V. Settlements (Rural & Urban) and Service Provision

I. Settlement Patterns

I. Dispersed

II. Linear

III. Nucleated

An isolated, building or a group of two or three buildings, separated from the next by 2 or 3 km.

Buildings are strung along a line of communication, for example, a main road, a river valley, or a canal.

Buildings are grouped, initially for defence or a common resource.

Site: describes the physical nature of where a settlement is located - the actual piece of land

Situation: describes settlement about other settlements and physical feature around it - this determines whether the situation will grow into a larger city or remain a small town or village.

II. Factors influencing settlements:

  1. Wet point site: this has a good water supply

  2. Drypoint site: this has less risk of flooding

  3. Building material: availability of stone, wood, clay, etc.

  4. Defensive site: in a river meander or on a hill with steep-sided and commanding views

  5. Fuel supply: for heating and cooking

  6. Food supply: land suitable for farming

  7. Nodal points: where routes converge

  8. Bridging point: river shallow enough to build a bridge

  9. Aspect: settlements often on the sunny side of a valley

  10. Shelter: from cold prevailing winds and rain

  11. Climate: a good climate attracts more people

  12. Fertile land: brings in more farmers

  13. Location: access to trade and raw materials

III. Hierarch of Settlements

A hierarchy is when settlements are ordered and classified based on:

  • Population size

  • Several services were provided

  • Number of settlements

  • Determining the order of importance:

    • The population size

    • The range and number of services

    • The sphere of influence

Keywords

  • Sphere of Influence: an area served by a settlement

  • Services: Facilities that are offered to people, e.g. supermarkets. Services have a threshold population, which helps explain why bigger settlements have more services.

  • Range: The distance that people are prepared to travel to use a service

    • High-Order Goods (Comparison): Goods that people buy less frequently.

    → They tend to be more expensive, and people will normally compare quality and price before purchasing e.g. a car.

    • Low-Order Goods (Convenience): Goods that people buy every day.

    →They don’t usually cost much money, and people would not normally travel far to buy them e.g. bread and milk.

  • Threshold Population: The minimum amount of people required for a service to be offered and remain open.

Functions of settlements:

  • Rural Areas: have a lot of fewer functions than urban areas.

    • The primary purpose of settlements in rural areas usually is agriculture & low-order services. This is because rural areas have fewer people, poorer transport, poorer communication, less technology & the land is better used for other purposes.

  • Urban Areas: tend to have many more functions ranging from shopping to educational, transport, administrative, and residential functions; and more middle and high-order services.

  • Urban Sprawl: The spread or growth of an urban area into the rural-urban fringe; provides mainly middle–order services