annexation
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
greenbelt
A ring of land maintained as parks, agricultural, or other types of open space to limit the sprawl of an urban area
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
redlining
Illegal practice of refusing to make mortgage loans or issue insurance policies in specific areas for reasons other than economic qualifications of applicants
rush hour
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
Development of new housing sites at relatively low density and at locations that are not contiguous to the existing built-up area.
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
urbanized area
In the United States, a central city plus its contiguous built-up suburbs.
urban renewal
Program in which cities identify blighted inner-city neighborhoods, acquire the properties from private members, relocate the residents and businesses, clear the site, build new roads and utilities, and turn the land over to private developers.
zoning ordinance
A law that limits the permitted uses of land and maximum density of development in a community.