Settlement Flashcards
Settlement
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).
Site
SITE: the ground on which the settlement stands, in terms of its physical characteristics.
Situation
SITUATION: the location of the settlement relative to its surroundings, described in relation to other settlements, rivers, transport lines etc.
SERVICE FUNCTION
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.
Function
FUNCTION: The function of a settlement of a settlement relates to its social and economic
development and refers to its main activities.
Hierachy
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.
Dispersed
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
Nucleated
Buildings are grouped together, initially for defence, or a common resource
Linear
buildings are strung along a line of communication, for example, a main road, a river valley, or a canal
Factors that affect the position, size, growth and function of a settlement:
-fuel supply: for heating and cooking
-food supplies
-nodal points: where routes converge
Wet points
- these have a good water supply. Many settlements grew around wet point sites
Drypoint sites
- these are away from the risk of flooding,
Defensive sites
often found on higher ground so that in the past enemies could be seen from a distance
or in the loop of a meander
Aspect
settlements are often found on the sunny side of a deep valley. This is common in settlements in
the Alps.
Shelter
- from cold prevailing winds and rain.
Gap towns
Lincoln is found in a gap between two areas of higher ground.
Bridging point
settlements with ‘ford’ in their name often grew around a fording point or bridging point
Trading centres
often settlements grow where natural routeways and rivers meet, which helps the development of roads, railways and canals.
Hierarchy:
Determining the order of importance:
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.
Central business district (CBD)
The land in urban areas is used for many different purposes:
leisure and recreation
residential
transport
business and commerce
industry
Settlement services
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.
Transition zone:
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.
Suburbs:
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.
Rural-urban fringe
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.
Commuter belt or Commuter villages (dormitory villages):
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.
Greenfield site
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.
Brownfield site
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.
Urban Sprawl or Urban Growth:
The spread or growth of an urban area into the rural-urban fringe.
