Settlement & Urbanisation Flashcards
(44 cards)
what are the three settlement patterns?
- dispersed
- linear
- nucleated
what is 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 a linear settlement?
Buildings are strung along a line of communication e.g. a main road, a river valley, or a canal
what is a nucleated settlement
when a lot of towns are close together around a central feature, but further out there are few buildings
what is site?
the physical nature of where a settlement is located – the actual piece of land
what is situation?
describes settlement about other settlements and physical features around it – this determines whether the situation will grow into a large city or remain a small town or village
10 factors influencing settlements
- wet point site: this has a good water supply
- drypoint site: this has less risk of flooding
- building material: availability of stone, wood, clay, etc.
- fuel supply: for heating and cooking
- food supplies: land suitable for farming
- nodal points: where routes converge
- shelter: from cold prevailing winds and rain
- climate: A good climate attracts more people.
- fertile land: brings in more farmers.
- location: access to trades and raw materials.
10 functions of settlements
- Political
- Dormitory
- Agricultural
- tourism
- Mining
- Port
- Market town
- Fishing
- Residential
- Industrial
what is the hierarchy of settlements (bottom to top)?
- isolated dwelling
- hamlet
- village
- small town
- large town
- city
- metropolis
what is sphere of influence?
an area served by a settlement
what are services?
facilities that are offered to people e.g. supermarkets. services have a threshold population, which helps explain why bigger settlements have more services
what is range?
the distance that people are prepared to travel to use a service
what is threshold population?
the minimum amount of people required for a service to be offered and remain open.
what are high order goods?
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
what are low order goods?
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
what is urban sprawl?
the spread or growth of an urban area into the rural-urban fringe; provides mainly middle–order services
function of rural areas?
usually is agriculture & low-order services. this is because rural areas have fewer people, poorer transport, poorer communication, less technology, & the land is better used for other purposes
function of urban areas?
tend to have many more functions e.g. shopping to educational, transport, administrative, and residential functions; and more middle and high-order services
what is the Central Business District (CBD)?
- centre point of the city and has the highest land prices
- the most accessible point in the city
- high-rise buildings and skyscrapers
what are the land uses of the CBD?
- Leisure and recreation - may include open land
- residential - High/multi-storey buildings.
- transport - road and rail networks, train stations and airports
- business and commerce - offices, shops, and banks
- industry - factories, warehouses, and small production centres
what is the function of the CBD?
retail, entertainment, financial services, and other professional services
why is the CBD in the centre?
- a central location for roads/railways to converge
- the most accessible location for workers
- accessible to most people for shops and businesses
what are some problems faced in the CBD?
congestion, pollution, and lack of space
what is the inner city?
- typically found next to CBD
- it has mainly terraced houses in a grid-like pattern
