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Quizzes > Geography > Countries & Cities

Test Your Knowledge: AP Human Geography City Models Quiz

Ready to define urbanization and explore the European City Model? Dive in!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
paper cutout cityscape with layered building shapes and city model diagrams on sky blue background for quiz

Use this AP Human Geography city models quiz to practice urban patterns, review urbanization basics, and see how the concentric zone, sector, and multiple nuclei models work. You'll spot gaps before the exam and build recall. Need more practice? Try the study guide .

Which urban land use model is characterized by concentric rings of different socioeconomic groups?
Sector Model
Multiple Nuclei Model
Peripheral Model
Concentric Zone Model
The Concentric Zone Model was developed by Ernest Burgess in the 1920s to explain urban social structures in Chicago using concentric rings of land use and socioeconomic status. It remains a foundational concept in urban geography, illustrating how cities often develop in zones radiating from a central core. This model, however, assumes uniform terrain and monocentric growth, which may not fit all cities.
Who developed the sector model of urban structure?
Chauncy Harris
Joel Garreau
Homer Hoyt
Ernest Burgess
Homer Hoyt introduced the Sector Model in 1939, emphasizing that urban growth often follows transport corridors, creating wedge-shaped sectors of differing land uses extending from the CBD. This model builds on Burgess's concentric rings by highlighting the importance of major roads and rail lines in shaping development.
Which city model suggests that a city grows by forming new centers of activity rather than expanding around a single core?
Concentric Zone Model
Peripheral Model
Sector Model
Multiple Nuclei Model
The Multiple Nuclei Model, developed by Chauncy Harris and Edward Ullman in 1945, proposes that cities contain multiple nodes (or nuclei) around which different types of land uses cluster. This better captures the decentralized nature of many modern metropolitan areas.
What is the term for the core of a city where retail and office activities cluster?
Central Business District
Suburban Sector
Edge City
Zone of Transition
The Central Business District (CBD) is the commercial heart of a city, marked by high land values, dense development, and a concentration of retail, finance, and services. It typically has the highest accessibility and foot traffic in the urban area.
What describes the gradual decrease in population density moving outward from the city center?
Density Gradient
Threshold
Range
Urban Sprawl
The density gradient illustrates how population density is highest in the urban core and declines as one moves toward the suburbs and rural areas. It helps urban geographers understand residential patterns and commuting flows.
What is the minimum number of people required to support a service called?
Centrality
Hinterland
Range
Threshold
Threshold refers to the minimum population size needed to support the provision of a particular good or service. If an area's population falls below this threshold, the service may become economically unsustainable.
What is the maximum distance people are willing to travel for a service known as?
Distance Decay
Gravity
Threshold
Range
Range is the maximum distance consumers are willing to travel to acquire a good or service. It varies based on the type of service and its perceived value by the consumer.
Which model divides urban land use into wedges or sectors radiating from the city center?
Multiple Nuclei Model
Concentric Zone Model
Sector Model
Peripheral Model
The Sector Model, proposed by Homer Hoyt, organizes urban land use into sectors shaped by transportation routes and environmental features rather than uniform rings. It explains why certain areas of similar land use or socioeconomic status extend outward along corridors.
What urban model describes a ring road surrounded by businesses and residential suburbs with a CBD at the center?
Multiple Nuclei Model
Peripheral Model
Concentric Zone Model
Sector Model
The Peripheral Model, sometimes called the Galactic Model, envisions urban areas with a central core connected to surrounding suburban and edge city clusters by a ring road. It reflects contemporary metropolitan growth patterns.
What term describes the clustering of business and commercial services outside the traditional downtown?
Hinterlands
Conurbations
Edge Cities
Beltways
Edge cities are concentrations of business, shopping, and entertainment located outside of traditional downtowns, typically near major highway intersections. The term was popularized by Joel Garreau in the 1990s.
What term refers to the rehabilitation of deteriorated urban neighborhoods by higher-income residents?
Urban Sprawl
Redlining
Blockbusting
Gentrification
Gentrification involves wealthier individuals moving into lower-income neighborhoods, renovating properties, and increasing local property values and rents. While it can revitalize areas, it often displaces original residents.
Which rule states that the nth largest city is 1/n the population of the largest city?
Megacity Rule
Rank-Size Rule
Gravity Model
Central Place Theory
The Rank-Size Rule predicts that in a given country, the second-largest city will be half the size of the largest, the third-largest one-third the size, and so on. It often holds in nationally balanced urban systems.
What term describes the uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into peripheral rural lands?
Metropolitan Fusion
Urban Sprawl
Satellite Urbanization
Suburbanization
Urban sprawl refers to the spread of low-density residential and commercial development outward from a city's core, often leading to increased reliance on automobiles and loss of farmland and natural habitats.
