Chapter 20 Flashcards
The current geologic era of the planet initiated by the impact of human activity on the biosphere
Anthropocene
A technology suited and fit to its ecological and social context
appropriate technology
A self-perpetuating system encompassing actors, materials, technologies, policies and practices that make up and reinforce private vehicle usage
automobility
A geographical area that is determined not by political or administrative boundaries but by ecological systems, such as a watershed, a river estuary, a coastal environment, a mountain range or plain
bioregion
The reinvestment of profit in order to increase private capital assets and future profits
capital accumulation
How many people can live in a given area considering the amount of available resources
carrying capacity
Long-term shifts in temperature and climate due to human activity
climate change
Collective resources that humans share in common
commons
A model of human ecology that views cities as a series of circular rings or zones
concentric zone model
Theory which asserts that human ingenuity will rise to the challenge of providing adequate resources for a growing population
cornucopian theory
A city form based economically on corporate management and financial services
corporate city
An environmental social movement based on the principle that the eco-system and members of the natural world are not resources to be used because all beings have intrinsic value
deep ecology
Theory that describes four stages of population growth, following patterns that connect birth and death rates with stages of industrial development
demographic transition theory
The study of population dynamics
demography
Cities that are divided into wealthy, high-tech, information-based zones of urban development and poorer, run-down, marginalized zones of urban underdevelopment and informal economic activity
dual city
Theoretical framework that describes human pressure on environmental systems as temporary because, as society modernizes, the ecological rationality underpinning the need to protect the environment from the strains of human development will become evident, leading to necessary reforms, innovations and environmental sustainability
ecological modernization theory
Urban formations based on clusters of shopping malls, entertainment complexes, and office towers at major transportation intersections
edge city
The movement of people out of an area to another place of permanent residence
emigration
The condition in which low-income and marginalized people are disproportionately likely to experience various environmental problems
environmental inequality
The unequal access to a clean environment and basic environmental resources based on racialized distinctions
environmental racism
The sociological subfield that addresses the relationship between humans and the environment
environmental sociology
The degree to which a human activity can be sustained without damaging or undermining basic ecological support systems
environmental sustainability
The accelerated extraction of natural resources to satisfy a global demand for minerals and energy with the idea that this sustains national economic growth
extractivism
Communities that arise farther out than the suburbs and are typically populated by residents of high socioeconomic status
exurbs
Cities that choose to transform themselves into Disneyland-like theme parks or sites of mega-events to draw international tourists
fantasy city
A measure noting the actual number of children born
fertility rate
When upper- and middle-class residents renovate and live in properties in certain city areas or communities that have been historically less affluent
gentrification
A unique development based on the new role of cities in the circuits of global information and global capital circulation and accumulation
global city
Coalitions of politicians, real estate investors, corporations, property owners, urban planners, architects, sports teams, and cultural institutions, for example, who work together to intensify land usage, attract private capital to the city and lobby government for subsidies and tax breaks for investors
growth machine
How much the population of a defined area grows or shrinks in a specific time period, calculated as the current population minus the initial population divided by the initial population
growth rate
A functional perspective that looks at the relationship between people and their built and natural environment
human ecology
The movement of people into an area to take up permanent residence
immigration
A city in which the major business and employment activities revolve around manufacturing, building, and machining
industrial city
Theory which asserts that population is controlled through positive checks (war, famine, disease) and preventive checks (measures to reduce fertility)
Malthusian theory
A large urban corridor that encompasses several cities and their surrounding suburbs and exurbs
megalopolis
The area that includes a city and its suburbs and exurbs
metropolis
A form of social life distinguished from rural life and produced by the effect of the external features of the metropolis (population size, density, anonymity, and diversity, for example) on the psyche or subjective experience of the urban dweller
metropolitan way of life
The movement of people into and out of an area
migration
A measure of the number of people who die
mortality rate
A “not in my back yard” movement or protest, describing the tendency of people to protest development when it impacts them directly
NIMBY
An exaggerated expression of masculinity tied to a backlash against climate change discourse
petro-masculinity
A snapshot of the demographic profile of a population based on fertility, mortality, and migration rates
population composition
Graphic representation that depicts population distribution according to age and sex
population pyramid
A city defined by its orientation to circuits of global consumption, the fragmentation of previously homogeneous cultures, and the emergence of multiple centres or cores
postmodern city
The ratio of men to women in a given population
sex ratio
The development on the outskirts of cities of unplanned shantytowns or squats with no access to clean water, sanitation, or other municipal services
slum city
A sociological model in which human communities, like biotic communities, are bound together by complex relations of competition for resources and mutual dependence
social ecology
The uncontrolled growth of urban areas with a low population density, high dependence on automobiles, and poor planning
sprawl
The communities surrounding cities, typically close enough for a daily commute
suburbs
The collective destruction of collective or shared resources as a product of individual cost/benefit decision making
tragedy of the commons
Theoretical framework that describes human pressure on environmental systems as a product of capitalism, which prioritizes economic growth over social inequality and environmental protection
treadmill of production theory
The subfield of sociology that focuses on the study of urbanization
urban sociology
The way of life characteristic of cities and towns
urbanism
The process of the formation of cities
urbanization
A theoretical goal in which the number of people entering a population through birth or immigration is equal to the number of people leaving it via death or emigration
zero population growth
Transitional, economically deprived zones within a city, where there is a high rate of flux in population as different groups of people move in and out
zones of transition
