Ch 15

Front 1

Conurbation

Back 1

An agglomeration of towns or cities into an unbroken urban environment. (page 468)

Front 2

Megalopolis

Back 2

The 'city of all cities' in ancient Greece -- used in modern times to refer to very large conurbations. (page 468)

Front 3

Urbanization

Back 3

The development of towns and cities. (page 468)

Front 4

Ecological approach

Back 4

A perspective on urban analysis emphasizing the 'natural' distribution of city neighborhoods into areas having contrasting characteristics. (page 470)

Front 5

Inner city

Back 5

The areas composing the central neighborhoods of a city, as distinct from the suburbs. In many modern urban settings in industrialized nations inner-city areas are subject to dilapidation and decay, the more affluent residents having moved to outlying areas. (page 470)

Front 6

Urban ecology

Back 6

An approach to the study of urban life based on an analogy with the adjustment of plants and organisms to the physical environment. According to ecological theorists, the various neighborhoods and zones within cities are formed as a result of natural processes of adjustment on the part of populations as they compete for resources. (page 470)

Front 7

Urbanism

Back 7

A term used by Louis Wirth to denote distinctive characteristics of urban social life, such as its impersonal or alienating nature. (page 470)

Front 8

Created environment

Back 8

Constructions established by human beings to serve their needs, derived from the use of man-made technology, including roads, railways, factories, offices, homes, and other buildings. (page 472)

Front 9

Suburbanization

Back 9

The development of suburbia, areas of housing outside inner cities. (page 475)

Front 10

Exurban county

Back 10

A county that lies within a large metropolitan area but has less than 25 percent of its population in an urbanized area. Tends to sit at periphery of metropolitan areas. (page 476)

Front 11

Urban renewal

Back 11

The process of renovating deteriorating neighborhoods by encouraging the renewal of old buildings and the construction of new ones. (page 477)

Front 12

Gentrification

Back 12

A process of urban renewal in which older, deteriorated housing is refurbished by affluent people moving into the area. (page 477)

Front 13

Global city

Back 13

A city -- such as London, New York, or Tokyo -- that has become an organizing center of the new global economy. (page 478)

Front 14

Informal economy

Back 14

Economic transactions carried on outside the sphere of formal paid employment. (page 480)

Front 15

Demography

Back 15

The study of the size, distribution, and composition of populations. (page 484)

Front 16

Crude birthrate

Back 16

A statistical measure representing the number of births within a given population per year, normally calculated as the number of births per 1,000 members. Although the crude birthrate is a useful index, it is only a general measure, because it does not specify numbers of births in relation to age distribution. (page 485)

Front 17

Fertility

Back 17

The average number of live-born children produced by women of childbearing age in a particular society. (page 485)

Front 18

Fecundity

Back 18

A measure of the number of children that it is biologically possible for a woman to produce. (page 485)

Front 19

Crude death rate

Back 19

A statistical measure representing the number of deaths that occur annually in a given population per year, normally calculated as the number of deaths per 1,000 members. Crude death rates give a general indication of the mortality levels of a community or society, but are limited in their usefulness because they do not take into account the age distribution. (page 485)

Front 20

Mortality

Back 20

The number of deaths in a population. (page 485)

Front 21

Infant mortality rate

Back 21

The number of infants who die during the first year of life, per 1,000 live births. (page 485)

Front 22

Life expectancy

Back 22

The number of years the average person can expect to live. (page 485)

Front 23

Life span

Back 23

The maximum length of life that is biologically possible for a member of a given species. (page 486)

Front 24

Exponential growth

Back 24

A geometric, rather than linear, rate of increase. Populations tend to grow exponentially. (page 486)

Front 25

Doubling time

Back 25

The time it takes for a particular level of population to double. (page 487)

Front 26

Malthusianism

Back 26

A doctrine about population dynamics developed by Thomas Malthus, according to which population increase comes up against 'natural limits,' represented by famine and war. (page 487)

Front 27

Demographic transition

Back 27

An interpretation of population change, which holds that a stable ratio of births to deaths is achieved once a certain level of economic prosperity has been reached. According to this notion, in preindustrial societies there is a rough balance between births and deaths, because population increase is kept in check by a lack of available food, by disease, or by war. In modern societies, by contrast, population equilibrium is achieved because families are moved by economic incentives to limit the number of children. (page 488)

Front 28

Dependency ratio

Back 28

The ratio of people of dependent ages (children and the elderly) to people of economically active ages. (page 490)

Front 29

Environmental ecology

Back 29

A concern with preserving the integrity of the physical environment in the face of the impact of modern industry and technology. (page 491)

Front 30

Sustainable development

Back 30

The notion that economic growth should proceed only insofar as natural resources are recycled rather than depleted; biodiversity is maintained; and clean air, water, and land are protected. (page 494)