Concentric Zone Model (Burgess Model)
A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are spatially arranged in a series of rings.
Sector Model (Hoyt Model)
A model of the internal structure in cities in which social groups are arranged in a series of sectors, or wedges, radiating from the central business district.
Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris/Ullman Model)
A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are arranged around a collection of nodes of activities.
Census tracts
Areas delineated by the U.S. Census Bureau of the Census for which statistics are published; in urbanized areas these correspond roughly through neighborhoods.
Social Area Analysis
Statistical analysis used to identify where people of similar living standards, ethnic background, and life style within an urban area.
Squatter Settlements
An area within a city in a less developed country in which people illegally establish residencies on land they do not own or rent and erect homemade structures.
Latin American City Model
Blends traditional Latin American culture with the forces of globalization. The Central Business District is dominant; it is divided into a market sector and a modern high-rise sector. The elite residential sector is on the extension of the Central Busine
Filtering
The process of change in the use of a house, from single-family owner occupancy to abandonment.
Redlining
A process by which banks draw lines on a map and refuse to lend money to purchase or improve property within boundaries.
Urban Renewal
Program in which cities identify blighted inner city neighborhoods, acquire the properties from private owners, relocate the residents and business, clear the site, build new roads and utilities, and turn the land over to private developers.
Gentrification
A process of converting an urban neighborhood from predominantly low-income, renter occupied area to a predominantly middle-class, owner occupied area.
Public Housing
Housing owned by the government; in the U.S. , it is rented to residents with low incomes, and the rents are set at 30% of the family's income.
Underclass
A group in society prevented from participating in the material benefits of a more developed society because of a variety of social and economic characteristics.
Annexation
Legally adding land area to a city in the United States
Central City
An Urban area, usually the older or original City, surrounded by newer suburbs.
Urbanized Area
In the United States, a central city plus its contiguous built-up suburbs.
Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the U.S., a central city of at least 50,000 in population, the county within which the city is located, and adjacent counties meeting one of several tests indication a functional connection to the central city.
Micropolitan Statistical Area
An urbanized area of between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, the county in which it is found and adjacent counties tied to the city.
Core Based Statistical area
In the U.S., the combination of all metropolitan statistical areas and micropolitan statistical areas.
Combined Statistical Areas
In the US, two or more Contiguous core based statistical areas tied by commuting patterns.
Primary Census Statistical Area
In the US, all of the combined Statistical areas plus all of the remaining metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas.
Council of Government
A cooperative agency consisting of representatives of local governments in a metropolitan are in the US.
Consolidations vs. Federations
Consolidations are when the Government attempts to reduce Urban Sprawl by changing the population in an Area. Federations are When power is divided between Local and central governments.
Peripheral Model of cities
A model of North American Urban cities consisting of an inner city surrounded by large suburban residential and business areas tied together by a beltway or ring road.
Edge Cities
A large node of office and retail activities on the edge of an urban area.
Density gradient
The change in density in an urban area from the center to the periphery
Urban Sprawl
Large expansion of Urban Areas.
Greenbelts
Rings of land maintained as parks, agriculture, or other types of open space to limit the sprawl of an urban area.
Smart Growth
Legislation and regulation to limit suburban sprawl and preserve farmland.
Suburban Segregation
Residents are separated from commercial/manufacturing activities, and suburbs allow only people of a certain social class to live there due to cost/size/location of the housing.
Zoning ordinance
A Law that limits the permitted uses of land and maximum density of development in a community.
Rush Hour
The four consecutive 15 minute periods in the morning and evening with heaviest volumes of traffic.
Public Transit
Public transportation set by fixed routes, fixed fares, and are available to the public. Ex. Buses, trains.
Action Space
The geographical area that contains the space an individual interacts with on a daily basis.
Beaux Arts
The movement within city planning and urban design that stressed the marriage of older classical forms with newer, industrial ones. Common characteristics include wide thoroughfares, spacious parks and civic monuments stressed progress, freedom and nation
Exurbanite
Person who left the inner city and moved to outlying suburban or rural areas.
Ghettoization
A process occurring in many inner cities in which they become dilapidated centers of poverty as affluent whites move out to the suburbs and immigrants and people of color vie for scarce jobs and resources.
Inner City Decay
Those parts of large urban areas that lose significant portions of their population as a result of change in industry or migration to suburbs. Because of these changes, the inner city loses its tax base and becomes a center of poverty.
Mega Cities
Cities, mostly characteristic of the developing world, where high population growth and migration have caused them to explode in population since WWII. All are plagued by chaotic and unplanned growth terrible pollution and widespread poverty.
Megalopolis
Several metropolitan areas that were originally separate but have joined together to form a large sprawling urban complex. Ex. Boston, New York, Washington DC
Modern Architecture
Point of view, wherein cities and buildings are thought to act like well oiled machines, with little energy spent on frivolous details or ornate designs. Efficient, geometrical structures made of concrete and glass dominated urban forms for half a century
Node
Geographic centers of activity
Postmodern Architecture
A reaction in architectural design to the feeling of sterile alienation that many people get from modern architecture. This uses older historical styles and a sense of lightheartedness and eclecticism. Buildings combine pleasant looking forms and playful
Segregation
The process that results from suburbanization when affluent individuals leave city center for relocation for homogeneous suburban neighborhoods. This process isolates those individuals who cannot afford to consider relocation to suburban neighborhoods and
Suburb
Residential communities located outside of city centers that are usually relatively homogeneous in population.
Urban Growth Boundary
Geographical boundaries placed around a city to limit suburban growth within that city
World City
Centers of economic, culture, and political activity that are strongly interconnected and together control the global systems of finance and commerce.
Colonial City
Cities established by colonizing empires as administrative centers. They were often established on already existing native cities, completely overtaking their infrastructures.
European City
Cities in Europe that were mostly developed during the Medieval Period and that retain many of the same characteristics such as extreme density of development with narrow buildings and winding streets, an ornate church that prominently marks the city cent
Feudal Cities
Cities that arose during the Middle Ages and that actually represent a time of relative stagnation of urban growth. This system fostered a dependent relationship between wealthy land owners and peasants who worked on their land, providing very little alte
Gateway Cities
Cities that, because of their geographical location, act as ports of entry and distribution centers for large geographic centers. Ex. NYC, LA, St. Louis
Islamic City
Cities in Muslim countries that owe their structure to their religious beliefs. These contain mosques at their center and walls guarding the perimeter. Open-air Markets (bazaars), courtyards surrounded by high walls, and dead-end streets, which limit foot
Latin American City
Cities in Latin America that owe much of their structure to colonialism, the rapid rise of industrialization and continual rapid increases in population. Similar to other colonial cities, they also demonstrate distinctive sectors of industrial or resident
Primate City
A country's Leading City, with a population that is disproportionately grater than other urban areas within the same country.
City Beautiful Movement
Movement in environmental design that drew from the beaux arts school. Architects from this movement strove to impact order on hectic industrial centers by creating urban spaces that conveyed a sense of mortality and civic pride, which many feared were ab