Key Terms: Urban Forms (AQA A Level Geography): Revision Note

Urban form and characteristics - key terms

Automotive bias – A characteristic of many urban areas prioritising cars and roads, often leading to sprawl and congestion.

CBD (Central Business District) – The core area of a city where retail, business, and entertainment activities are concentrated.

Deindustrialisation – The decline of manufacturing industries in urban centres, often leading to urban decline and restructuring.

Density – Refers to how compact or spread out population and buildings are in an urban area.

Housing zones – Differ between HDEs and LDEs; HDEs often have high land values near the centre, while LDEs feature informal housing at the fringes.

Infrastructure – Basic systems and services such as transport, water, energy, and communications that support urban life.

Land value – Highest in the CBD and typically decreases with distance; influenced by desirability, accessibility, and economic changes.

Megacity – An urban area with a population of over 10 million people, often marked by rapid growth and planning challenges.

Planned vs. unplanned growth – Planned growth includes structured city layouts with infrastructure, while unplanned growth includes informal settlements and slums.

Segregation – The separation of different groups within an urban area, often by socio-economic or ethnic lines.

Topography – Physical features of the land that influence urban development, such as hills, plains, rivers, or swamps.

Urban form – The physical layout and structure of a city, including size, shape, population density, and land use patterns.

Urban fringe – The edge of the city where urban and rural land uses mix; may include retail parks, industry, or low-cost housing.

Urban landscape - key terms

Bid rent theory – A model that explains how land value and use change with distance from the CBD; competition for land is strongest at the centre.

Burgess model – A concentric ring model showing urban land use zones from the CBD outward, developed from observations in Chicago (see page 7 diagram).

Cultural and heritage quarters – Planned areas focused on a city's historical or artistic identity to promote regeneration (e.g. Birmingham Jewellery Quarter).

Edge cities – Self-contained urban centres located on the outskirts of main cities, featuring office, retail, and residential areas (see table on page 13).

Fortress developments – Gated communities or commercial zones designed for security and exclusivity, often reinforcing social segregation.

Functional zones – Parts of a city with distinct roles or land uses, such as industrial, residential, or commercial areas.

Griffin and Ford model – A Latin American urban model that includes zones of maturity and squatter settlements radiating from a central core (illustrated on page 12).

Hoyt sector model – A model suggesting cities develop in sectors along transport routes, rather than concentric rings (see page 8 diagram).

Land-use patterns – The spatial organisation of different functions across a city, often influenced by economic and physical factors.

Mixed-use development – Urban planning combining residential, commercial, and leisure spaces to revitalise city centres.

Multi-nuclei model – An urban model proposing multiple centres of activity in a city, rather than a single dominant CBD (see page 9).

New urban landscapes – Recent urban developments including mixed-use zones, edge cities, gentrified areas, and cultural quarters.

Peak land value intersection – The point in a city (usually in the CBD) where land values are highest due to maximum accessibility (see diagram on page 11).

Spatial sorting – The tendency for similar land uses and population groups to cluster together within urban areas.

Urban land managers – Individuals or groups (e.g. planners, developers) responsible for shaping land use and development decisions.

The post-modern city - key terms

Architecture – Postmodern cities feature varied, often symbolic and fragmented building styles rather than uniformity.

Cultural diversity – Increased variety in ethnicity, lifestyle, and culture, although often alongside widening inequalities.

Decentralisation – Movement of people and functions from the city centre to edge cities or suburbs.

Economy of consumption – A focus on service-based activities, leisure, and shopping in urban economies rather than production.

Edge cities – Fringe urban areas functioning as independent centres with employment, retail, and housing (e.g. Croydon, UK).

Fringe development – New development on the periphery of cities, often in the form of business parks or residential estates.

Gentrification – Unplanned regeneration where affluent residents move into run-down inner-city areas, improving housing but often displacing original residents.

Globalised economy – The influence of international finance and trade in shaping urban economies and identities.

High-tech corridors – Zones focused on research, technology, and innovation, typically on city outskirts.

Messy structure – A postmodern urban feature where city form lacks clear zoning or hierarchy.

Multiple centres – Postmodern cities have various hubs for different functions rather than one dominant core.

Planning – Often involves public-private partnerships with diverse stakeholder input, focusing more on form than function.

Postmodernism – An approach to city development that embraces diversity, mixed styles, and less rigid planning rules (e.g. the Gherkin in London).

Service sector dominance – Tertiary and quaternary sectors are central to postmodern urban economies.

Social polarisation – The increasing divide between wealthy and disadvantaged groups within urban areas.

Symbolic architecture – Iconic buildings designed to represent culture or status, contributing to a city's identity (e.g. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao).