AICE Geography: Settlement Dynamics - Key Terms

The expansion of rural villages into urban cities as a result of population growth; results in a decrease in total rural population and an increase in total urban population of a country; the increase in the urban population of a country; the population movement resulting in urbanization is known as rural-urban migration.

Internal migration from one rural area to another, common in settlement schemes to prevent the overcrowding of farming areas.

Internal migration from one urban area to another, mainly as a result of pull factors at the destination and possible push factors at the origin.

Internal migration from a city to a rural area; common in counter-urbanization and suburbanization (moving to suburban areas close to a city).

• The continued outward growth of cities as new residential areas are established along the city’s borders.

The area that marks the border between a rural settlement and urban area.

• The process of population movement from urban areas into rural areas (urban-rural migration). It is often a response to high rates of urbanization in a given city to prevent overpopulation and the development of shanty towns. Results in a change of land use to that of an urban area.

Items or services which are bought, used, or accessed rather frequently. Examples: bread, milk, newspaper

Items or services which are bought, used, or accessed less often. Examples: electronics, furniture, comparison goods

The distance one is willing to travel to buy, use, or access a given good or service; increases with the variety of goods and services offered by a settlement

The area served by a settlement in terms of goods and services;

• increases with the type and number of resources, size of the settlement, and accessibility.

A process of re-urbanization that involves the improvement of buildings in the inner city after gradual deterioration over time; results in an increase in the cost of housing in the inner city and eliminates the presence of or prevents the development of inner city slums.

A collection of poor-quality shelters such as shacks which are made of materials such as cardboard and offer very poor living conditions, with a lack of amenities, high density, poor sanitation, and often high crime rates. In MEDCs, they are often found in the inner city after urban decline and before gentrification. In LEDCs, they are found on the city's edge. In both LEDCs and MEDCs they may be found on unsuitable land such as oversteeped hills and marshy areas, increasing the risk of environmental disasters.

• The minimum number of people needed to justify the provision of a service or presence of a certain shop

A theory that suggests and describes the change in land value according to the spatial competition in a region, particularly the CBD. A diagram illustrating this theory shows the decrease in the bid offer paid for land by certain services as the distance from the CBD increases. The most notable are retailing (very high decrease), businesses/industry (moderate to high decrease), and residential (minimal decrease).