Settlement

Question 1

Settlement

Answer 1

is 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).

Question 2

Site

Answer 2

SITE: the ground on which the settlement stands, in terms of its physical characteristics.

Question 3

Situation

Answer 3

SITUATION: the location of the settlement relative to its surroundings, described in relation to other settlements, rivers, transport lines etc.

Question 4

SERVICE FUNCTION

Answer 4

SERVICE FUNCTION: A service is any activity that fulfils a human want or need and returns money to those who provide it. In sorting out where services are distributed in space, geographers see a close link between services and settlements, because services are located in settlements.

Question 5

Function

Answer 5

FUNCTION: The function of a settlement of a settlement relates to its social and economic
development and refers to its main activities.

Question 6

Hierachy

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

Dispersed

Answer 7

an isolated, individual building or a group of two or three buildings, perhaps forming a hamlet, and separated from the next by 2 or 3 km

Question 8

Nucleated

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Linear

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Factors that affect the position, size, growth and function of a settlement:

Answer 10

-fuel supply: for heating and cooking
-food supplies
-nodal points: where routes converge

Question 11

Wet points

Answer 11

• these have a good water supply. Many settlements grew around wet point sites

Question 12

Drypoint sites

Answer 12

• these are away from the risk of flooding,

Question 13

Defensive sites

Answer 13

often found on higher ground so that in the past enemies could be seen from a distance
or in the loop of a meander

Question 14

Aspect

Answer 14

settlements are often found on the sunny side of a deep valley. This is common in settlements in
the Alps.

Question 15

Shelter

Answer 15

• from cold prevailing winds and rain.

Question 16

Gap towns

Answer 16

Lincoln is found in a gap between two areas of higher ground.

Question 17

Bridging point

Answer 17

settlements with ‘ford’ in their name often grew around a fording point or bridging point

Question 18

Trading centres

Answer 18

often settlements grow where natural routeways and rivers meet, which helps the development of roads, railways and canals.

Question 19

Hierarchy:
Determining the order of importance:

Answer 19

1) the population size
2) the range and number of services
3) the sphere of influence
NOTE: there are the least number of capitals (1) and many hamlets.

Question 20

Central business district (CBD)
The land in urban areas is used for many different purposes:

Answer 20

leisure and recreation
residential
transport
business and commerce
industry

Question 21

Settlement services

Answer 21

Low order goods/ services: Convenience goods or services such as milk or bread.
High order goods/ services: Comparison goods or services such as TVs and laptops.
Range: How far someone is willing to travel for a particular good or service.
Threshold population: The number of people needed to sustain a service.
Sphere of influence: The area surrounding a settlement that is affected by the settlement’s activities.
Dormitory settlements: Anomalous settlements with a high number of residents but not many services.

Question 22

Transition zone:

Answer 22

The area between the CBD and the largely residential suburbs. Traditionally this used to
be an area of industry, but as industry has relocated these areas are being regenerated into mixed land use areas including houses, shops and entertainment.

Question 23

Suburbs:

Answer 23

The areas near the edge of the urban area that has a concentration of residential land use. There
will also be some recreational land use within the suburbs and possibly some retail and educational.

Question 24

Rural-urban fringe

Answer 24

This is the boundary between the urban area and the rural area (countryside). This area is demand by multiple land users e.g. agriculture, recreational, residential, retail, industrial. The large demand can often lead to conflict.

Question 25

Commuter belt or Commuter villages (dormitory villages):

Answer 25

Areas of residential land use where people travel
from to their work place. People might access services near their place of work so commuter villages are often devoid of any other land uses or services.

Question 26

Greenfield site

Answer 26

Land that has never been built on before, greenfield sites will often be used for agriculture.
Many countries are trying to restrict the amount of building on greenfield sites and encouraging building on brownfield sites.

Question 27

Brownfield site

Answer 27

This is land that has been built on previously but has been left abandoned and often become derelict. Most commonly brownfield sites are former factories found in the transition zone.

Question 28

Urban Sprawl or Urban Growth:

Answer 28

The spread or growth of an urban area into the rural-urban fringe.