Settlements

Settlement

A place where people live

Site

Describes the land on which a settlement is built

Situation

Describes the location in relation to places and features around it

Urban

A built up city or area

Rural

Everywhere outside of urban areas e.g. farmland, forest, desert

Site factors

Wet site, fertile soil, relief, accessibility of building materials, shelter and aspects, route centre, resources

Wet site

Water is essential when building a settlement, to drink, to wash, to grow crops and to cook.

Fertile soil

So it is possible to grow crops

Flat relief

It is easier to build on flat land than in the mountains

Building materials

Houses were traditionally made of wood so it was important to be near a source of building materials

Shelter and aspects

Sites with fairly stable weather were desirable so people grow crops with a constant source of sun and rain

Route centre

Access to trading routes was important because trade was essential.

Resources

It is useful being near resources like wood, coal and gold because you can use them to build or trade

Factors of proximity to water sources

Transportation, agriculture, industry, imports and exports, boundary for defence

Settlement function

For a settlement to grow it had to have a particular use

Function

The reason why a town was first built

Holiday

Something people do in their leisure time

Market town

A place where people buy and sell things

Industrial

A place where people make things

Factories

Where goods are manufactured in industrial towns

Port

A place where goods are brought in and out of a country

Imports

Goods that are brought into the country

Exports

Goods that are sent overseas

Resort

A place where people go on holiday

Characteristics of rural settlements

Lots of vegetation and greenery, fewer people so lower population density, agriculture is the primary industry

Characteristics of urban settlements

High population density, modern infrastructure, more transportation, flat and constant relief

Nucleated

Formed around a central area

Linear

Formed along a line, normally a transport route e.g. road, river or canal

Dispersed

A number of separate farms scattered throughout an area

Features of nucleated settlements

Often grew up on a crossroads or transport hub, and natural resources are insufficient to support more than a few people

Features of linear settlements

Where buildings are strung out along a line of communication

Features of dispersed settlements

Often occur in mountainous or marshy areas, where the soil is fertile and the water supply is reliable and so will often be located near a freshwater source

Settlement hierarchy

The arrangement of settlements in an ‘order of importance’

The settlement hierarchy is based on the following:

The size of the settlement, the number of services within each settlement, the sphere of influence of each settlement

Capital city

There is only one in a country and has a high population

Conurbation

This would have some services but not as much as a large city. The population would be over 100,000 people

Large city

A super city which has many towns in it. The population would be several millions

City

A city with many services. Would have over 1 million people in it

Large town

This would have a population of 20,000 up to 100,000

Town

This would have a population of 1,000 up to 20,000

Village

This would not have many services - it may only have a corner shop and post office. It would have fewer than 1,000 people in it

Hamlet

This would have around 100 people in it and not many houses. It may only have a phone box as it services

Isolated dwelling

This would have only 1 or 2 houses or families in it. It would have no services

Sphere of influence

The distance people are willing to travel to use or buy a particular service or good

Convenience goods

Something that is cheap to manufacture and easy to come buy, you don’t travel far to buy them e.g. bread, milk

Comparison goods

Something that is more expensive and people have to travel a further distance to buy, not bought as frequently e.g. shoes, phone

Threshold population

The amount of people required for a business to be successful

Range

The variety of goods sold in a specific place

Urban land use models

Hoyt model, Burgess model

Hoyt model

Suggests that people will live in different areas based on income levels

Burgess model

Suggests that land values are highest in the centre of a town or city because competition is high in the central parts of the settlement

Features of the Hoyt model

Central business district, factories/industry, working class housing, middle class housing, high class housing

Features of the Burgess model

Central business district, inner city, suburbs, outer suburbs, rural-urban fringe

Central business district (CBD)

High rise due to lack of space, banks, offices, apartments, expensive to live in because of limited space, entertainment

Inner city

Terraced houses to house factory workers, narrow roads because people can’t afford cars, no front gardens, high crime rates, vandalism, run-down

Suburbs

Semi-detached houses with gardens, wider roads for vehicle access, more open space

Outer suburbs

Detached houses with gardens and garages, modern, people have more money

Rural-urban fringe

Agriculture, mixed land uses (schools, golf courses)

Characteristics of the CBD

High density of shops and offices because it’s route centre, highly accessible, oldest part of the city, little space available, high land values, tall buildings, high volumes of pedestrians and traffic

Brownfield

Previously been developed on

Greenfield

Places that have never been developed on

Greenbelt

An area around the city composed of farmland and recreational land

Problems in the CBD

Traffic and congestion, high pollution levels, noise pollution, high land prices

Social problems caused by congestion

Workers are late because they are stuck in traffic, increase the frequency of road rage

Economic problems caused by congestion

Building new roads is expensive

Environmental problems caused by congestion

More cars means more pollution, accidents, more oil is required, air pollution contributes to acid rain and the greenhouse effect

Suburbanisation

The suburbs on the outer edge of the settlement grow outwards as new houses and services are built to accommodate more people

Counterurbanisation

The movement of people from urban areas into rural areas (leaving the city and moving to smaller towns and villages),

Commuter

Someone who travels to work on a regular basis

Rural-urban fringe

Is found along the edge of the city. It is a rapidly changing zone which has characteristics of both rural and urban areas.

Benefits of the rurban fringe

Attractive area for development, land is cheaper with room for expansion, highly accessible

Urban sprawl

The outwards expansion of urban areas into the surrounding rural-urban fringe. This is often rapid and unplanned

Problems of the Urban sprawl

Pollution, changing land use, gender equality

Problems in LEDC cities

Shelter, traffic, poverty, rubbish collection, pollution, sewage system, employment opportunities, access to clean drinking water, education, overcrowding, electricity and power supplies, drugs, gangs and violence

Shanty town (squatter settlement/slum)

Areas of informal, often illegal housing usually found on the edges of LEDC cities. Migrants will usually move into a shanty town.

Features of shanty towns

High population density, lack of basic or reliable services (electricity, running water, gas, phone lines), houses are often made of basic materials

Issues in slums

Cramped living space, unsafe, basic living facilities, unsanitary, collapsed/falling down houses