Settlement Dynamics
Settlement Dynamics
Settlement:
A collection of dwellings where people live. Any form of establishment which is inhabited by
human beings, eg a single dwelling, hamlet, village, town, city.
Site of a Settlement:
The exact/actual place/ground where a settlement is built. The land upon which the
settlement is actually built, eg on a hilltop, on a gentle ground, on a valley. Site is “vertical”
for it refers to immediate environment.
Situation/Location of a Settlement:
The position/location of a settlement in relation to its surrounding human/physical features,
eg near the hospital, near the road, near a river. Situation is “horizontal” for it refers to
regional interdependencies and accessibility.
Factors Influencing Location of Settlements:
(1) Water supply (2) Relief (3) Defence (4) Soil (5) Minerals (6) Fuel supply
(7) Away from natural disasters (8) Government policy (10) Well sheltered from wind
(11) Traditional beliefs (12) Communication (13) Climate (14) Vegetation.
Function of a Settlement:
Economic/social activities of a settlement eg mining, manufacturing, tourism, farming,
education. Purpose/use of a settlement. Changes over time.
Functions of Rural Settlements in Zimbabwe: Housing/settling in ; Storage ; Agriculture ;
Mining ; Fishing ; Preservation of culture ; Production of raw materials for industries in
towns.
Functions of Urban Settlements: Administrative centres ; Route/Transport centres ;
Resort/Recreational centres ; Mining towns ; Manufacturing cities ; Market towns ; Cultural
towns ; Multi-functional urban centres.
Distribution of Settlements: Way in which settlements are spread.
Morphology of a Settlement: Form, structure, pattern, shape of a settlement.
Db = the breaking point between towns A and B. Dab = the distance between towns A and
B. Pa = Population of town A (larger town). Pb = Population of town B (smaller town).
Rural Settlements:
Settlements that are found on the country side.
Characteristics of Rural Settlements: Main functions/activities are primary, ie farming,
mining, forestry, quarrying, fishing ; Consists of hamlets, villages, farms ; Vast open land
between settlements ; Unplanned ; Administered by RDCs, chiefs, headman ; Social
homogeneity ; Age group mainly 0-24 and above 65 ; Poor quality of life.
Rural Settlement Patterns: (1) Linear/Ribbon (2) Circular/Ring (3) Radial
(4) Isolated/Dispersed/Scattered (5) Nucleated/Clustered.
*NB - (a) With reference to rural areas, describe and explain the settlement patterns that
exist (N2012). (b) With reference to rural areas, explain factors that have led to the
development of their settlement patterns (N2016).
Land Reform and Settlement Development:
Land Reform: A social, economic, political and legislative process aimed at redressing
access to land in a country. It involves agrarian revolution and rural development.
How Land Reform Influenced Rural Settlements in Zimbabwe: Development of planned
settlements for cheap/easy service delivery ; Development of more nucleated settlement ;
Increased size of land holding ; Development of settlements on unused land ; Development
of infrastructure eg roads, clinics, schools ; Increased lease periods (99 year lease) leading to
permanent settlements ; Reduced overcrowding in communal areas ; Fragmentation of large
farms.
Measures to Improve Quality of Life in Rural Areas:
Rural electrification ; Provision of piped/tapped water ; Improvement of Transport and
Communication system ; Money transfer systems, eg ecocash ; Irrigation schemes ;
Improved sanitation and hygiene ; Building schools, clinics, banks etc ; Programs such as
CAMPFIRE, poultry projects etc ;Supplementary food ; Land reform; Free inputs ;
Development of growth points ; Protected water sources.
Urban Settlements:
Consist of towns/cities and their suburbs.
Characteristics of Urban Settlements: Main functions/activities are manufacturing, trading
and services ; High density of building ; Tall buildings ; High level of commuting to the CBD ;
High traffic volume ; Infrastructure well developed and planned ; Administered by UCs,
mayors, municipality authorities ; Social heterogeneity ; Age group mainly 24-64 ; Offers a
variety of goods and services ; better quality of life.
