Settlement Hierarchy Flashcards
List the settlement hierarchy in order of settlements from smallest to largest. [6]
- Hamlets
- Small villages
- Large villages
- Small towns
- Large towns
- Cities
What are the patterns as you move up the settlement hierarchy?
Settlements become:
- Bigger in population
- Fewer in number
What does the order of goods and services define?
How often we use them
What are low order goods/services?
Those which we buy and use almost every day (e.g. Milk/newspapers)
What are middle order goods/services?
Those which we buy on a fortnightly or monthly basis (e.g. Clothes/cinema tickets)
What are high order goods/services?
Those which we buy rarely (e.g. International flight tickets/furniture)
Define the range of a product or service.
The maximum distance that people will travel to buy or use it.
What sort of goods do we not need to travel far for and why?
Convenience goods (e.g. Milk) because all types of milk are readily available.
What sort of goods might we need to travel far for and why?
Comparison goods (e.g. TVs) because you are looking for a specific type of TV which may not be available in some closer stores.
Define the threshold of a product or service.
The number of customers needed to make an enterprise profitable.
Define the sphere of influence of a settlement.
The area of people around it that are attracted to use its services.
What is the function of a settlement?
Its main purpose.
Give an example of a function of a settlement.
Tourist settlement
What kind of sphere of influence does a tourist settlement typically have?
A large sphere of influence.
List three factors that affect a settlement’s sphere of influence.
- Function
- Accessibility
- Competition from rival settlements
What is a dormitory settlement?
A settlement where commuters to a large city sleep.
What kind of sphere of influence does a dormitory settlement have?
Small sphere of influence.
Explain how the function of a settlement may affect its sphere of influence. (Tourist/dormitory)
If a settlement’s function is tourism it will have a large sphere of influence because people are attracted to it from all over the world.
If a settlement’s function is to serve as a dormitory settlement it will have a small sphere of influence because people only use its services when they are commuting to a large city and need to sleep.
Explain how the accessibility of a settlement may affect its sphere of influence.
A settlement that is easy to get to might have a larger sphere of influence as a result. For example, Juneau in Alaska has a smaller sphere of influence because it is not accessible by car.
Explain how competition from rival settlements may affect the sphere of influence of a particular settlement.
If a city is near a town, more people will go to the city.
This is because the city has the widest variety and largest number of high-order goods and services.
This reduces the sphere of influence of the nearby town.
How might you assess the sphere of influence of a particular settlement? [2]
- Find out where people have come from to shop in the settlement’s city centre.
- Look at the catchment area of the largest school in the settlement.
