Vocab and ConceptsCentral Place TheorySite vs. SituationCBDSuburbsShantytowns / favelas Suburban sprawlEdge citiesPrimate Cities Rank-size rule Gentrification New Urbanism

New VocabWhite Flight – Middle class (not always

white) residents leaving the urban center for the suburbs

WASPs – White Anglo-Saxon (British) Protestants

Federal Home Loan Programs – Laws like the G.I. Bill made affordable loans available to millions of Americans after WWII

Levittowns – Quickly made homes / towns that were made to keep pace with demand after WWII

New VocabColonial cities – Cities with origins as centers of

colonial trade or administration. Many of these cities retain their European-style buildings and street design (Mumbai, India)

Gateway Cities - Places where immigrants enter a new country (New York, Miami)

Megacities – City with population over 10 million people

Megalopolis – Two or more cities and their urbanized areas merge together (N.E. US)

World cities – global center for finance, trade, commerce (New York, London, Tokyo)

Resource vs. Transportation Nodes

Resource Transportation

Towns or cities founded because of their proximity to a natural resource

Example: Sacramento (gold)

City founded because two or more lines of transportation intersect

Example: San Francisco

Forms of Settlements

Dispersed Settlements Common in Western US

Linear SettlementsCommon in Europe but found everywhere. Follows road or river (transportation)

Nucleated SettlementsFound mostly in England and Central Europe. Defined by settlements around central market or church

Concentric Zone Model

First observed by Ernest Burgess during his studies of Chicago. Can apply to many North American cities.

Sector Model

The Hoyt Sector Model developed by Homer Hoyt in 1939. The model can also be applied to North American cities and accounts for ethnic and affluent neighborhoods.

Multiple Nuclei Model

Pioneered by Chauncey Harris and Edward Ullman in their observations of North American cities as the suburbs developed. Note the development of outlying business districts

Galactic City or Peripheral Model

The Galactic City model is also observed in North America and represents the rising importance of suburban CBDs.

Latin American City Model

Obviously found in Latin America. This model reflects the regions European Colonial past. Specifically, cities in Latin America reflect the Spanish influence and the Laws of the Indies which governed the way cities were built. For instance, many cities will feature a plaza or central square and a main road leading out from the plaza.

Fall Line Cities Cities that are as

far up a coastal river that a boat can travel before waterfall or narrowing river. This forces goods to be offloaded to another form of transportation

Example: Albany, New York