Urban Geography

Question 1

suburb

Answer 1

residential or commercial area situated within an urban area but outside central city

Question 2

annexation

Answer 2

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)

Question 3

Pros of suburbs

Answer 3

1) independent house
2) easier home ownership
3) quieter, more privacy

Question 4

Fragmentation of local governments

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Types of metropolitan governments

Answer 5

1) consolidation of city/county government = joint operation by city + county in same building
2) federations = combining all municipalities into one

Question 6

Suburban sprawl

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Density gradient

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Greenbelts

Answer 8

1) mandatory open space
2) helps reduce sprawl

Question 9

smart growth

Answer 9

1) laws + regs that limit suburban growth + preserve farmland
2) implemented by NJ OR

Question 10

types of segregation in suburbs

Answer 10

1) residential segregation
2) commercial segregation

Question 11

Residential segregation

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Commercial segregation

Answer 12

residents separated from commercial and manufacturing activities confined to compact distinct areas

Question 13

Suburban consumer services

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Suburban Business

Answer 14

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

Question 15

negative consequences of cities

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Summary of push factors of city

Answer 16

1) gentrification + poverty –> lack of jobs, increased crime, challenges for families (single mom), lack services (police, fire, hospital)

Question 17

gentrification

Answer 17

converting an urban neighborhood from predominantly low income renter occupied area to middle class owner occupied area

Question 18

Positives of gentrification

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Public Housing

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Traffic congestion

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Geography terms review

Answer 21

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

Question 22

which part of new orleans was not flooded by Katrina

Answer 22

1) french quarter = higher than sea level because of natural levees next to river

Question 23

urban geography of new orleans

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Urbanization over history

Answer 24

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

Question 25

How will urbanization change in future

Answer 25

1) Growth must happen in way that doesn’t damage agricultural land
2) power need to come from
3) more varied industries

Question 26

Push factors

Answer 26

1) negative experiences that motivate ppl to move away
2) examples = war, natural disasters (Katrina),

Question 27

pull factors

Answer 27

1) attributes of another country that attract you there
2) more jobs, desire for freedom under stable govt

Question 28

intervening obstacles

Answer 28

1) challenges migrants face when trying to move
2) example = distance, especially for impoverished migrants
3) immigration policies in destination country

Question 29

intervening opportunities

Answer 29

1) find a good job/life in a intermediate country, so you stay there

Question 30

Push and pull factors

Answer 30

1) cultural
2) demographic
3) economic
4) environmental
5) political
6) war

Question 31

White vs Black homeowners post Katrina

Answer 31

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

Question 32

Problem with Road-Home (program to provide homeowners money to rebuild homes)

Answer 32

1) based on previous value of property pre-katrina
2) African American neighborhoods –> valued far lesser

Question 33

How did Blacks come to New Orleans historically

Answer 33

1) Brought bc of slavery under Spanish, French, American rule

Question 34

Canal street separation

Answer 34

1) Separates French Quarter + American Quarter
2) Blacks did not cross canal street