Comprehensive Geography Study Notes: Rural and Urban Settlements

Core Concepts of Settlements

• A settlement is defined as a grouping of the following four elements that function as a single unified system on a daily basis:

  • People

  • Buildings

  • Communication networks

  • Activities

• Settlements are classified according to size in a hierarchy ranging from very small/rural to very large/urban:

  • Isolated farmstead

  • Hamlet

  • Village

  • Town

  • City

  • Metropolis

  • Conurbation

  • Megalopolis

Distinguishing Between Rural and Urban Settlements

• Rural Settlements:

  • These are characterized as single functional settlements.

  • They are dominated by primary activities, such as agriculture, mining, or fishing.

  • Usually smaller in size and population.

• Urban Settlements:

  • These are multi-functional settlements.

  • They encompass secondary activities (manufacturing and industry) and tertiary activities (services and trade).

  • Generally larger in size and population density.

Comparative Analysis of Rural Settlement Patterns

• Nucleated Settlements (Buildings close together):

  • Spatial Arrangement: Patches of land are loose; people often live in a central village.

  • Labor Structure: Often involves a foreman for management.

  • Autonomy: Individual residents typically do not make independent decisions regarding the collective land.

  • Logistics: Residents often face significant travel time to reach distant farm plots.

  • Technology: Mechanization is difficult due to the fragmented nature of land patches.

• Dispersed Settlements (Buildings widely separated):

  • Spatial Arrangement: Usually consists of a large single farm.

  • Labor Structure: The owner/farmer manages the land themselves.

  • Autonomy: The farmer makes independent decisions.

  • Logistics: The farmer lives on the farm, resulting in no daily travel time to work.

  • Technology: Mechanization is easy to implement on large, contiguous pieces of land.

  • Economic Advantage: Dispersed settlements are often considered superior from an economic point of view due to efficiency and independence.

Factors Influencing the Site and Shape of Settlements

• Site Factors (Natural and human factors affecting location):

  • Hilltop: Chosen for being a good defensive site.

  • Woodland: Provides fuel and building material.

  • Water: Essential for survival; settlements often sit near rivers.

  • Fertile Soil: Necessary for agriculture and crop production.

  • Dry Sites: Locations chosen above marshy land to avoid flooding.

  • Aspect: Positioning the settlement to face the sun for warmth and light.

  • Meeting Place: At the junction/intersection of roads.

  • Grassland: Good grass is required for cattle farming.

• Shape Classifications:

  • Round: Buildings are arranged around a central point.

  • Crossroad: Buildings are situated where roads cross each other.

  • Linear: Buildings follow a long line, typically along a road or a river.

Rural Settlement Issues and Depopulation

• Rural Depopulation: Defined as the decrease in the percentage of the rural population share, often accompanied by an increase in urban population.

• Movement Factors (Push and Pull):

  • Push Factors (Force people away from rural areas):

    • Mechanization of farming (reducing labor needs)

    • Low salaries

    • Droughts

    • Crime

    • Unemployment

  • Pull Factors (Attract people to the cities):

    • Better job opportunities

    • Higher salaries

    • Better education facilities

    • Superior medical facilities

    • "Bright lights" (entertainment and urban lifestyle)

• Consequences of Rural Depopulation:

  • Empty farmhouses and buildings.

  • Rise in crime (e.g., farm murders).

  • Increasing unemployment in rural sectors.

  • Few new investments.

  • Demographics shift: Many old people remain, while few young men/workers stay.

  • Lower property values.

  • Shops and schools close down due to lack of patronage.

  • Services fall below standard levels.

• Proposed Solutions for Rural Areas:

  • Advertise the town to attract visitors.

  • Develop recreation and tourism sectors.

  • Restore historic buildings.

  • Improve rural schools.

  • Offer cheap industrial sites to businesses.

Land Reform Policies

• Land reform intends to address the injustices of Apartheid where people were forcibly removed from their land. It consists of three pillars:

  • Land Restitution: Returning land to original owners or compensating those who lost land during the Apartheid years.

  • Land Redistribution: The government buys land and makes it available to previously disadvantaged people.

  • Land Tenure Reform: Securing the rights of people living on land owned by others to protect them from illegal eviction.

Urban Settlements: Site, Location, and Functional Types

• Case Study of Site/Location: Cape Town was established as a Dutch settlement in $1652$. Factors that influenced this site included:

  • The natural harbour.

  • Available fresh water.

  • A mild climate.

  • Well-drained land suitable for farming to provide provisions to passing ships.

• Functional Types of Urban Settlements:

  • Central Places: These supply urban goods and services to surrounding rural areas.

  • Trade and Transport Towns: Develop where transport routes meet. Sub-types include:

    • Break-of-bulk: Where the mode of transport changes (e.g., from sea to land in Cape Town).

    • Junction: Where two main transport routes intersect (e.g., De Aar).

    • Gap: A point of access at a physical barrier, such as a mountain pass (e.g., Worcester).

  • Specialised Towns: Develop based on one dominant function. Examples include:

    • Mining: Welkom

    • Education: Stellenbosch

    • Industrial: Secunda

    • Resort: Margate

    • Commuter: Soweto

Urban Hierarchies and Economic Concepts

• Urban Hierarchy: The ranking of urban areas based on size, number of functions, and the degree of specialization of those functions.

