IB Geography G.2 Changing Urban Systems Key Definitions

The movement of people from large urban areas to smaller towns or rural regions.

Deindustrialization is the long-term decline in employment in the manufacturing sector of an economy. It involves a loss of jobs rather than a decline in productivity.

A process in which investment and the arrival of higher-income residents raise land values and costs in a lower-income urban area, which may displace existing residents and businesses.

An increase in road traffic after road capacity or travel time improves because people change their route, travel time, transport mode, destination or trip frequency.

Relocating business operations to another country to reduce costs.

Contracting specific tasks or services to external companies.

Re-urbanization is the process in which people move back to urban areas that have previously experienced decline or depopulation, often leading to revitalization through demographic shifts, infrastructure improvements, and increased economic activity.

This process is often associated with gentrification, where an influx of wealthier residents leads to the renovation and upgrading of neighborhoods.

Resilience is the ability of a system, community, or individual to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from adverse events or disturbances, such as natural disasters, economic shocks, or environmental changes, while maintaining essential functions and structures. It is the ability to absorb externally imposed or internally developed major change without fundamental disruptions to how a system operates.

This is the movement of people from rural areas to cities.

Suburbanization is the process by which populations move from urban centers to the outskirts of a city. It is the outward expansion of cities into surrounding areas, creating residential suburbs. This phenomenon often occurs as individuals and families seek more space, affordable housing, and a perceived higher quality of life.

Urban sprawl is the unplanned and uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural land, typically characterized by low-density development and single-use zoning. Urban sprawl can create challenges such as traffic congestion, inefficient public services, and loss of agricultural land and natural habitats.

Urbanization is the increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas compared to rural areas.

Diseases transmitted through contaminated water.