question 19

functional fragmentation of govs

Answer 19

organization of government into specialized departments

Question 20

galactic city model

Answer 20

decentralized CBD, with growth occurring in suburban “edge cities” connected by highways and beltways, reflecting the rise of car-dependent urban sprawl

Question 21

geographic fragmentation of govs

Answer 21

the dispersion of government agencies and institutions across different levels and jurisdictions

Question 22

gentrification

Answer 22

a process of converting an urban neighborhood from a predominantly low income renter occupied area to a predominantly middle class owner occupied area

Question 23

gravity model

Answer 23

explains how regions of human populated areas interact and are influenced by the variables of their populations and the distance between them

Question 24

greenbelts

Answer 24

a ring of land maintained as parks, ag, or other types of open space to limit the sprawl of an urban area

Question 25

harris-ullman multiple nuclei model

Answer 25

social groups are arranged around a collection of nodes of activities

Question 26

hoyt sector model

Answer 26

social groups are arranged around a series of sectors, or wedges, radiating out from the cbd

Question 27

inclusionary zoning

Answer 27

land-use policy that mandates or encourages developers to include a certain percentage of affordable housing units in new residential developments, aiming to promote mixed-income communities and address housing affordability

Question 28

infilling

Answer 28

the construction of new buildings in underutilized or vacant land lots within urban areas

Question 29

land tenure

Answer 29

system regulating the rights to ownership and control and usage of land

Question 30

livability

Answer 30

All the characteristics of a community that contribute to the quality of life of the people who live there

Question 31

megacities

Answer 31

cities with over ten million people

Question 32

metacities

Answer 32

city with over twenty million people

Question 33

mixed land use

Answer 33

combines residential, commercial, cultural, or institutional functions into a building, block, or neighborhood

Question 34

new urbanism

Answer 34

seeks to encourage local community development and sustainable growth in an urban area

Question 35

periphery

Answer 35

regions that are often economically and politically disadvantaged compared to more developed areas, known as the core

Question 36

primate city

Answer 36

city that ranks first in a nation in terms of pop and economy

Question 37

qualitative data

Answer 37

non-numeric info, using senses

Question 38

quanititative data

Answer 38

numeric info

Question 39

rank-size rule

Answer 39

a model that predicts the size of cities within a country based on their position in a ranking of cities

Question 40

redlining

Answer 40

discriminatory practice of refusing to make loans in certain neighborhoods

Question 41

regional planning

Answer 41

the integrated management of economic, social, and physical resources within a specific geographic area, aiming for efficient land use, infrastructure, and sustainable growth beyond the scale of individual cities or towns

Question 42

residential

Answer 42

a region primarily designated for housing, encompassing various types of dwellings like single-family homes, apartments, and townhouses, and varying in density from low-density suburbs to high-density urban areas

Question 43

sanitation

Answer 43

the measures and systems used to promote hygiene and prevent disease, primarily through the proper disposal of waste and the provision of clean water and sanitation facilities

Question 44

semi periphery

Answer 44

countries that have a standard of living lower than those in the “core,” but much higher than those in the “periphery.

Question 45

slow growth cities

Answer 45

a city that actively implements policies and practices to limit the pace and scale of new development, often aiming to reduce outward expansion and prevent urban sprawl

Question 46

smart growth policies

Answer 46

urban planning strategies that promote sustainable, compact, and walkable communities by prioritizing mixed-use development, public transportation, and environmental protection to combat sprawl

Question 47

social development

Answer 47

the improvement of societal well-being through advancements in social structures, cultural practices, and the quality of life for individuals, encompassing factors like education, healthcare, and social equality

Question 48

squatter settlements

Answer 48

densely populated areas where people establish homes on land they do not own or have legal rights to

Question 49

suburbanization

Answer 49

process of pop movement from within towns and cities to the rural urban fringe

Question 50

suburban sprawl

Answer 50

the expansion of human populations away from central urban areas into low-density, monofunctional and usually car-dependent communities

Question 51

sustainable design intitatives

Answer 51

planning and design approaches that aim to create urban environments that are socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable, often emphasizing compact, walkable communities, green infrastructure, and public transportation

Question 52

tech capabilities

Answer 52

the tools, methods, and infrastructure (like computers, communication devices, and software) that enable people to collect, analyze, and utilize spatial data for understanding and addressing human geography issues

Question 53

transportation-oriented development

Answer 53

a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport

Question 54

urban design

Answer 54

the process of creating and shaping the physical environment of towns, cities, and neighborhoods, considering factors like buildings, spaces, landscapes, and their interrelationships to improve functionality and quality of life

Question 55

urban growth boundaries

Answer 55

a line drawn to limit the extent of urban development, aiming to protect natural and agricultural areas from sprawl

Question 56

urban hierarchy

Answer 56

ranking of settlements according to their size and economic functions

Question 57

urban renewal

Answer 57

the process of redeveloping and revitalizing urban areas, often through government-led initiatives, to address urban decay, increase tax revenue, and create new infrastructure

Question 58

urban sustainability

Answer 58

planning and managing cities to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own, focusing on environmental, social, and economic aspects

Question 59

urbanization

Answer 59

social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban

Question 60

walkability

Answer 60

the degree to which an area is designed and organized to be friendly and conducive to walking, promoting it as a viable mode of transportation and enhancing the overall quality of life

Question 61

world cities

Answer 61

center of economic, culture, and political activity that are strongly interconnected and together control the global systems of finance and commerce

Question 62

zones of abandonment

Answer 62

urban areas characterized by informal housing, high crime rates, vacant buildings, lack of services, and poor infrastructure, often resulting from a lack of investment and affordable housing

Question 63

zoning practices

Answer 63

dividing an area into zones or sections reserved for different purposes