Flashcards
Geography Urban Environments Topic - GCSE Glossary
Cards in this deck (48)
- 1UrbanAn area of land which is mainly covered in buildings.
- 2AccessibilityHow easy a place is to get to.
- 3Access to servicesWhat are the services in the local area and how easy
is it for people to use them? - 4Brownfield SiteDerelict urban land that is used for building
- 5CBDCentral business district, the central area of a town
or city containing mostly shops and offices. - 6ConurbationA large urban area formed when several settlements
merge, e.g. the West Midlands. - 7CounterurbanisationThe movement of people and industry away from
large towns and cities. - 8Environmental QualityAn evaluation of how pleasant the environment is.
- 9GentrificationWealthy people buy properties in poorer areas to do
them up and live there. - 10Green BeltAn area of green land around a city where building is
restricted by law. - 11Greenfield SiteRural land that is used for building
- 12Heavy IndustryIndustry using heavy weight materials and bulky
machinery. E.g. car manufacture. - 13HypothesisAn idea or limited explanation of something real to
be used as a starting point for an investigation. The
hypothesis will then be accepted or rejected
depending on the evidence that is collected. - 14Inner CityThe sector of the city surrounding the city centre,
typically having factories, terraced housing, grid iron
street pattern, very little open space, corner shops
etc. - 15ModelSimple version of something real that is used to help
us see patterns in the world and explain what is
happening. - 16Primary DataData that is collected first hand, e.g. through
fieldwork. - 17Quality of LifeHow content people are with their lives and the
environment they live in. - 18Rurall An area of land which is mainly countryside.
- 19Secondary DataData that has been collected by somebody else, e.g.
1991 census data from the internet. - 20Socio-economic indicatorsThings to do with people and money. People are
broken down into groups depending on the type of
job that they do. - 21SuburbsOuter zones of the city. The inner suburbs are older
and will typically have semi-detached Outer zones of the city. The inner suburbs are older
and will typically have semi-detached houses built in
the 1930s. - 22SuburbanisationThe growth of suburbs at the city edge, spreading
into the surrounding rural area. - 23Transition ZoneThe edge of the CBD, an area that is in transition
(changing) with a mix of old factories, newer offices,
apartment housing, etc. - 24Urban RedevelopmentA plan to renew or improve urban areas
- 25Urban RegenerationA plan to replace or restore poor quality buildings in
a city. - 26UrbanisationMore people living in towns and cities.
- 27Visual EnvironmentHow pleasant is the appearance of an area?
- 28Ecological FootprintTheoretical measurement of the amount of land and water a population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its waste.
- 29Counter-UrbanisationMovement of population from inner urban areas to towns/estates/villages on the rural-urban fringe.
- 30Urban SprawlUnplanned and uncontrolled physical expansion of an urban area into surrounding countryside. Closely linked with suburbanisation.
- 31Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)A broad term given to a variety
of transportation systems that, through improvements to vehicles, infrastructure, and scheduling,
attempt to use buses to provide a service that is
of a higher quality than an ordinary bus line. - 32City PlanningThe decision-making process in which
community goals and objectives are established,
existing resources and conditions analyzed,
strategies developed, and investments targeted. - 33DemographicsSelected population characteristics, Commonly-used demographics include
race, age, income, disabilities, mobility (in terms
of travel time to work or number of vehicles available), educational attainment, home ownership,
employment status, and area or location. - 34DensityThe number of dwelling units or principal buildings or uses permitted per net acre of land.
- 35Highrise BuildingA tall building or structure, typically
a minimum of twelve stories, thus requiring mechanical vertical transportation. - 36Rails-to-trailsRails-to-trails Former rail corridors that have been
converted to paths designed for pedestrian, bicycle, skating, equestrian, and occasionally light
motorized traffic. - 37ZoningLegislative regulations by which a municipal
government can control the use and characteristics of buildings and land within its boundaries. - 38HubsUrban centres of employment and services.
- 39GatewaysPorts, airports and land entry points.
- 40CommuteTo travel especially by train or car to and from one's daily work in a city.
- 41Pedestrian AreaAn area where pedestrians have priority over vehicles.
- 42CongestionOvercrowding on roads causing traffic jams.
- 43DerelictAbandoned buildings and wasteland.
- 44Detached HouseA house standing alone (not joined to another) typical of the wealthy suburb zone of a city.
- 45Ethnic GroupThis is a group which is defined by race, religion, nationality or culture.
- 46Retail ParkAn out-of-town shopping centre with a few large warehouse-type stores, selling electrical goods, carpets, D.I.Y. goods, building supplies etc.
- 47Ring-RoadA by-pass that provides a route around the CBD.
- 48Terraced HouseA house within a (usually) long line of joined housing.