Differences between Rural and Urban Settlements: (Dynamics page 125, Waugh page 393,
Hand out)
(1) Rank-Size Rule (Zipf 1949): The rule states that, if all the cities of a country are
arranged in descending order according to population size, the second largest city has half
the population of the largest city, the third largest city has one third etc. The population size
of a given city tends to be equal to the population of the largest city divided by the rank of
the given city. The size of settlements is inversely proportional to their rank. The Rank-Size
rule can be expressed as a Formula: Pr = Pl Pr = Population of the city.
. R Pl = Population of the largest city.
R = Rank size of the city.
Factors Leading to the RSR:
Very large countries ; Countries with a diverse economic base ; Countries with a long history
of urbanisation ; Countries with a federal system of government.
(2) Urban Primacy/Primate Distribution:
This is where the largest city (often the capital) in a country completely dominates the rest,
in terms of population size, economic, social and political activities. When one city is much
larger than the rest in a country. One abnormally large urban centre in a country.Existence
of one city in a country that is many times larger than the second largest city. Eg Lima in
Peru is 12 times larger than the second largest city. Montevideo in Uruguay is 17 times
larger than the second largest city. Cairo in Egypt is 5 times larger than the second largest
city Alexandria.
Factors Leading to Primacy: Small countries whose economy can’t support many large
urban settlements ; Poor countries/Countries with a low per capita incomes ; Countries with
agriculturally based economies ; Countries with a short history of urbanisation and
industrialisation ; Former colonies where one city grew as a collection and administration
centre ; Island countries leading to development of one port due to trade ; Poor resource
based countries ;Countries with unstable economies ; Extreme climatic and physical
conditions, eg desert, rainforest areas.
Efforts to Solve Urban Primacy: Decentralisation ; Creation of growth points/new
towns/satellite towns/dormitory towns ; shifting capital city location eg Nigeria ; Rural
development.
(3) Binary Distribution: When two large cities dominate the rest in a country. Two very
large cities of similar size in a country, eg Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. Binary pattern
arises where there is a complementary development between cities without completion.
(4) Stepped Distribution: This is where a number of cities are found at nearly the same level
(Christaller’s Central Place Hierarchy).
Urban Decay: Process whereby urban infrastructure and property declines in appearance
and structural stability. Physical deterioration and loss of value of urban infrastructure.
Causes of Urban Decay: Aging of buildings ; Technological change ; Lack of investment ;
Growth of new towns.
How to Counter Urban Decay: Urban decay can be countered through Urban Renewal and
Gentrification.
Urban Renewal: Process of renovating, remodelling and rehabilitation of urban areas. It
involves destroying old buildings and putting up modern ones or just renew part of the
building. Generally undertaken by public authorities. Urban renewal improves the image of
the city and living stands.
Gentrification: Renewal and renovation of old buildings in the inner city areas by the
rich/high income earners/professionals. It is done for the sake of prestige. It leads to the
rising prices of property.
City Centre: This is the CBD. The most accessible part of the city. Provides goods and
services within a town.
Inner City/Transition Zone/Twilight Zone: Area close/near the city centre. Usually
inhabited by the old and poor minority. Associated with poor quality, old dilapidated
housing, overcrowding, crime, vandalism, pollution, unemployment, burst water/sewage
pipes.
Urban Fringe: Margin/boundary of urban area. Area of land where there a change from
urban to rural area. Zone of transition between the build up area of the city and the country
side.
Urban Sprawl: Unplanned and uncontrolled outward growth of urban areas. The outward
spread of urban areas encroaching on to rural landscape, taking land that was used for
agriculture/recreation.
Measures to Curb Urban Sprawl: Use of Green Belts ; Vertical Expansion ; Strict planning
control/Restrictive legislation ; New towns away from original sites ; Incentives to industries
to disperse to smaller centres.
