Settlement dynamics
settlement Is a name for an area where people live
Urban Refers to a built-up area/town or city
Rural Refers to an area of countryside/villages, hamlets or
isolated houses
Rural landscapes A geographical area that is located outside towns
and cities
Rural population The number of people living in a rural area
Gentrification The buying and renovating of houses and stores in
run down areas by wealthier individuals. This
improves the properties and stimulates retailing and
entertainment in the area
Green belts An area around major cities where development is
prohibited, particularly in the UK, designed to limit
urban sprawl. E.g. the M25 around London
Key villages A central place where services, facilities and
employment in one selected settlement will satisfy
the essential need of the surrounding villages and
hamlets
Counter urbanisation The reversal of the previous rural-urban migration
and the process of people moving out of cites into
villages and country towns.
Metropolitan villages A region consisting of a densely populated urban
core and its less populated surrounding territories
Rural depopulation When rural areas have a decreasing population
Rural settlement LIC Perceived to consist of small villages/towns where
work is mainly agricultural (subsistence or
commercial) where villagers grow food/rear
livestock for their own consumption or to sell at
market. Houses were often basic with little
electricity or water supply.
But rural settlements changing du to settlement
dynamics
Settlement dynamics are - Migration
affected by - Urban growth
- Technological Change
- Rural planning policies
- Government funding
Changes in rural areas in Most changes are due to urban migration.
LIC Positives
- Rural population has declined reducing
pressure on food, water and other resources
- Unemployment has been reduced due to a
smaller population
- Remittances from people who have migrated
to urban areas now provide a large
proportion of some family’s income
Negatives
- Public (government provided) and private
services close as population declines
- Rural communities often now have an ageing
population as younger residents have left to
move to the cities