Module 1.1. SETTLEMENT EVOLUTION AND PLANNING THEORY

house

a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for habitation by humans.

Hus

house derives directly from Old English…

Hus

meaning "dwelling, shelter, home, house,"

Human settlements

Physical communities where humans live, work, and interact.

Climate

technology

agriculture

security

trade

Human settlements Driving Forces

Shift from moving for food to modifying environments

Human settlements Core Transition

Pre-10,000 BCE

Nomadic and Paleolithic Era time period

Nomadic and Paleolithic Era

Before permanent structures, survival depended entirely on natural resources.

Temporary camps

caves

mobile tents.

Nomadic and Paleolithic Era Settlement Type

Small, egalitarian hunter-gatherer bands

Nomadic and Paleolithic Era Social Structure

High mobility based on animal migrations and seasons.

Nomadic and Paleolithic Era Key Feature

Near fresh water, abundant wildlife, and natural shelter.

Nomadic and Paleolithic Era Location Choice

10,000 – 3,000 BCE

The Neolithic Revolution time period

The Neolithic Revolution

The discovery of agriculture forced humans to stay in one place.

Permanent agrarian villages.

The Neolithic Revolution Settlement Type:

Plant domestication (wheat, rice) and animal herding.

The Neolithic Revolution Key Innovations:

Mud-brick houses, granaries, and pottery.

The Neolithic Revolution Material Culture:

Çatalhöyük (Anatolia) and Jericho (Levant).

The Neolithic Revolution Examples:

Anatolia

Çatalhöyük is located in…

Levant

Jericho is located in…

Population growth, food surpluses, and property ownership.

The Neolithic Revolution Impact:

3,000 – 500 BCE

Early Urbanization & River Civilizations time period…

Early Urbanization & River Civilizations

Surplus food allowed some citizens to pursue jobs other than farming.

Fortified city-states and imperial capitals.

Early Urbanization & River Civilizations Settlement Type:

Fertile river valleys (Nile, Indus, Tigris-Euphrates, Yellow River).

Early Urbanization & River Civilizations Geographic Focus:

Nile,

Indus,

Tigris-Euphrates,

Yellow River

Fertile river valleys of Early Urbanization & River Civilizations

Monumental architecture,

defensive walls,

social hierarchies.

Early Urbanization & River Civilizations Key Features:

Early grid systems and drainage (e.g., Mohenjo-daro).

Early Urbanization & River Civilizations Infrastructure:

500 BCE – 1500 CE

Classical and Medieval Urbanism time period…

Classical and Medieval Urbanism

Settlements expanded through empires, trade routes, and maritime commerce.

Trade guilds and defense against external invasions

Classical and Medieval Urbanism Key Driver:

Classical Era

Greek polis (agoras, theaters) and Roman grid networks (aqueducts, roads)

Medieval European Era

Walled, compact cities centered around cathedrals and marketplaces.

Islamic Golden Age

Cities like Baghdad with complex bazaar networks and geometric planning.

1500 – 1750 CE

Early Modern & Renaissance time period…

Early Modern & Renaissance

During this transitional period, four major forces reshaped human settlements:

• The Gunpowder Revolution & Star Fortresses (Trace Italienne)

• Renaissance & Baroque Urban Planning

• Mercantilism & Atlantic Trade Hubs

• Proto-Industry & Enclosure

four major forces reshaped human settlements:

Cannons

Rendered high medieval stone walls obsolete.

Trace Italienne

Low-profile star bastions created rigid urban rims

Inward Density

Costly bastions forced vertical inward growth.

The Gunpowder Revolution & Star Fortresses (Trace Italienne)

▪ Cannons: Rendered high medieval stone walls obsolete.

▪ Trace Italienne: Low-profile star bastions created rigid urban rims.

▪ Inward Density: Costly bastions forced vertical inward growth.

Renaissance & Baroque Urban Planning

▪ Geometric Order: Replaced winding medieval street grids.

▪ Radial Avenues: Designed for carriage traffic and troop mobility.

▪ Civic Power: Monumental plazas built to project monarchical authority.

Geometric Order

Replaced winding medieval street grids.

Radial Avenues

Designed for carriage traffic and troop mobility

Civic Power

Monumental plazas built to project monarchical authority.

Mercantilism & Atlantic Trade Hubs

▪ Geographic Shift: Power moved from Mediterranean to Atlantic seaports.

▪ Commercial Anchor: Growth centered on bourses, docks, and guild halls.

▪ Global Capital: Maritime networks superseded localized feudal trade.

Geographic Shift

Power moved from Mediterranean to Atlantic seaports.

Commercial Anchor

Growth centered on bourses, docks, and guild halls

Global Capital

Maritime networks superseded localized feudal trade.

Proto-Industry & Enclosure

▪ Putting-Out System: Decentralized manufacturing into rural cottages.

▪ Enclosure Acts: Privatized common land and displaced agrarian labor.

▪ Labor Surplus: Created the migrant workforce for factory towns.

