Contemporary urban environments key terms

Question 1

Urbanisation

Answer 1

An increase in the proportion of a country’s population living in a town or city

Question 2

Counter urbanisation

Answer 2

Population movement from large urban areas to smaller urban settlements and rural areas

Question 3

Suburbanisation

Answer 3

The decentralisation of people, employments and services towards the edges of an urban area

Question 4

Urban resurgence

Answer 4

Regeneration, both economic and structural, of an urban area which has suffered a period decline

Question 5

Urban growth

Answer 5

The increase in the total population of a town or city

Question 6

Urban expansion

Answer 6

The increase in size or geographical footprint of a city

Question 7

Mega city

Answer 7

A metropolitan area with a total population in excess of ten million people

Question 8

World city

Answer 8

Cities which are seen to have an important role in the global economic system

Question 9

Deindustrialisation

Answer 9

The long term decline of a country’s manufacturing, due to mechanisation, competition and reduce in need for products causing a loss in jobs

Question 10

Urban policy

Answer 10

Strategies used by local or national government to develop urban areas and reduce urban issues

Question 11

Urban forms

Answer 11

Relates to the physical characteristics that go towards making up an urban area. This will include; shape, size, density of population and configuration of the settlement

Question 12

Edge cities

Answer 12

Self contained settlements which have emerged beyond the the original city boundaries and developed as cities in their own right

Question 13

Fortress landscapes

Answer 13

Refers to landscapes designed around security, protection, surveillance and exclusion

Question 14

Gentrified areas

Answer 14

Buying and renovating properties often in more run down areas by wealthier individuals

Question 15

Postmodernism

Answer 15

The changes to western cultures and societies in the late 20th century

Question 16

Poverty

Answer 16

An absolute term referring to a poor standard of living which doesn’t change over time

Question 17

Inequality

Answer 17

Refers to the economic differences between people at a variety of scales. This is all relative and not absolute like poverty

Question 18

Social segregation

Answer 18

Groups of people living apart from the larger population for a variety of factors

Question 19

Cultural diversity

Answer 19

Existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society

Question 20

Urban social exclusion

Answer 20

Economic and social problems faced by residents in areas of multiple deprivation

Question 21

Diaspora

Answer 21

A group of people with similar heritage or homeland who have settled elsewhere in the world

Question 22

Urban heat island

Answer 22

When urban areas are warmer than their rural surroundings

Question 23

Venturi effect

Answer 23

The effect of squeezing the airflow, increased as buildings tend to get taller towards the city centre

Question 24

Albedo

Answer 24

This is when heat absorbed from isolation is reflected out the material into the surroundings

Question 25

Specific heat capacity

Answer 25

The amount of heat energy a surface can hold and how quickly it heats up

Question 26

Particulate

Answer 26

The release of particles and noxious gases into the atmosphere

Question 27

Photochemical

Answer 27

Creates smog consisted of ozone and peroxyacetly nitrate

Question 28

SUDS

Answer 28

A sequence of water management practices and facilities designed to drain surface water in a manner that will provide a more sustainable approach

Question 29

Sustained development

Answer 29

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Question 30

Liveability

Answer 30

The characteristics of a city, which improve the quality of life for the people living there

Question 31

Sustainable city

Answer 31

A city, which provides employment, a high standard of living, a clean, healthy environment and fair governance for all its residents

Question 32

Ecological footprint

Answer 32

The total area of productive land and water required to produce the resources a population consumes and absorb the waste produced

Question 33

Dereliction

Answer 33

Buildings that have become dilapidated after being abandoned