Unit 6: Cities and Urban Land-Use Patterns and Processes Flashcards
Urban
cities with lots of people
Sub-urban
residential areas just outside cities
Urbanization
population movement from rural to urban areas, leading to a higher proportion of people living in cities
- an urban area consists of a central city & its surrounding built-up suburbs, with at least 50,000 ppl
Suburbanization
the process of the pop. shift from urban to sub-urban areas, often motivated by the desire for more space & a lower cost of living.
Urban sprawl
the spread of low-density, car-dependent development over large areas, often replacing farmland and natural spaces.
- this trend has been observed in many countries around the world & has had a number of social, economic & environmental impacts.
Define mega cities and what they’re characterized by.
urban areas with a population of over 10 million people
- they’re characterized by their size, complexity & diversity and are often centers of economic, political & cultural activity
Examples
- Tokyo, Japan: the most populous city in the world with a pop. of over 37 mil. ppl
- NYC: the most populous city in the U.S with a pop. of over 8 mil. ppl
- Mumbai, India: the most populous city in India, with a pop. of over 20 mil. ppl
- São Paulo, Brazil: the most populous city in Brazil, with a pop. of over 21 mil. ppl
- Mexico City, Mexico: the most populous city in Mexico, with a pop. of over 21 mil. ppl
- Shanghai, China: the most populous city in China, with a pop. of over 24 mil. ppl
Meta cities (also known as “global cities” or “world” cities)
large urban areas with over 20 million residents that are highly interconnected through global economic, cultural, and political networks.
- they often serve as hubs of innovation, influence global trends, and play a major role in the world economy.
Examples
- London, U.K: a major global financial, cultural & political center. London is home to many international institutions such as the Bank of England & the British Museum & is a leading center for industries such as finance, media & creative arts.
- Paris, France: Paris a major global financial & cultural center & is home to many international institutions, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development & the Louvre Museum.
- Hong Kong, China: Hong Kong is a major global financial & transportation hub, and is a gateway to the rest of Asia.
Boomburbs
a suburban city that’s rapidly growing, often as large as a city with a suburban feel.
Exurbs & what they’re characterized by
areas located beyond the suburbs, typically characterized by low housing density, growing communities, and maintained connections to the metropolitan area (e.g., for commuting).
Peripheral Model - “Edge Cities”
this model, often referred to as the “edge city” model, suggests that large, sprawling developments on the outskirts of metropolitan areas are a defining feature of modern urban landscapes.
- these models are useful tools for understanding the way in which cities grow and change over time, and can help us to understand the social, economic, and spatial patterns that shape urban life.
Edge cities
significant urban centers that emerge on the outskirts of traditional cities, characterized by a concentration of retail, office space, and entertainment facilities.
- They represent a shift in urban development, where economic and social activities are increasingly located outside the CBDs, reflecting changing patterns of suburbanization & commuting.
A world city (also called a global city)
a city that serves as an imp. linkage or connection point in the global economic system.
- these cities serve as banking & finance world leaders & headquarters for multinational corporations (MNCs)
- they’re also world communication & transportation hubs & have the most international political influence.
- NYC, London, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Chicago, LA, Singapore, Sydney, Seoul
Primate city according to the geographer Mark Jefferson
a city that’s at least twice as large as the next largest city in the country, dominating the country’s economic, political, and cultural life
- this theory highlights the unequal distribution of urban population in some countries, where one city becomes a hub, overshadowing other urban areas.
- ex: Paris, with 2.2 mil in the city itself & a metropolitan area of almost 12 mil, is definitely the focus of France, while the next-largest city of Marseilles has a pop. of only 800,000.
The rank-size rule
This theory suggests that if cities in a country are ranked by population size, they will follow a predictable pattern.
- According to this rule, the population of the second-largest city will be roughly half the size of the largest city, the third-largest city will be one-third the size of the largest, and so on.
- This pattern shows a hierarchical distribution of city populations, where the largest city has a significantly larger population compared to the smaller cities in the same country.
central place theory & 2 main assumptions
states that cities exist for economic reasons & that people gather together in cities to share goods & ideas
Assumptions
- the land is flat, with no barriers for movement.
- ppl will buy goods from the nearest place, and popular goods will be sold close to where most people live.
Threshold
the minimum number of ppl needed for a central place business or activity to thrive & stay prosperous
The gravity model
is based on Newton’s law of gravity, which states that larger cities attract more people, goods, and ideas, and that the relationship between cities is also determined by distance.
- Larger cities have more economic pull because they offer more services, businesses, and opportunities. These cities tend to attract more people and goods from the surrounding areas.
- The closer two cities are to each other, the stronger their interaction (e.g., trade, migration), while the interaction weakens as the distance between the cities increases.
The concentric zone model
according to this model, cities grow outward from a CBD in a series of concentric circles, with each successive ring representing a different stage of development.
The Hoyt sector model
proposes that cities grow outward from a CBD in a series of sectors, with each sector having a distinct character and social structure.
- According to the model, the CBD is the most desirable location for business & commercial activities, due to its high levels of accessibility and land value.
- The model also proposes that the outer regions of a city are less desirable for business & commercial activities, due to their lower levels of accessibility and land value. These outer regions are typically characterized by residential land use.
The multiple nuclei model
proposes that cities grow & develop around multiple centers, or nuclei, each with its own unique characteristics and functions.
- according to this theory, cities aren’t homogenous entities, but rather are composed of a variety of different zones, each with its own distinct character and functions.
- this model is often used to explain the way in which different social & economic groups are distributed within a city & how the various centers or nuclei within the city are connected to one another.
Latin American City Model (also called the Griffin Ford Model)
A city layout where a main road with important businesses (called the spine) stretches out from the center of the city, and poorer housing areas (squatter settlements) are found on the edges.
Squatter settlements
a poor residential area where people build homes from scrap materials on land they don’t own or rent, usually lacking basic services like water, sewage, garbage removal, and education.
The basic sector
workers who produce goods and services for people outside the urban area.
- their work produces an income flow of new money into the city.
The non-basic sector
workers who produce goods and services for people within the city.
- Their work doesn’t bring new money into the city but supports local consumption and services.
