Unit 7: Urban Patterns And Processes Flashcards
Bidrent
Theory
A geographic economic theory that refers to how the price and demand for real estate
changes as the distance from the CBD increases. It states that different land users will
compete with one another for land close to the city center, which leads to variations in the
distribution of types of economic uses of land.
Boomburbs
Incorporated places in metropolitan areas in the US having more than 100,000 residents that
are not the core cities in their metropolitan areas and have maintained doubledigit rates of
population growth over consecutive censuses between 19702000.
Census
An official count or survey of a population, typically recording various demographic details of
individuals.
Disamenity Zones
The very poorest parts of cities that in extreme cases are not connected to regular city
services or infrastructure and are controlled by gangs and/or drug lords.
Edge City
An area with concentrated businesses, shopping, and entertainment outside of a traditional
downtown area that has five million or more square feet of leasable office space, 600,000 or
more of leasable retail space, has more jobs than bedrooms, is perceived by the population
as one place, and was nothing like a city as recently as 30 years ago when it just bedrooms
and pastures.
Exurbs
An area outside of a denser inner suburban area that has economic and commuting
connections to the metro area, low housing density, and growth.
Gentrification
The process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle
class tastes.
Megacities
A very large metropolitan area with a population of more than 10 million people.
Metacities (hypercity)
A very large metropolitan area with a population of more than 20 million people.
Mixed Land Use
Zoning definitions that allow for land use that includes commercial, residential, and/or
industrial in the same zone.
New Urbanism
An urban planning and development approach based upon the principles of walkable blocks
and streets, housing and shopping in close proximity, and accessible public spaces.
Primate City
The largest city in a country with a disproportionately larger role in the urban hierarchy in terms of economic, political, and cultural influence and with a population that is, at least, twice the next largest city.
Rank Size Rule
Describes the distribution of population sizes and hierarchy in urban settlements in societies where the nth largest settlement’s population is 1/n the largest settlement’s population.
Sprawl
The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas characterized by low density housing tracts,
continued expansion into farmlands and rural areas, and increased reliance on automobile
transit.
Squatter Settlements
Collections of buildings where people have no legal rights to the land they build upon.
Sometimes referred to colloquially as slums, favellas, shanty towns, barrios, Hoovervilles, etc.
