,Study of settlements
The concepts of settlement, site and situation.
•Settlement is a place where a group of people live.
•Main criteria being that it operates as a single integrated system on a regular basis.
•A settlement is a place where:
• a group of people live,
• an infrastructure exists,
• buildings occur,
• social & economic activities occur.
The site of a settlement.
•Site is the actual place where a settlement grew.
•Factors influencing the site of settlement:
• Physical Factors - availability of resources: water, grazing etc.
• Economic Factors - availability of valuable minerals.
• Trade and transport factors: availability of a natural harbour.
• Cultural/social factors: new towns have been built away from existing urban
settlements that are congested, polluted and overpopulated.
• improve living conditions.
• lifestyles of people.
• attract light industries – provides employment.
• road network that allow easy traffic flow.
• easy access to schools, clinics, shops etc.
• Political factors: South African government has created new settlement due to the
need of housing.
• Historical factors: historically some settlements needed defensive sites to protect
them from invaders.
The situation of a settlement.
• Situation is the relationship between a settlement and its religion.
• Refers to soil, climate, other settlements, rivers etc.
• Settlement’s situation influences the type of activity.
,Rural and urban settlement
Rural settlement Urban settlement
Small in physical and human
Large in physical size and human population size.
population size.
Isolated farmstead, Hamlet. Metropolis, Conurbation.
Unifunctional. Multifunctional.
Secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (trade) and
Primary activities.
quaternary (law) activities.
Limited services. Unlimited services.
Less dense. Denser.
Land is used for one/two
Mixture of land use.
activities.
Ability to urbanise.
Settlement classification.. Complexity, pattern and function.
•The simplest settlement is a isolated farmstead with a few buildings, people and things
people do.
•The complex settlement has many different buildings, roads and services and bigger
population and many things people do.
•Types of settlement
, •Rural:
• Farm
• Hamlet
• Village
•Urban:
• Town
• City
• Conurbation
• Metropolis
• Megalopolis
Pattern
•Urban settlements are usually close together (nucleated).
•Isolated rural settlements are spread out.
•Houses in towns and villages are close together so they form a tight group.
•Functions
•Settlements have reasons for existing.
•The reason is related to
• Where the settlement is
• Why the settlement exists
• How people who live there make a living.
Rural Settlements
Physical Factors:
• A settlement needs a source of fresh water.
• Permanent sites are near rivers, lakes or oases.
• Wet-point sites are where settlements are near water.
• Dry-point sites are chosen to avoid water because of flooding.
• A settlement develops on or near land for farming, grazing or gentle slopes.
• A settlement needs building materials and energy sources like stone, clay or wood.
• The good effects of microclimates like slope direction, temperature layers and wind
protection.
• Settlements are on north-facing slopes.
• Settlements are near or in the temperature layer.
The concepts of settlement, site and situation.
•Settlement is a place where a group of people live.
•Main criteria being that it operates as a single integrated system on a regular basis.
•A settlement is a place where:
• a group of people live,
• an infrastructure exists,
• buildings occur,
• social & economic activities occur.
The site of a settlement.
•Site is the actual place where a settlement grew.
•Factors influencing the site of settlement:
• Physical Factors - availability of resources: water, grazing etc.
• Economic Factors - availability of valuable minerals.
• Trade and transport factors: availability of a natural harbour.
• Cultural/social factors: new towns have been built away from existing urban
settlements that are congested, polluted and overpopulated.
• improve living conditions.
• lifestyles of people.
• attract light industries – provides employment.
• road network that allow easy traffic flow.
• easy access to schools, clinics, shops etc.
• Political factors: South African government has created new settlement due to the
need of housing.
• Historical factors: historically some settlements needed defensive sites to protect
them from invaders.
The situation of a settlement.
• Situation is the relationship between a settlement and its religion.
• Refers to soil, climate, other settlements, rivers etc.
• Settlement’s situation influences the type of activity.
,Rural and urban settlement
Rural settlement Urban settlement
Small in physical and human
Large in physical size and human population size.
population size.
Isolated farmstead, Hamlet. Metropolis, Conurbation.
Unifunctional. Multifunctional.
Secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (trade) and
Primary activities.
quaternary (law) activities.
Limited services. Unlimited services.
Less dense. Denser.
Land is used for one/two
Mixture of land use.
activities.
Ability to urbanise.
Settlement classification.. Complexity, pattern and function.
•The simplest settlement is a isolated farmstead with a few buildings, people and things
people do.
•The complex settlement has many different buildings, roads and services and bigger
population and many things people do.
•Types of settlement
, •Rural:
• Farm
• Hamlet
• Village
•Urban:
• Town
• City
• Conurbation
• Metropolis
• Megalopolis
Pattern
•Urban settlements are usually close together (nucleated).
•Isolated rural settlements are spread out.
•Houses in towns and villages are close together so they form a tight group.
•Functions
•Settlements have reasons for existing.
•The reason is related to
• Where the settlement is
• Why the settlement exists
• How people who live there make a living.
Rural Settlements
Physical Factors:
• A settlement needs a source of fresh water.
• Permanent sites are near rivers, lakes or oases.
• Wet-point sites are where settlements are near water.
• Dry-point sites are chosen to avoid water because of flooding.
• A settlement develops on or near land for farming, grazing or gentle slopes.
• A settlement needs building materials and energy sources like stone, clay or wood.
• The good effects of microclimates like slope direction, temperature layers and wind
protection.
• Settlements are on north-facing slopes.
• Settlements are near or in the temperature layer.
