AP Human Geography Unit 7 Flashcards

Key Terms in Urban Geography

• Redlining: An illegal practice where mortgage loans or insurance policies are denied based on location rather than economic eligibility.

• Homer Hoyt's Sector Model: Illustrates urban structures with social groups organized in sectors or wedges radiating from a central business district.

• Nucleated Settlement: A community structure where families reside in close proximity, surrounded by their fields and farm structures.

• Slum: An area characterized by extreme poverty and poor living conditions within a city.

• Squatter Settlement: Communities in developing nations where individuals build homes illegally on land they do not own or rent.

• Grid Street Pattern: A street layout where roads intersect at right angles, promoting systematic navigation.

• Dendritic Street Pattern: A network of streets that branch outward from a central point, resembling a tree's structure.

• Suburb: Residential areas situated on the outskirts of a city, typically characterized by lower density.

• Suburbanization: The demographic shift of populations moving from urban centers to the outskirts, often leading to urban sprawl.

• Tenement: Poorly maintained apartment buildings that only meet minimal living standards, often home to low-income residents.

• Town: An urban area defined by specific boundaries, smaller than a city.

• Underclass: A demographic of people enduring persistent poverty, often through multiple generations.

• Underemployment: A situation where workers possess qualifications higher than their job requirements or work fewer hours than desired.

• Urban Hierarchy: A system that ranks urban areas based on their size, population, and the range of services they provide.

• Urbanization: The movement of populations from rural regions to cities, contributing to urban growth.

• World City: Major global centers of economic, cultural, and political influence, interlinked in finance and commerce.

• Zone in Transition: Areas undergoing changes between rural and urban characteristics, often with socio-economic implications.

• Zoning Ordinances: Regulations that govern land use and establish density limits for development in communities.

• Base Ratio: The relationship between employment in the basic economic sector versus the non-basic sector.

• Bosnywash: A heavily populated corridor stretching from Boston to Washington D.C., including major cities like New York and Philadelphia.

• Center City: The urban core providing goods and services to surrounding areas, typically more densely populated.

• City-State: A sovereign entity consisting of a city that governs itself and its surrounding territory.

• Complementary Region: Areas that provide distinct activities or strengths, benefitting from their economic interdependence.

• Councils of Government: Collaborative agencies formed by representatives from local governments to address regional issues.

• Disamenity Sector: The most impoverished urban areas, often lacking basic city services and controlled by gangs or illegal organizations.

• Export Activities: The processes involved in sending goods out of a region to other markets.

• Feminization of Poverty: An increasing trend where women represent a growing segment of the impoverished population.

• Formative Era: The historical period during which major urban centers were established.

• Greenbelts: Protected undeveloped areas surrounding cities in Europe, aimed at preserving open space and preventing urban sprawl.

• Hamlet: A small community or settlement that is even less populated than a village.