Human Geo Chapter 13 Vocab

Question 1

Central City (City)

Answer 1

An urban settlement that has been legally incorporated into an independent, self-governing unit known as a municipality. All countries have a gov’t that recognizes cities as legal entities with fixed boundaries. A city has elected officials, the ability to raise taxes, and responsibility for providing essential services. In the US, population has been declining in North and East cities (Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland, etc.) People are migrating into the US South and West cities.

Question 2

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

Answer 2

In the US, an urbanized area of at least 50,000 population, the county within which the city is located, and adjacent counties meeting one of several tests indicating a functional connection to the central city. MSAs are widely used to define urban settlements because many stats are published for counties (basic MSAs). As of 2018, there are 392 US MSAs that encompass 86% of the population. 11 of the largest MSAs are subdivided into metropolitan divisions.

Question 3

Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA)

Answer 3

An urbanized area between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, the country in which it is located, and adjacent counties tied to the city. The US had 546 μSAs in 2018, mostly around rural southern and western communities. 9% of Americans live in μSAs.

Question 4

Core-based statistical Area (CBSA)

Answer 4

In the US, the collection of all metropolitan statistical areas and micropolitan statistical areas (939)

Question 5

Combined Statistical Area (CSA)

Answer 5

In the US, 2 or more contiguous core-based statistical areas tied together by commuting patterns (175 in US).

Question 6

Urban Area

Answer 6

A dense core of census tracts and a city, densely settled suburbs, and low-density land that links the dense suburbs with the core.

Question 7

Urbanized Area

Answer 7

An urban area with at least 50,000 inhabitants. There were 486 in the US as of 2010, 70% of the US population living in one (30% in central cities and 40% in surrounding jurisdictions).

Question 8

Urban Cluster

Answer 8

An urban area with between 2,500 and 50,000 inhabitants. there were 3,087 urban clusters in the US as of 2010, or 10% of population.

Question 9

Megapolis

Answer 9

A continuous urban complex in the northeastern US, extending from north of Boston to south of Washington DC. Other urban complexes int he Us: southern Great Lakes between Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, and Southern CA (between LA and Tijuana). Within Megapolis, the downtown areas of individual cities like Baltimore, NY, and Philly retain distinctive identities, and the urban areas are visibly separated.

Question 10

Central Business District (CBD)

Answer 10

AKA “downtown.” The area of a city where retail and office activities are clustered. It is the oldest district in a city, at or near the original site of settlement. Older CBDs are often along a body of water. The CBD is compact (less than 1% of urban land area), but contains many services, which are attracted to it due to its accessibility. The CBD is the focal point of the region’s transportation network.

Question 11

Concentric Zone Model

Answer 11

A model created in 1923 by Ernest Burgess of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are spatially arranged in a series of rings. He identified 5 rings: The CBD, Zone of Transition, Zone of independent workers’ homes, Zone of better residences, Commuter Zone.

Question 12

Sector Model

Answer 12

A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a series of sectors, or wedges, radiating out from the CBD. As a city grows, activities expand outward from the center. One a high-class housing district is established, the most expensive new housing is built on the outer edge (a corridor extending from downtown to the outer edge). Industrial/retailing activities develop in other sectors (w/ transportation).

Question 13

Multiple Nuclei Model

Answer 13

(developed by Chauncey Harris and Edward Ullman in 1945) A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a collection of nodes of activities. Ex: a port, airport, business center, park, or university. It states that some activities are attracted to certain nodes, and others try to avoid them (heavy industry & high-class housing avoid each other, but a university attracts well-educated residents, pizzerias, and bookstores).

Question 14

Galactic (or peripheral) Model

Answer 14

developed by Harris in 1960) a model of North American urban areas consisting of an inner city surrounded by large suburban residential and business areas tied together by a ring road. It is a modification of the multiple nuclei model reflecting the growth of suburbs.

Question 15

Edge Cities

Answer 15

A node of office and retail activities on the edge of an urban area.

