AP Human Geography Flashcards: The Internal Structure of Cities
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: June 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
What is the galactic city model?
The galactic city model is a theory that describes the internal structure of a post-industrial city, characterized by a decentralized urban landscape with edge cities and suburban business districts.
Card 1 of 10
All Flashcards (10)
What is the galactic city model?
The galactic city model is a theory that describes the internal structure of a post-industrial city, characterized by a decentralized urban landscape with edge cities and suburban business districts.
According to bid-rent theory, why is a small apartment in the city center often more expensive to rent than a large house in the suburbs?
Bid-rent theory explains that land closer to the central business district is more accessible and in higher demand, which drives up its price, even for smaller spaces.
What is the Hoyt sector model?
The Hoyt sector model is a theory that explains the internal structure of cities by organizing urban land use into wedge-shaped sectors, often along transportation corridors, radiating from the city center.
What is the primary purpose of urban models like the concentric-zone, sector, and multiple-nuclei models?
These models and theories are all useful for explaining the internal structures of cities and how different land uses are arranged within them.
A city has a central downtown, but also features several smaller business districts, an airport, and industrial parks scattered throughout. Which model best describes this structure?
The Harris and Ullman multiple-nuclei model best describes this structure, as it posits that a city develops around several distinct centers of activity.
List three key models used to explain the internal structure of cities.
Three key models include the Burgess concentric-zone model, the Hoyt sector model, and the Harris and Ullman multiple-nuclei model.
What is the Harris and Ullman multiple-nuclei model?
The Harris and Ullman multiple-nuclei model is a theory explaining that cities can develop around several distinct centers of business and activity, or nuclei, rather than a single central core.
What is the Burgess concentric-zone model?
The Burgess concentric-zone model is a theory used to explain the internal structure of cities by organizing urban land use in a series of concentric rings around a central business district.
Beyond models based on North American cities, what other regional urban models exist?
Urban models drawn from Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa are also used to explain the unique internal structures of cities in those specific regions.
What is bid-rent theory?
Bid-rent theory is a geographical economic theory used to explain how the price and demand for real estate change as the distance from the central business district increases.