1.5 Settlements and Service Provision Flashcards
What are the 3 types of settlements?
Dispersed
Linear
Nucleated
What is considered as a Dispersed settlement:
An isolated, building or a group of two or three buildings, separated from the next by 2 or 3 km.
What is considered as a Linear settlement:
Buildings are strung along a line of communication,
for example a main road, a river valley, or canal
What is considered as a Nucleated settlement:
Buildings are grouped together, initially for defence, or a
common resource.
Site:
describes the physical nature of where a settlement
is located – the actual piece of land
Situation:
settlements and physical features around it – this
determines whether the situation will grow into a large
city or remain a small town or village
Factors influencing settlements:
(name atleast 5)
- Wet point site: this has a good water supply
- Dry point site: this has less risk of flooding
- Building material: availability of stone, wood, clay etc.
- Defensive site: in a river meander or on a hill with
steep sided and commanding views - Fuel supply: for heating and cooking
- Food supplies: land suitable for farming
- Nodal points: where routes converge
- Bridging point: river shallow enough to build a bridge
- Aspect: settlements often on sunny side of a valley
- Shelter: from cold prevailing winds and rain
Hierarchy of Settlements
Top:
Conurbation
City
Large town
Small town
Village
Hamlet
Isolated dwelling
Bottom:
Determining order of importance:
- The population size
- The range and number of services
- The sphere of influence
Sphere of influence:
The distance or area people travel from to access a service.
Services:
Facilities that are offered to people e.g.
supermarket. Services have a threshold population,
which helps explain why bigger settlements have more
services.
Range:
This usually refers to the number of different
services e.g. a school, a post office, etc.
Threshold Population:
The minimum amount of people
required for a service to be offered and remain open.
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
Functions of Settlements
Rural areas:
tend to have a lot less functions than
urban areas. The main purpose of settlements in rural
areas is normally agriculture & low-order services. This
is because rural areas have less people, poorer
transport, poorer communication, less technology, &
the land is better used for other purposes.
Functions of Settlements
Urban areas:
tend to have a lot more functions
ranging from shopping functions, to educational
functions, to transport functions, to administrative
functions and residential functions; more middle and
high order services.