Putting-Out System

Decentralized manufacturing into rural cottages.

Enclosure Acts

Privatized common land and displaced agrarian labor.

Labor Surplus

Created the migrant workforce for factory towns.

1750 – 1950

The Industrial Revolution time period…

The Industrial Revolution

The invention of the steam engine triggered the fastest urban migration in history.

Industrial manufacturing cities.

The Industrial Revolution Settlement Type:

Massive rural-to-urban migration for factory jobs.

The Industrial Revolution Demographic Shift:

Overcrowding

pollution

slums

rapid disease spread.

The Industrial Revolution Challenges:

Birth of modern town planning, public zoning, and mass transit.

The Industrial Revolution Solutions:

1950 – 2000

Post-WWII Suburbia & Automobile Age time period…

Post-WWII Suburbia & Automobile Age

Mass car ownership and highway systems changed the shape of cities.

Suburban sprawl and metropolitan regions.

Post-WWII Suburbia & Automobile Age Settlement Type:

Decentralization as families moved away from crowded city centers.

Post-WWII Suburbia & Automobile Age Key Trend:

Separation of residential, commercial, and industrial zones.

Post-WWII Suburbia & Automobile Age Spatial Layout:

Increased car dependency, traffic congestion, and inner-city decline.

Post-WWII Suburbia & Automobile Age Consequences:

2000 – Present

Contemporary Era – Megacities & Smart Cities time period…

Contemporary Era – Megacities & Smart Cities

We now live in a predominantly urban world, with over 55% of the population living in cities.

Megacities (populations >10 million) and massive megalopolises.

Contemporary Era – Megacities & Smart Cities Settlement Type:

High-rise vertical living

digital connectivity

global financial hubs.

Contemporary Era – Megacities & Smart Cities Key Features:

Integration of IoT, data analytics, and green energy to manage assets.

Contemporary Era – Megacities & Smart Cities The "Smart City":

Affordable housing shortages, climate vulnerability, and wealth gaps.

Contemporary Era – Megacities & Smart Cities Current Challenges:

Concentric Zone Theory

Sector Model

Multiple Nuclei Model

Urban Realms

URBAN MODELS

Concentric Zone Theory

• the geographer E.W. Burgess

• includes transition zone for eventual CBD expansion

• has some deficiencies but simplicity has stood the test of time

E.W. Burgess

Concentric Zone Theory by?

Homer Hoyt

Sector Model by?

Chauncy Harris & Edward Pullman

Multiple Nuclei Model by?

James Vance

Urban Realms by?

Conurbations

Cities

Towns

Villages

Hamlets

Single Buildings

The hierarchy of settlements

conurbation

— is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area.

nucleated settlement

linear shape

dispersed settlement

KINDS OF SETTLEMENTS ACCORDING TO SHAPE

nucleated settlement

— is where the buildings are grouped together.

linear shape

— is where the settlement has developed along a line.

dispersed settlement

— is where the buildings are spread apart.

Nucleated Settlement

Displays a compact, centralized village surrounded by open fields, typical of the rural countryside in the United Kingdom (or Western Europe).

Nucleated Settlement

rural countryside in the United Kingdom (or Western Europe) is example of what settlement?

Dispersed / Scatter Settlement

Depicts isolated homesteads dotting a grid of agricultural fields, characteristic of Japan (such as the Tonami Plain in Toyama Prefecture, famous for its Sankyo-son scattered settlements).

Dispersed / Scatter Settlement

Tonami Plain in Toyama Prefecture is example of what kind of settlement

Linear Settlement / Chain Village

Shows a classic "ribbon" village stretched along a central road flanked by long, narrow agricultural strips, located in Sułoszowa, Poland.

Industrial Towns

Market Towns

Ports

Seaside Resorts

KINDS OF SETTLEMENTS ACCORDING TO FUNCTION

Industrial Towns

• has railways and canals for transports

• has housing and industry mixed together

• Newer industrial town planning ensures the housing and industry are apart.

Market Towns

• Found in fertile farming sites

• Many services e.g. shops and offices

• Good transport links – often they are route centers

Ports

• Found where there are sheltered harbours

• Flat land for building on nearby

• Modern ports need deeper water for today’s larger ships

• Many ports has gone through a lot of redevelopment

Seaside Resorts

• Close to industrial areas with large populations, with good rail and roads

• On the sea−front are hotels and entertainments such as pubs and bingo

• Guest houses are found inland where the land is cheaper to buy

• Housing found further inland, with industry on the outskirts

• Promenades pedestrian roads along the front of the resort

Linear

Usually, the result of natural topography which restricts growth; may also be a transportation spine

Rectilinear

Usually with two corridors of intense development crossing the center; usually found in small cities rather than in large

Branch

A linear span with connecting arms

Radio-centric

A large circle with radial corridors of intense development emanating from the center

Star

Radio - centric form with open spaces between the outreaching corridors of development

Ring

A city built around a large open space

Sheet

A vast urban area with little or no articulation