urban morphology
the study of the physical form and structure of urban places
city
conglomeration of people and buildings clustered together to serve as a center of politics, culture, and economics
urban
non-rural area and its population
agricultural village
small, egalitarian village, where most of the population was involved in agriculture. Started 10,000 years ago
agricultural surplus
enable a formation of cities, coincides with social stratification excess of agricultural crops.
social satisfaction
differentiation of society into classes based on wealth, power, production, and prestige
leadership class
consists of a group of decision makers and organizers who controlled resources, and often the lives, of others
first urban revolution
The innovation of the city, which occurred independently in five separate hearths.
Mesopotamia
an ancient land in southwestern Asia; located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Nile River Valley
chronologically the second urban hearth, dating to 3200 bce
Indus River Valley
Chronoligcally the third urban hearth dating back to 2200 BCE. Where agriculture likely diffused from the Fertile Crescent
Huang He and Wei River Valleys
rivers in present day China and chronologically the fourth urban hearth was established around 1500 BCE
Mesoamerica
chronologically the fifth urban hearth, dating to 200 bce
acropolis
highpoint of a city (acro= highpoint polis=city)
agora
the open space that served as the civic center and market place of ancient Greek cities
site
the internal physical attributes of a place, including its absolute location, its spatial character and physical setting.
forum
focal point of Roman public life
situation
a city's relative location
trade area
an adjacent region within which its influence is dominant
rank-size rule
the idea that the potulation of a city or town will be inversely proportional to its rank in the heirarchy
central place theory
Theory proposed by Walter Christaller that explains how and where central places in the urban hierarchy should be functionally and spatially distributed with respect to one another.
sunbelt phenomenon
movements of millions of Americans from northeastern States to the south and southwest regions of the US
functional zonation
the division of a city into different regions or zones for certain purposes or functions
zone
area of a city with a relatively uniform land use
central business district
The downtown heart of a central city, the Central Business District is marked by high land values, a concentration of business and commerce, and the clustering of the tallest buildings.
central city
the urban area that is not suburban; generally, the older or original city that is surrounded by newer suburbs
suburb
a residential district located on the outskirts of a city
suburbanization
The process of population movement from within towns and cities to the rural-urban fringe.
concentric zone model
a structural model of the American central city that suggested the existence of 5 concentric land-use rings arranged around a common ancestor
urban realm
A spatial generalization of the large, late-twentieth-century city in the United States. It is shown to be a widely dispersed, multicentered metropolis consisting of increasingly independent zones or realms, each focused on its own suburban downtown; the
urban realm
A spatial generalization of the large, late-twentieth-century city in the United States. It is shown to be a widely dispersed, multicentered metropolis consisting of increasingly independent zones or realms, each focused on its own suburban downtown; the
Griffin-Ford model
developed by geographers Ernst Griffen and Larry Ford, a model of a Latin American city showing a blendor traditional elements of Latin American culture with the focus of globalization that are reshaping the urban scene
disamenity sector
The very poorest parts of cities that in extreme cases are not even connected to regular city services and are controlled by gangs or drug lords.
McGee model
Developed by geographer T.G. McGee, a model showing similar land-use patterns among the medium-sized cities of Southeast Asia.
shantytown
Unplanned slum development on the margins of cities, dominated by crude dwellings and shelters made mostly of scrap wood, iron, and even pieces of cardboard.
zoning laws
legal restrictions on land
redlining
A discriminatory real estate practice in North America in which members of minority groups are prevented from obtaining money to purchase homes or property in predominantly white neighborhoods. The practice derived its name from the red lines depicted on
blockbusting
Rapid change in the racial composition of residential blocks in American cities that occurs when real estate agents and others stir up fears of neighborhood decline after encouraging people of color to move to previously white neighborhoods. In the result
commercialization
The transformation of an area of a city into an area attractive to residents and tourists alike in terms of economic activity.
gentrification
The rehabilitation of deteriorated, often abandoned, housing of low-income inner-city residents.
tear-downs
buying houses and tearing them down to replace them with bigger, better ones
McMansions
Homes referred to as such because of their "super size" and similarity in appearance to other such homes; homes often built in place of tear-downs in American suburbs.
urban sprawl
Unrestricted growth in many American urban areas of housing, commercial development, and roads over large expanses of land, with little concern for urban planning.
new urbanism
Outlined by a group of architects, urban planners, and developers from over 20 countries, an urban design that calls for development, urban revitalization, and suburban reforms that create walkable neighborhoods with a diversity of housing and jobs.
gated communities
Restricted neighborhoods or subdivisions, often literally fenced in, where entry is limited to residents and their guests. Although predominantly high-income based, in North America gated communities are increasingly a middle-class phenomenon.
informal economy
Economic activity that is neither taxed nor monitored by a government; and is not included in that government's Gross National Product; as opposed to a formal economy
world city
Dominant city in terms of its role in the global political economy. Not the world's biggest city in terms of population or industrial output, but rather centers of strategic control of the world economy.
primate city
a countries largest city
spaces of consumption
Areas of a city, the main purpose of which is to encourage people to consume goods and services' driven primarily by the global media industry.
annexation
the formal act of acquiring something (especially territory) by conquest or occupation
Command and control centers
Second level of cities that contains the headquarters of many large corporations, well-developed banking facilities, and concentrations of other business services, including insurance, accounting, advertising, law, and public relations.
Density gradient
the change in density in an urban area from the center to the periphery
Filtering
a process of change in the use of a house, from single-family owner occupancy to abandonment
Galactic city
mini edge city that is connected to another city by beltways or highways.
Greenbelt
a belt of parks or rural land surrounding a town or city
Market area (hinterland)
The area surrounding a central place, from which people are attracted to use the place's goods and services.
Megalopolis
a very large city
MSA
Metropolitan statistical area. 85% of people live in these.These are cities with at least 50,000 people and all the counties around the city depend upon it.
Multiple nuclei model
A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a collection of nodes of activities.
Peripheral model
A model of North American urban areas consisting of an inner city surrounding by large suburban residential and business area tied together by a beltway or ring road.
Public housing
a housing development that is publicly funded and administered for low-income families
range
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control
rank-size rule
describes the remarkable regularity in many phenomena including the distribution of city sizes around the world
scattered site
site in which dwellings are dispersed throughout the city rather than clustered in a large project.
squatter settlement
a residential area in an urban locality inhabited by the very poor who have no access to tenured land of their own
sector model
a model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a series of sectors, or wedges, radiating out from the CBD
smart growth
the efficient use and conservation of land and other rescources
sprawl
Development of new housing sites at relatively low density and at locations that are not contiguous to the existing built-up area.
threshold
a region marking a boundary
underclass
people who come from families that have been poor for generations
urban renewal
the clearing and rebuilding and redevelopment of urban slums
world city
Dominant city in terms of its role in the global political economy
zone in transition
An area that is either becoming more rural or more urban
zoning
dividing an area into zones or sections reserved for different purposes such as residence and business and manufacturing etc