Question 16

Social Area Analysis

Answer 16

Statistical analysis used to identify where people of similar living standards, ethnic background, and lifestyle live within a city. It depends on the availability of data in individual neighborhoods, which comes from the Census in the US and many other countries.

Question 17

Census Tracts

Answer 17

An area delineated by the US Bureau of the Census for which statistics are published; in urban areas, census tracts correspond roughly to neighborhoods with about 5,000 residents. The census divides the US into blocks (collection of a few dozen houses, bounded by 4 streets in an urban area).

Question 18

Informal Settlement

Answer 18

An area within a less developed country in which people illegally establish residences on land they don’t own or rent and erect homemade structures. This is much of the housing in the outer rings of the sub-Saharan African model. They are known by a variety of names, and 883 million people live in them. They have few services because people can’t afford them, homes are in basic shelters, proper latrines/water access is scarce, electricity is often stolen, and many residents have to walk 2 hours away to reach their jobs.

Question 19

Suburb

Answer 19

A residential or commercial area situated within an urban area but outside the central city. In 1920, 20% of Americans lived in suburbs, 40% in cities, and 40% in small/rural towns. The # of people in suburb climbed rapidly thereafter, esp. after WWII (returning GIs marrying, having kids, and needing decent houses).

Question 20

Annexation

Answer 20

Legally adding land area to a city in the US. Now cities are surrounded by a collection of suburban jurisdictions whose residents are legally independent of the large city. Annexation rules vary among states. Normally, most residents have to be in favor of it (and in the 19th century, they usually were, due to better water supply, sewage, transportation, fire protection, and more). Chicago expanded from 10 to 190 sq. miles in 1900.

Question 21

Sprawl

Answer 21

Development of new housing sites at relatively low density and at locations that are not contiguous to the existing built-up area. It is fostered by the desire of some families to own large tracts of land, and is cheap. Developers buy farms for future construction of houses by builders. The peripheries of US cities have pockets of development and open gaps.

Question 22

Density Gradient

Answer 22

the change in density in an urban area from the center to the periphery. As you move away from the center of a city, there is lower density, older suburbs, and individual houses (4 houses per acre). A detached house sits on a lot of 2.5 acres or more on the fringe of the built-up area.

Question 23

Smart Growth

Answer 23

Legislation and regulations to limit suburban sprawl and preserve farmland. The goal is to produce a pattern of compact and contiguous development and protect rural land, & “fill in” urbanized areas. OR & TN have defined growth boundaries, where cities can only annex land included in them. NJ, RI, and WA were also leaders in enacting smart-growth initiatives. MD’s smart-growth law discourages that state from funding new highways and projects that would extend suburban sprawl.

Question 24

Rush Hour

Answer 24

The heaviest flow of commuters is into and out of the CBD. The 4 consecutive 15-minute periods in the morning and evening with heaviest traffic volumes. This strains transportation systems. Public transport is cheaper, less polluting, more energy efficient, & suited to bringing many people into a small area. It is important in urban areas, which are characterized by extensive commuting.

Question 25

Underclass

Answer 25

A group in society prevented from participating in the material benefits of a more developed society because of a variety of social and economic disadvantages. Most life in inner-city neighborhoods.

Question 26

Gentrification

Answer 26

A process of converting an urban neighborhood from a predominantly low-income, renter-occupied area to a predominantly middle-class, owner-occupied area. Most cities have at least 1 renovated inner-city neighborhood that attracts high-income residents, especially single people and couples without children (not worried about schools). Cities encourage the process by providing low-cost loans & tax breaks. Public expenditures for renovation have been criticized as subsidies for the middle-class at the expense of lower-classes, who may be forced to move.

Question 27

Public Housing

Answer 27

Gov’t-owned housing rented to low-income people. Rents are set at 30% of the tenant’s income. In other countries, local gov’ts or non-profits build and own much of the housing, aided by subsidies. In the mid-20th, many substandard inner-city houses were demolished and replaced with public housing, and several decades later, many of these projects were deemed unsatisfactory and demolished (esp. high-rise public housing projects, with drugs, crime, and broken elevators).