urban environment Flashcards
Agglomeration
The concentration of people and their activities at certain locations
Brownfield site
Land that has been used, abandoned and now awaits some new use. Commonly found in urban areas, particularly in the inner city.
business park
A purpose-built area of offices and warehouses, often at the edge of a city and on a main road.
congestion
When there is too great a volume of traffic for roads to cope with, so traffic jams form and traffic slows to a crawl.
core
The most important economic, political and social area of a country or global region
Deprivation
When people lack what the rest of society considers ‘normal’ such as good housing, reasonable incomes or access to healthcare
Environmental quality
The degree to which an area is free from pollution.
ethnic group
A group of people sharing the same characteristics of race, nationality,
language or religion
greenfield site
A plot of land, often in a rural or on the edge of an urban area that has not yet been subject to any building development
inner city
That part of the built‐up area and close to the CBD, often characterised by old
housing, poor services and brownfield sites
land use
What types of buildings / economic activities exist in an area such as
residential, retail or industrial
land value
The market value of a piece of land; what businesses or individuals are
prepared to pay for it (or rent it).
Periphery
An area remote or isolated from the centre (core) of a country; it generally lags in terms of development and influence.
planner
A decision‐maker whose job it is to decide how to use land e.g. where to build roads, or houses. Planners often decide to conserve areas such as Greenfield
sites by not allowing development.
Physical infrastructure
The services, such as transport, telecommunications, water and sewage disposal, that are vital for people and businesses
Rebranding
Regeneration that also tries to give an area a new image. Rebranded areas often have names and logos e.g. MediaCityUK in Salford
Retail complex
A purpose-built area for shopping (and often leisure), such as an out of town shopping centre or retail park.
Self‐help (housing)
When people in shanty towns / squatter settlements gradually improve their own housing and surroundings. Often, they are helped by an NGO.
service
provision
Making available commercial and social services, such as shops and
schools.
Shanty town
An area of makeshift and unsanitary housing, often occupied by squatters (no legal right to occupy)
Socio‐economic
group
A group of people distinguished by employment, income and social
characteristics such as education and family status.
Social deprivation
The degree to which an individual or an area is deprived of services, decent housing, adequate income and local employment
Suburbanisation
The spread of low density, often detached or semi‐detached, housing
around the edges of a city or town
Urbanisation
The process of becoming more urban, mainly through more and more people living in towns and cities
urban fringe
The outer edge of a town or city where the built-up area gives way to
countryside
Urban regeneration
The revival of old parts of the built‐up area by either installing modern
facilities in old buildings (known as renewal) or opting for redevelopment (ie
demolishing all existing buildings and starting afresh).
