AP Human Geography Models & Theories

1. Demographic Transition Model: (Population) 4 Stages:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Low Growth Stage: high birth and high death rate = little long term growth.
High Growth Stage: high birth and declining death = significant growth.
Moderate Growth: declining birth rate with already low death = continuing pop growth.
Stationary Growth; low birth rate and low death rate = low rate of growth.
See model on page 54.

2. Gravity Model: (Migration) Ernst Ravenstein: predicts interaction between places on the basis
their population size and distance between them. In mathematical terms it is the two cities
populations multiplied and then divided by the distance between them. Migration is not as simple as
a mathematical equation = push and pull factors. Review the Laws of Migration.

3. Rostow's Stages of Growth: (Development) Walt Rostow: Modernization Model in how

countries follow a path to development or modernization

1. Traditional: subsistence farming in the country is dominant.
2. Preconditions to Takeoff: progressive leadership leads to openness & diversification.
3. Takeoff: sustained growth, something akin to industrial revolution, urbanization
increases, technological and mass production break throughs.
4. Drive to Maturity: Technologies diffuse, international trade expands, population growth
slows.
5. High Mass Consumption: some countries reach this stagemarked by high incomes,
widespread production of goods and services, majority work in service sector..

4. Concentric Circle: (Urban) Ernst Burgess: divides the city into five concentric zones, defined
by their function 1: CBD 2: Zone of Transition 3: Independent Workers 4: Better Residence 5:
Commuters Zone

5. Hoyt Sector Model: (Urban) Homer Hoyt: city grows outward from the center, zones are
shaped like a piece of pie.

6. Multiple Nuclei Model: (Urban) Harris & Ullman: recognizes the CBD is losing its
dominant position as the single nucleus of the urban area.
7. Central Place Theory (Urban) Christaller: model to predict how and where central places in the
urban hierarchy would be functionally and spatially distributedcentral place theory maintains that
each central place has a surrounding complementary region, an exclusive trade area within which the
town has a monopoly on the sale of certain goods, because it alone can provide such goods at a given
price and within a certain range of travel.

8. Least Cost Theory: (Industrial Location) Alfred Weber: location of a manufacturing plant in
terms of the owners desire to minimize three categories of costs

1.

Transportation: site chosen must entail the lowest possible cost of moving raw materials
to the factory and finished products to the market.
2. Labor: high labor costs reduce the margin of profit, so a factory might do better
farther away from raw materials and markets if cheap labor made up for the added
transport costs.
3. Agglomeration: when a substantial number of enterprises cluster in the same area, as
happens in a large industrial city, they can provide assistance to each other through
shared talents, services, and facilities.

9. Von Thunen's Agricultural Model: (Agriculture) first effort to analyze the spatial character
of economic activitynearest the town, farmers produce commodities that were perishable and
commanded high prices, such as dairy products and strawberriesin this zone agriculture would be
produced with a high level of intensity and much effort would go into production because of the
value of the land close to the city. The second ring would be crops that are less perishable and
bulkier, including wheat and other grains. Still farther out would be livestock.

10. Epidemiologic Transition Model:

11. Core Periphery Model: (Development) Immanuel Wallerstein: three tier structure the

core, semi-periphery, & periphery. Core = generate wealth, high education, greater technology,
higher wages and benefits. Periphery = little education, lower technologies, and lower wages &
benefits, dependent on the core and do not have as much control over their own affairs,
economically & politically. Semi-Periphery = exhibits both core and periphery processes, serves as a
buffer between the core and periphery, exert more power than the periphery regions but remain
largely influenced by core regions.

12. Domino Theory:

13. Heartland and Rimland Theories (Political) Thomas Mackinders Heartland Theory: felt that

landbased power, not sea power, would ultimately rule the world. He who rules east Europe
commands the Heartland, he who rules the Heartland commands the World Island, He who rules the
World Island, commands the World.

14. Neocolonialism (Culture) James Shortridge: seeking out the regional culture and
reinvigorating it in response to the uncertainty of the modern world. Ex: Makah and whale hunting,
Swedes in Lindsborg, Kansas dressing up, etc

15. Thomas Malthus (Population): worlds population was increasing faster than the food supplies
needed to sustain it. Reasoning: food supplies grew linearly, population grew exponentiallyhis
assumptions are falsehe did not foresee globalization and the exchange of agricultural goods
across the world.

16. Modernization & Dependency Theories: Dependency theory holds that the political and

economic relationships between countries and regions of the world control and limit the economic
development possibilities of poorer areashelps sustain the prosperity of the dominant regions and
the poverty of other regions.

17. Sustainable Development

18. World Systems Theory: See Core Periphery Model #11.
19. Bid-Rent Theory: kind of similar to Von Thunens modelas you leave the CBD rent prices will
be highest but as you go farther out they will decline because of distance from the CBD.

20. Rank Size Rule: holds that in a model urban hierarchy, the population of a city or town will be

inversely proportion to its rank in the hierarchy. Thus, if the largest city has 12 million people, the
second city largest will have about 6 million people, the third city will have about 4 million, and the
fourth largest city will have 3 million and so onimpressive trick when it works but does not explain
cities location.

21. Urban Realms Model: spatial components of the modern metropolis, where each realm is a
separate economic, social, and political entity that is linked together to form the larger
metropolitan framework.