Urban Geography Flashcards
suburb
residential or commercial area situated within an urban area but outside central city
annexation
1) legally adding land area to a city for example
2) generally annexation only happens if democratically chosen
3) in past wanted annexation –> better access to services (water, sewage, police)
Pros of suburbs
1) independent house
2) easier home ownership
3) quieter, more privacy
Fragmentation of local governments
1) too many local government units –> inequity in resources provided
2) proposals to consolidate local governments into one larger one –> makes it easier to manage traffic, waste, affordable housing problems
Types of metropolitan governments
1) consolidation of city/county government = joint operation by city + county in same building
2) federations = combining all municipalities into one
Suburban sprawl
1) development of suburbs at low density in locations not contiguous to existing built up area
2) Pro = buy land wherever it is cheapest
3) Con = expensive for town to create roads + provide services bc not connected, loss of agricultural land, longer commute
Density gradient
1) house density decreases as you go further away from center of city
2) density gradient flattened because people moving out of city center and into periphery of city
Greenbelts
1) mandatory open space
2) helps reduce sprawl
smart growth
1) laws + regs that limit suburban growth + preserve farmland
2) implemented by NJ OR
types of segregation in suburbs
1) residential segregation
2) commercial segregation
Residential segregation
1) housing built for people of single social class with others excluded by virtue of cost, size, location
2) exclude colored + low income –> fear high-status composition of neighborhood will be altered
3) zoning ordinances –> protect homogeneity in suburban communities by limiting uses of land + max density of development in community
Commercial segregation
residents separated from commercial and manufacturing activities confined to compact distinct areas
Suburban consumer services
1) grown steadily, fewer people want to make long commute to city center to get produce
2) rise of supermarkets
3) now –> greater use of amazon + online shopping
Suburban Business
1) many businesses that don’t require face-to-face contact moving to suburbs (cheaper rent)
2) hard for low paid workers who tend to live far away from suburbs
negative consequences of cities
1) underclass - tends to live in inner-city neighborhoods = have more challenges
2) underclass often don’t finish high school –> disadvantage + majority live with one parent
3) high crime + arrests in inner-city –> led to addiction
Summary of push factors of city
1) gentrification + poverty –> lack of jobs, increased crime, challenges for families (single mom), lack services (police, fire, hospital)
gentrification
converting an urban neighborhood from predominantly low income renter occupied area to middle class owner occupied area
Positives of gentrification
1) inner city houses larger BUT less expensive than suburbs
2) eliminate commuting strain since people can walk downtown
3) near theaters, bars, etc.
4) more consumer services returning to gentrified neighborhoods
Public Housing
1) govt owned housing which rented to poor people at 30% of income
2) many of these unsatisfactory + have been ordered to be demolished
3) govt reimburses poor people for having to move
Traffic congestion
1) cities trying to address this by
2) congestion charges = paying a fee for driving into central area between 0700-1800
3) tolls = charging higher tolls to drive on freeways during rush hour
4) permits = having to buy permit to drive downtown during busiest time of day
5) bans = banning cars from certain portions of city central areas
Geography terms review
1) place = specific point on Earth distinguished by particular characteristic
2) region = defined by multiple distinctive characteristics
3) scale = relationship btwn portion of Earth being studied + Earth as whole
4) space = physical gap btwn two objects, urban areas = space refers to distance between rich + poor
5) connection = relationship between people + objects i.e. cities = nodes of connections
which part of new orleans was not flooded by Katrina
1) french quarter = higher than sea level because of natural levees next to river
urban geography of new orleans
1) grid-oriented map w. town square (influenced by french designs)
2) much of town was made on top of a drained swamp –> bowl like shape
3) interstate 10 built over black businesses –> cut historically black neighborhood in half
Urbanization over history
1) older cities were even more dense –> lacked transportation + had large walls for protection
2) Only in IR –> modern cities formed, with services like fire, water, sanitation
How will urbanization change in future
1) Growth must happen in way that doesn’t damage agricultural land
2) power need to come from
3) more varied industries
Push factors
1) negative experiences that motivate ppl to move away
2) examples = war, natural disasters (Katrina),
pull factors
1) attributes of another country that attract you there
2) more jobs, desire for freedom under stable govt
intervening obstacles
1) challenges migrants face when trying to move
2) example = distance, especially for impoverished migrants
3) immigration policies in destination country
intervening opportunities
1) find a good job/life in a intermediate country, so you stay there
Push and pull factors
1) cultural
2) demographic
3) economic
4) environmental
5) political
6) war
White vs Black homeowners post Katrina
1) Black = 3X more likely to have flooded homes than white homeowners
2) only 30% of people in Black communities returned
3) 100K Blacks left
4) Lower Ninth ward = located in lower lying area (mainly black) –> far more flooding
5) urban sprawl = homes built on top of wetlands which used to act as buffers for storm surges
Problem with Road-Home (program to provide homeowners money to rebuild homes)
1) based on previous value of property pre-katrina
2) African American neighborhoods –> valued far lesser
How did Blacks come to New Orleans historically
1) Brought bc of slavery under Spanish, French, American rule
Canal street separation
1) Separates French Quarter + American Quarter
2) Blacks did not cross canal street