Which model characterizes Latin American cities with a commercial spine and elite residential sectors radiating outward?
De Blij Model
Hoyt Sector Model
Griffin-Ford Model
Harris-Ullman Model
The Griffin-Ford Latin American City Model features a dominant CBD, a commercial spine surrounded by elite housing, and zones of peripheral squatter settlements. It reflects the blending of traditional and colonial urban patterns.
Which model divides African cities into colonial, traditional, and market zones?
Griffin-Ford Model
Sector Model
McGee Model
De Blij Model
Terence G. McGee and Harm De Blij proposed variations of African city models; De Blij's model specifically outlines a colonial CBD near the center, an informal market zone, and traditional African neighborhoods. It captures postcolonial urban dynamics.
Which model explains the spatial structure of Southeast Asian cities with zones focused on port activities and alien commercial areas?
Sector Model
McGee Model
Concentric Zone Model
Harris-Ullman Model
T.G. McGee's Southeast Asian City Model highlights the importance of colonial port zones, alien commercial zones (occupied by foreign merchants), and indigenous residential sectors arranged around a historic core.
Which of the following is a characteristic feature of European city models?
Uniform grid street pattern
Historic core with narrow streets
Low-density outer rings
High-rise public housing in peripheral suburbs
European cities often maintain a historic core with medieval street patterns and high density, surrounded by postwar suburbs and lower-density outer areas. They contrast with some North American models due to preservation of old urban fabric.
Which of the following is a primary critique of the Concentric Zone Model?
It relies on multiple urban centers
It emphasizes transportation corridors
It assumes a uniform landscape
It focuses on elite residential sectors
Critics argue that the Concentric Zone Model oversimplifies urban growth by assuming flat terrain and uniform land values, ignoring physical geography and multiple centers of development. Modern cities often exhibit more complex patterns.
What term is used for cities with more than 10 million inhabitants?
Metropolis
Megacity
Global City
Megalopolis
A megacity is defined by the United Nations as an urban area with a population exceeding 10 million. This designation highlights rapid urbanization and associated challenges.
In the gravity model of spatial interaction, the interaction between two cities is directly proportional to ______ and inversely proportional to ______.
the sum of their populations; the distance between them
the distance between them; their combined populations
the product of their populations; the square of the distance between them
their combined GDP; the square of travel time
The gravity model predicts spatial interaction using an equation where flow = (population1 × population2) / (distance²). It captures how larger cities have more pull, but distance reduces interaction.
Which planning movement emphasizes walkable neighborhoods and mixed land uses to combat urban sprawl?
New Urbanism
Peripheral Model
Edge City Concept
Smart Growth
New Urbanism promotes traditional neighborhood designs with walkable streets, a mix of housing types, and accessible public spaces. It emerged in the late 20th century as a response to car-dependent sprawl.
What term describes the total functional area of a city and its surrounding economically linked suburbs?
Primate City
Megalopolis
City Region
Metropolitan Statistical Area
A Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget as a core urban area with a large population and adjacent communities economically tied to it. MSAs are used for statistical and planning purposes.
Which of the following best defines an urban realm in a metropolitan area?
A loosely connected rural-urban fringe with no defined center
A single planning district around the historic CBD
A network of rural villages dependent on the core city
A self-sufficient suburban sector with its own commercial and employment centers
Kenneth T. Jackson and John R. Borchert's Urban Realms Model describes metropolitan areas as a collection of self-sufficient sectors or 'realms,' each with its own economic core and residential zones. These realms are linked by transportation networks but function somewhat independently.
Which statement correctly compares the assumptions of Burgess, Hoyt, and Harris-Ullman models?
Burgess assumed concentric rings by distance, Hoyt assumed wedge-shaped sectors along transit, and Harris-Ullman assumed multiple centers of activity
Burgess assumed high-income sectors, Hoyt assumed rural-urban fringe, Harris-Ullman assumed a single CBD
Burgess assumed multiple nodes, Hoyt assumed concentric rings, Harris-Ullman assumed equidistant zones
Burgess assumed transit corridors, Hoyt assumed market zones, Harris-Ullman assumed social stratification rings
The Concentric Zone Model (Burgess) organizes land use into rings, the Sector Model (Hoyt) into wedges along transit, and the Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris-Ullman) around several distinct centers. This comparison highlights each model's core assumption.
Which of the following is NOT commonly cited as a sustainability critique of the peripheral model?
Segregated land uses leading to sprawl
Reduced commute times due to shorter routes
Increased automobile dependency
High infrastructure and maintenance costs
Critics of the Peripheral Model cite sprawl, car dependence, and expensive infrastructure as sustainability challenges. However, it does not reduce commute times; travel often becomes longer and more congested.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Define Urbanization in AP Human Geography -

