Settlement Flashcards
Settlement
A place where people live. A settlement may be as small as a single house in a remote area or as a large as a mega city (a city with over 10 million residents).
Site
The ground on which the settlement stands, in terms of its physical characteristics.
Situation
The location of the settlement relative to its surroundings, described in relation to other settlements, rivers, transport lines etc.
Service
A service is any activity that fulfils a human want or need and returns money to those who provide it.
(Services are often located in settlements).
Function
The function of a settlement of a settlement relates to its social and economic development and refers to its main activities.
Eg. Mining (Kiruna)
Hierarchy
Placing things in order of importance.
In settlement hierarchy this involves placing settlements in order from the largest population centre to the smallest population centre.
Characteristics good sites have
Defense
Aspect (shelter)
Dry point site
Bridging point
Flat land
Wet point site
Nodal point
Raw materials
Defense - Site characteristics
Settlements found on higher land (protection against enemey attack)
Aspect (shelter) - Settlement characteristics
South-facing slope will have more sun and protection from a cold northerly wind.
Dry point site - Settlement characteristics
Raised from surrounding area, meaning less likely to flood.
Bridging point - Settlement characteristics
Located at a narrow point on a river / stream, where it may be easier to cross.
Flat land - Settlement characteristics
Easy to build on and grow crops.
Nodal point - Settlement characteristics
Located where two natural routes meet.
eg. the confluence of two rivers.
Wet point site - Settlement characteristics
Near a river, for a constant water supply (and later transport)
Raw materials - Settlement characteristics
Close to raw materials, wood and stone, easily accessible.
Dispersed pattern
Isolated buildings are spread out across an area, usually separated by a few hundred metres with no central focus.
Typically an area containing buildings rather than a single settlement. Population is sparse + usually no services.
Where do dispersed settlements usually occur in?
- Remote or mountainous regions
- Areas where the land is predominantly used for agriculture
- Areas with limited job opportunities
- Locations with few, if any, job opportunities
Linear settlement pattern
Occurs in a line or arc shape. They typically follow a road, valley or water body. This allows the settlement to utilise transport routes.
They can also occur along valley floors where the sides are very steep.
Nucleated settlement pattern
Occurs in a circular shape with buildings mainly concentrated around a common centre such as a road junction, park or service area. Most large cities are nucleated indicating they are well planned.
Why do nucleated settlement patterns occur?
- Flat relief which is easy to build on
- The site has a bridging point
- The site is a good defensive position
- A good water supply
- No restrictions to development in any direction
- Good job opportunities
- Effective public services
- Good transport links
Examples of settlement functions
- Mining town
- Tourist resort
- Residential
- Administration
- Commercial
- Route centre
- Manufacturing
- Port
- Cultural / Religious
- Market twon
Hierarchy of settlement
Largest settlement
…
Conurbation
City
Large town
Small town
Village
Hamlet
Isolated dwelling
… Smallest settlement
Low order goods/ services (settlement)
Convenience goods or services such as milk or bread.
High order goods / services (settlement)
Comparison goods or services such as TVs and laptops.
Range (settlement)
How far someone is willing to travel for a particular good or service.
Threshold population (settlement)
The number of people needed to sustain a service.
Sphere of influence (settlement)
The area surrounding a settlement that is affected by the settlement’s activities.
Dormitory settlements (settlement)
Anomalous settlements with a high number of residents but not many services.
Factors affecting the size of the sphere of influence
- Competition from nearby settlements
- Funciton of the settlement
- Transport facilities
- Population size of the settlement and its surrounding area
- Functions of nearby settlements
Modern shopping
High order centre
Regional shopping centre and out of town superstores
CBD
Middle order
Secondary centres
Suburban parades
Low order
Corner shops
Urbanisation
The increase in the proportion fo people living in towns nd cities (eg. industrial revolution)
Suburbunisation
Urban areas spread outwards as railway lines allowed people to live further from work
Counterurbanisation
People leave urban areas to move to smaller settlements outside the city (better living quality)
–> Railway lines + good transport allow this to happen (commuting into cities)
Rural-urban fringe
Transition to city to countryside.
Can contain…
- Fields
- Large-scale manufacturing
- Sometimes malls (if good transport)
- Golf courses
- Airports
Reurbanisation
People beign to return to urban areas due to redevelopment, reduction in crime and new housing.
Urban sprawl
The spread of an urban area into what used to be countryside.
Positive impacs of urban sprawl on the Rural-Urban fringe.
- Cheap land
- Easy to develop
- Landowners gain a profit from selling land
Negative impacs of urban sprawl on the Rural-Urban fringe.
- Need to update infrastructure (eg. public transport/ healthcare)
- Not as much infiltration (due to concrete)
- Land for recreation/ leisure (eg. hiking) = Lost
- Landowners may be driven out due to rising prices.
Advantages of brownfield development
- Easier to get planning permission from councils
- Infrastructure alread there
- Less urban sprawl/ habitat destruction
- Roads already in place
- Brings derelict areas back in use
Disasdvantages of brownfield development
- Contaminated land (needs to be cleaned –> expensive)
- Higher land costs nearer to the CBD
- Environmental survey has to be carried out –> time consuming.
Advantages of greenfield development
- Land = Cheaper to buy + develop
- Built in areas with low congestion on roads/ pollution
- Developers can include car parks + parks
Disadvantages of greenfield development
- Can damage environment + habitats
- Can encourage urban sprawl
- Infrastructure (eg. electricity lines/healthcare/roads)
- Create noise pollution during construction (annoying for local people)