Green Belt: An area of land around a large urban area where the development of housing
and industry is restricted. Area/zone of open and semi-rural land surrounding major urban
areas. It’s not continuous. The land is reserved for recreation and farming. It’s meant to stop
the urban area from becoming too big or to prevent coalescence of neighbouring urban
areas.
New Town: A planned urban centre/settlement created in an undeveloped or rural by the
government. It’s designed for self-sufficiency and providing housing, educational,
commercial and recreational facilities for its residents.
Frontier town: Town further inland where resources are siphoned. It’s used as bases and
transit routes for exploitation.
Dormitory Town: Small town isolated from the major town, created mainly to offer
accommodation to residents who commute for employment elsewhere.
Satellite Town: Small town closely related/dependent on a large city yet it’s physical
separate from it. It offers more than residential services.
Defensive Sites: Areas/sites selected for security reasons/defence, especially during earlier
days of settlement establishment.
The Residential Zone: Area where people in an urban area live. It’s divided into three
broad categories: (1) High Density (2) Medium Density (3) Low Density.
Factors Giving Rise to Differentiation of Housing Zones: Income of people ; Type and
quality of housing ; Land values ; Population density ; Distance from the CBD/Industries ;
Racism/Ethnicity ; Government policy.
Residential Segregation: Division/demarcation of residential areas within a population
based on race, income etc.
The Concentric Model: Describes land uses as a series of circular belts/zones around the
CBD. Each ring/circular houses a distinct type of land use. The city expands outwards.
The Sector Model: Uses wedge shaped sectors moving outwards from the CBD along
transport routes/corridors. Transport and communication links determine the formation of
various sectors.
The Multiple Nuclei Model: The city grows from several independent shopping centres.
With time, the centres merge into a large urban centre.
*NB – (a) With reference to named examples of towns/cities studied, discuss the extent to
which they conform to the various urban land use models which have been postulated
(N2003). (b) Critically examine the applicability of any one urban land use model you have
studied (N2017). (c) With the aid of a diagram, illustrate any one of the models of urban
land use (N2014). (d) For any city studied, describe and explain the distribution of its
functional zones (N2014).
Squatter Settlements:
AKA as Shanty towns/Slums/Tangwena. Settlements which are set up without permission
from land authorities. Illegal and spontaneous occupation of land. Buildings are made up of
waste/scrap materials such as plastic, card board boxes, iron sheets, scrap metal, grass,
wood etc. There is absence of social services such as schools, clinics, roads, electricity. Lack
of water and proper sanitation. Face danger of diseases (eg cholera, TB) and fire outbreak.
Houses may collapse during rain season. Harbour social misfits. Associated with social ills
like theft, prostitution, violence, drug abuse etc. Cause deforestation and pollution. There is
overcrowding. Make the land/city ugly.
Location of Squatter Settlements: Found in open spaces ; On urban fringe to avoid
conflicts/government regulations ; Close to industries for employment/minimise transport
cost ; Close to dumping sites to access food/materials ; Along urban rivers for cheap water ;
Away from the CBD ; Close to railway/bus terminus.
Causes of Squatter Settlements: Unemployment ; Lack of affordable accommodation in
urban areas ; Shortage of land in rural areas leading to Rural-Urban migration ; Poverty and
Destitution ; Over-urbanisation ; Availability of open space ; Poor planning ; Poor law
enforcement ; Refugees.
Measures to Deal with the Problem of Squatter Settlements: Upgrading of squatter
settlements through provision of roads, sewage, piped water, toilets, street lights, schools,
clinics etc ; Building of low cost houses for the poor eg high rising buildings/flats ; Provision
of housing loans/grants ; Eviction/Slum clearance programs; Housing co-operatives/schemes
; Giving settlers ownership/title deeds for the plots to encourage them improve/upgrade
the settlements ; Employment creation.