    Articulate the concept of define urbanization ap human geography style by explaining its key processes, drivers, and impacts on city development.

  2. Identify Major APHG City Models -

    Recall and distinguish among aphg city models such as the Concentric Zone, Sector, and Multiple Nuclei models to solidify your understanding of urban land use patterns.

  3. Analyze the European City Model -

    Examine the european city model ap human geography to understand its spatial structure, historical roots, and characteristic land uses within European cities.

  4. Interpret Central Business District Dynamics -

    Recognize the defining features and functions of the Central Business District, including its economic role and spatial organization within urban areas.

  5. Compare Urban Street Patterns -

    Differentiate between grid street patterns and other urban layouts, assessing their design principles and effects on transportation and urban growth.

  6. Evaluate Public Housing Layouts -

    Assess various public housing layouts, linking their design to social outcomes and urban land use strategies in contemporary cities.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Defining Urbanization in AP Human Geography -

    In AP Human Geography, urbanization is defined as the proportion of a population living in urban areas, computed as (urban population ÷ total population) × 100%. This process, driven by industrialization and rural-to-urban migration, reshapes social and economic structures globally (United Nations World Urbanization Prospects). Remember: URBAN = Upward Rise of Built Areas & Nations as a quick mnemonic.

  2. Burgess's Concentric Zone Model -

    Ernest Burgess's Concentric Zone Model is a classic AP Human Geography city model that organizes cities into five rings radiating from the Central Business District (CBD) to commuter zones (University of Illinois). A handy mnemonic to recall the sequence is "C C W R C" (CBD, transitional, working-class, residential, commuter). This framework illustrates how land values and social groups shift moving outward from the center.

  3. Hoyt's Sector Model -

    Homer Hoyt's Sector Model, another key APHG city model, proposes that urban growth extends in wedge-shaped sectors along transportation corridors rather than concentric rings (National Geographic). For example, upscale residential areas often follow rail lines or major highways. Use the "Pie & Transport" trick to remember that sectors slice the city like pieces of pie.

  4. Harris & Ullman's Multiple Nuclei Model -

    The Multiple Nuclei Model, part of the core AP Human Geography city models section, suggests cities develop around several specialized centers (nuclei) such as universities, ports, and industrial parks (American Journal of Sociology). In Los Angeles, distinct nuclei include Downtown, Hollywood, and Long Beach. Think "Multi-City Headquarters" to recall the idea of multiple focal points.

  5. European City Model in AP Human Geography -

    The European City Model in AP Human Geography highlights a historic core with narrow, winding streets and high-density public housing often found in suburbs, like Paris's banlieues (Cambridge University Press). Unlike North American grid patterns, these cities preserve medieval walls, plazas, and compact urban form. Remember "Old Walls & New Blocks" for quick recall.

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