chapter 9: urban geography Flashcards
central business district
the downtown heart of a central city: high land values, concentration of business and commerce, and clustering of tallest buildings
synekism
the possibility of change that results from people living together in cities
urban
built up, nonrural area
city
conglomeration of people and buildings clustered together to serve as a center of politics, culture, and economics
agricultural village
small, egalitarian village where most of pop is involved in agriculture
agricultural surplus
enables the formation of cities with help of social stratification; excess of agricultual production → pop boom
social stratification
enables the formation of cities with help of agricultural surplus; differentiation of society into classes based on wealth, power, production, and prestige
leadership class
group of decision makers and organizers in the early cities who controlled the resources, and often lives, of others
first urban revolution
the innovation of the city, which occurred independently in 5 separate hearths
mesopotamia
btwn tigris and euphrates rivers
1st urban hearth 3500 bce
nile river valley
2nd urban hearth 3200 bce
indus river valley
3rd urban hearth 2200 bce
huang he and wei river valleys
4th urban hearth 1500 bce
mesoamerica
5th urban hearth
200 bce
secondary hearth
an early adopter of a cultural practice or trait that becomes a central locale from which the practice or trait further diffuses
acropolis
“high point of the city” upper fortified part of an ancient greek city (typically religious)
agora
ancient greece → public spaces where citizens debate, lecture, judge, military campaigns, socialize, and traded
site
the internal physical attributes of a place; relative location or regional position with reference to other nonlocal places
situation
the external locational attributes of a place, including absolute location, its spatial character and physical setting
urban morphology
the study of physical form and structure of urban places
forum
the focal point of ancient roman life combining the functions of the ancient greek acropolis and agora
trade area
adjacent to every town and city within which its influence is dominant
rank-size rule
idea that the pop will be inversely proportional to its rank in the the heirarchy
primate city
a country’s largest city (top or urban hierarchy)
central place theory
theory that explains where central places in the urban hierarchy should be functionally and spatially distributed with respect to one another
walter christaller
- flat with no barriers
- soil fertility
- pop evenly distributed purchasing power
- transportation
- goods sold in all directions
sun belt phenomenon
the movement of millions to south & southwest regions
functional zonation
the division of a city into different regions or zones for certain purposed or functions
zone
area of a city with a relatively uniform land use
central city
the older/orginal city
suburb
subsidiary urban area surrounding and connected to the central city
best schools, safety, and more space
suburbanization
movements of upper and middle class people from urban core areas to surrounding outskirts; began early 19th cent
concentric zone model
structural model of american central city that suggests 5 concentric land-use rings arranged around common center
burgess
edge cities
cities that shift focus from CBD; office, retail space, modern buildings
megacities
10m + residents
griffin-ford model
latin american city model; blend of traditional elements and globalization
shantytowns
unplanned slum development on the margins of cities dominated by crude dwellings
disamenity sector
the poorest parts of cities that are controlled by gangs or drug lords
mcgee model
southeast asia city model
zoning laws
legal restrictions on land use that determine what types of building and economic activities are allowed to take place in certain areas
ex. residential, industrial, retail
redlining
discriminatory real estate practive where members of minorities are prevented from obtaining money to purchase homes in white neighborhoods
blockbusting
rapid change in he racial composition of residential blocjs that occurs when real estate agents stir up fear of neighborhood decline after encouraging pocs to move into white neighborhoods → outmigration & real estate profit
commercialization
the transformation of an area of a city into an area attractive to resident and tourists alike in terms of economic activity
gentrification
the rehabilitation of deteriorated, often abandones, housing of low income inner city residents
teardowns
homes bought in many american suburbs with the intent of tearing them down and replacing them with much larger homes often referred to as mcmansions
mcmansions
homes reffered to as such for their “super size” and similarity in appearance to other such homes; often built in place of tear-downs in american suburbs
urban sprawl
unrestricted growth in many american urban areas of housing, commercial development, and roads over large expanses of land, with little concern for urban planning
new urbanism
an urban design that calls for development, urban revitalization, and suburban reforms that create walkable neighborhoods with a diversity of housing and jobs
gated communities
restricted neighborhoods or subdivisions, where entry is limited to residents and their guests
informal economy
economic activity that is neither taxed nor monitored by the government
world city
dominant city in terms of its role in the global political economy
spaces of consumption
areas of a city where people consume goods and services
sector model
hoyt
model of amercian city where city grows outward from center; pie slices
multiple nuclei model
harris, ullman
amercian city model where the cbd loses its dominant postition to other urban regions
the rich typically live directly next to
the poor
government action revolving cities
reviving, cleaning, and commercializing dead cities ex DTLA
→ gentrification & increasing property value
core cities
constantly remade
hexagonal hinterlands
hierarchy that is spacially balanced
success tied to trade area, pop size, and distance from city
city planning
relieves city from crowds and unsanitary conditions
