Settlement geography
What is a settlement?
A settlement is the term used for any place where people live. Settlements usually contain some or all of the structures and systems the people there require to meet their needs. Structures include buildings, roads, and similar features and systems include things such as transport, water, and communications services. If we see geography as the study of the earth as the place where people live then settlements are an important subject for investigation.
Settlements can vary in terms of a number of characteristics such as:
- size - they range from single dwellings such as farmsteads to mega-cities
- age - Damascus has been inhabited for over 4000 years but some informal settlements are only days old
- permanency - A city may be likely to remain in place for decades or even centuries, but a road camp will be dismantled when the contract is finished
- origin and purpose - A military base has a different reason for existence to a monastery.
Site and situation
Site refers to the actual piece of land occupied by the settlement.
Situation refers to the position of the settlement in relation to other parts of the environment e.g. a settlement may be situated on the bank of a river and close to a railway station.
The choice of a site can be influenced by a wide range of factors:
- Wetpoint
- the availability of fresh water
- Energy
- the availability of fuel or energy sources
- Aspect
- how attractive the site is
- Drypoint
- how well the site is drained
- Topography
- is the ground sloped or level
- Micro-climate
- weather patterns there
- Proximity
- to markets, transport and communication networks, grazing for livestock, services
- Availability of building materials
- Defence and security
Rural and urban settlements
Rural settlements are usually small and unifunctional and tend to focus on mostly primary rural activities such as farming or mining.
Urban settlements are larger in size and population and multifunctional and focused mostly on secondary, tertiary, and quarternary functions.
Classification of settlements
Size
| Type | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Isolated farmstead | A few buildings and one or two families | Any farm |
| Hamlet | Small grouping of several farmsteads with some common buildings e.g. church but no shops or services | Bulugha |
| Village | Larger rural community with a few basic services | Kei Mouth |
| Town | Smallest type of urban settlement with some secondary activities and services | Stutterheim |
| City | Large urban centre with specialised services such as university or international airport | Mthatha |
| Metropolis | Large urban area consisting of a large city and surrounding towns and suburbs | Buffalo City |
| Conurbation | Continuous urban development when cities and towns expand towards each other and merge | Johannesburg-Ekurhuleni-Tshwane |
| Megalopolis | A sprawling urban area consisting of adjoinging conurbations | Taiheiyo Belt in Japan covers 1200km and houses 80 million people |
Complexity
Pattern
In geography, we distinguish between nucleated and dispersed settlement patterns.
Nucleated settlements have structurees clustered close together often around a common point.
Dispersed settlements have individual, isolated structures spread far apart from each other.