Annexation
the formal act of acquiring something (especially territory) by conquest or occupation
census tract
An area deliniated by the us beureau of the census for which statisitcs are published; in urbanized areas, census tracts correspond roughly to neighborhoods
concentric zone model
A model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are spatially arranged in a series of rings.
council of government
A cooperative agency consisting of representatives of local governments in a metropolitan area in the United States.
density gradient
the change in density in an urban area from the center to the periphery
edge city
a large node of office and retail activities on the edge of an urban area
filtering
a process of change in the use of a house, from single-family owner occupancy to abandonment
gentrification
the restoration of run-down urban areas by the middle class (resulting in the displacement of lower-income people)
greenbelt
a belt of parks or rural land surrounding a town or city
metropolitan statistical area
area with a city of 50 thousand or more people, together with adjacent urban communities that have strong ties 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.
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 surrounded by large suburban residential and business areas tied together by a beltway or ring road.
public housing
a housing development that is publicly funded and administered for low-income families
redlining
drawing lines on a map to identify areas in which they will refuse to loan money
rush hour
the times at the beginning and end of the working day when many people are traveling to or from work
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 central business district (CBD).
smart growth
legislation and regulations to limit suburban sprawl and preserve farmland.
sprawl
Progress spread of development over the landscape.
squatter settlement
An area within a city in a less developed country in which people illegally establish residences on land they do not own or rent and erect homemade structures.
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.
urbanization
the social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban
urbanized area
In the United States, a central city plus its contiguous built-up suburbs.
urban renewal
the clearing and rebuilding and redevelopment of urban slums
zoning ordinance
A law that limits the permitted uses of land and maximum density of development in a community.