• Key Concepts of Central Place Theory:

  • Central Place: A town supplying urban functions to the surrounding rural area.

  • Threshold Population: The minimum number of people a function or service must serve to remain profitable.

  • Sphere of Influence: The total area served by a central place.

  • Range of Goods: The maximum distance people are willing to travel to obtain a specific good or service.

• Comparison of Lower-Order and Higher-Order Functions:

  • Lower-Order Functions:

    • Goods/services needed often (e.g., bread, milk, petrol, doctors).

    • Smaller threshold population needed.

    • Small range and sphere of influence.

    • Many shops offer these because they are needed regularly.

  • Higher-Order Functions:

    • Goods/services not needed regularly (e.g., lounge suites, cars, health spas, specialist doctors).

    • Larger threshold population required.

    • Large range and sphere of influence.

    • Fewer shops offer these as they are specialized.

Street Patterns and Urban Profile

• Street Pattern Characteristics:

  • Gridiron/Rectangular: Roads intersect at right angles. It is easy to plan and divide land but causes traffic congestion and accidents.

  • Radial: Roads radiate outward from a central point like a spider web. All roads lead to the center, facilitating traffic flow to the core, but can lead to traffic jams.

  • Irregular: No clear structure; often found on steeper slopes. It accommodates topography and has fewer intersections but is difficult to plan and easy to get lost in.

• Urban Profile: The side view of an urban area, which reflects:

  • Height of buildings

  • Density of buildings

  • Land value

• Building height and density decrease as one moves away from the city center because land value is highest in the CBD (Central Business District) due to competition and accessibility. This leads to vertical building in the center and horizontal building on the outskirts where land is cheaper.

Urban Land-Use Zones

• Central Business District (CBD):

  • Location: City center, where transport routes meet.

  • Characteristics: Highest land values, highest building density, tallest buildings, concentration of shops and offices, and high-order commercial functions.

• Zone of Decay (Transition Zone):

  • Location: Just outside the CBD.

  • Characteristics: Mixed functions (residential, commercial, light industry), decayed buildings, and valuable land. It requires management through renovation, renewal, and reduced housing density.

• Industrial Zones:

  • Light Industry: Near CBD or residential areas; little noise/air pollution; no heavy machinery.

  • Heavy Industry: On the outskirts on cheap, flat land; near major road/rail networks and water sources; involves noise and air pollution.

  • Factors for Industrial Location: Level land, raw materials, water, labor, power, transport, and market access.

• Residential Zones:

  • Middle to High Income: Away from CBD, good views, larger properties, recreational areas.

  • Low Income: Closer to CBD, houses close together, fewer facilities.

  • Informal Settlements: Typically on the city outskirts, built from scrap materials (plastic, wood, zinc), characterized by poverty, crime, and lack of service delivery.

• Rural-Urban Fringe:

  • Location: The edge of the urban area where urban functions invade rural land.

  • Characteristics: Mix of urban and rural functions, large properties, cheap land.

  • Common Features: Airports, cemeteries, power stations, golf courses, and sewage works.

Urban Models and Settlement Issues

• Models of Urban Structure:

  • Concentric Zone Model: Concentric rings around the CBD.

  • Sector Model: Sectors radiating out from the city center.

  • Multiple-Nuclei Model: Various centers (nuclei) around which different activities grow.

• Major Urban Issues:

  • Congestion: Caused by too many cars, lack of public transport, and old street patterns. Effects include air pollution, accidents, and road rage. Solutions include improving public transport and synchronizing traffic lights.

  • Urban Decay: Caused by over-use of areas and empty buildings. Effects include declining services and dirty environments. Solutions include renovation and renewal.

  • Overcrowding: Caused by high demand for land and mass migration. Effects include the development of slums and environmental destruction. Solutions include green belts and decentralization of functions.

• Informal Settlements (Extended Detail):

  • Often illegal and located up to $30\,km$ away from the CBD.

  • Problems include a lack of infrastructure (sanitation, clean water, electricity, refuse removal) and high fire risks.

Literary and Audience Dialogue Fragment (Transcript Overlay)

• Included in the background of the presentation are excerpts from a dialogue regarding the Greek hero Odysseus and his journey:

  • "Laertes, why pour down to visit the d and withdraw your… answer your question."

  • "So I drew back, and drank of the blood… You want to know… make this hard for you. Neptune… blinded his son… can restrain yourself… the Thrinacian island… longing to the sun who sees… these flocks unharmed…"

  • Prophecy: A warning is given to Odysseus that even if he loses all his men, he may reach home but find trouble in his house with men devouring his substance and presenting gifts to his wife.

  • The Oar Ritual: When Odysseus returns, he must kill the suitors and then carry a "well-made oar" to a land where people have never heard of the sea or salt. A wayfarer will call the oar a "winnowing shovel." He must then fix the oar in the ground and sacrifice a ram, bull, and boar to Neptune.

  • Death Prophecy: Death will come to him from the sea, and his life will ebb away gently in old age.

  • Exchange with Anticleia: The ghost of his mother asks how he came there alive, as it is hard for the living to reach the house of Hades. She asks if he has been to Troy and if his wife is still in his house. Odysseus explains he came to consult the ghost of the prophet and has had nothing but misfortunes since he first set out for Ilium, the land of noble steeds.