SETTLEMENTS

By: Joshua, Thandie, Nila and Thobo

Definition of key terms

Settlements: It is simply a place where people reside.
-Examples of a settlements include a town (Palapye, Botswana), city (New York City, USA), village (Plockton, Scotland), etc.
Site: The actual place or area the settlement is built on. Think of it like the ground.
Situation: The area surrounding the site of the settlement.
-For example, the settlement could have a river next to it or it could be found in a desert. Basically, what sort of an area is the settlement
found in.
Urban: It is a built-up area. It consists of jobs in the secondary and tertiary sector.
Rural: A less built-up area usually found in the countryside. It has primary sector jobs.
Sphere of Influence: It is the area around the settlement which it serves by offering services.
There are two key-terms used when talking about this, those being range and threshold population. Range is the maximum distance
people are prepared to travel to acquire a service, while threshold is the minimum number of people required to support a service or
settlement.

What to take into consideration when describing a settlement

When describing a settlement, you must describe it in terms of its size, structure (Arrangement of buildings and services) and function
(What is the main activity that happens here).
*Settlement structure is also called layout.
Settlement Morphology: This is when the settlements layout is considered in terms of settlement type and types of buildings.

Types of Settlements:
1.Isolated Home/Farmsteads 4. Towns
They are the smallest kinds of settlements usually consisting of one Typically, an urban settlement that has more than 10,000 people.
or two buildings. They are in most cases rural.

5. Cities
The rural settlement in the picture consists of a single simple house The difference between a town and a city is a bit of a blurry one as
located alongside a road in a sloped area of land. The inhabitants they’re basically the same thing. Cities are typically larger than
of the settlement are probably hunters and gatherers. towns in terms of size and population and are recognized as cities
by the government.
*Your house by itself being located within a city or town cannot be
classified as a settlement, however if it was self-sufficient (able to
provide necessary services for itself) and located in the country
side, then it could be classified as an Isolated Home making it a
settlement.

2.Hamlet
It is a human settlement that is bigger than an isolated home but
smaller than a village.
6.Conurbation
Typically, an isolated home consists of one family inhabiting one
or two houses, but a Hamlet can consist of a few families living in Conurbations are formed when two or more cities grow into each
more than one house. other due in a process called Urban Sprawl.

3. Village
Greater London
A small settlement of up to 10,000 people which has a few services
7.Megaloposis
A clustering of cities with a population of more than 10 million

.
Factors Influencing location of the site
1. Water- Everyone needs water for survival. It is used for household activities, irrigating crops and in industries. Even though it is
important for a settlement to locate near a water source, it should be safe from flooding, because that can kill people and cause
damage.
2. Level sites- It is easier to construct buildings on level ground. Mountainous areas are excellent for defense, because of the high
ground.
3. Aspect(slopes)- Settlements built on sloped areas are located on slopes that receive more sunlight. This is done because sunlight is
vital for crop growth.
4. Rich Soils- For better crop growth
5. Labor Supply- Availability of resources such as minerals demands a workforce to extract and process them.
6. Communication- The settlement should be located near good and easy to access transport links.
7. Weather Conditions- People build settlements in areas where the climate is favorable to the function of the settlement.
8. Government Policies- The government may play a role in where a settlement is located by restricting certain areas of land.

Factors affecting size growth and function

Economic Factors Physical Factors Political Factors
• Trade and Community links • Weather and Climate • Government Policies
• Availability of power supply • Vegetation • Political Stability
• Soil fertility • Minerals
• Labor Supply • Soil type
• Mineral Resources • Natural Resources
• Availability of Raw materials • Relief
• Potential Business Opportunities • Availability of water
• Aspect
Settlement Patterns
1. Linear Settlement – In this pattern, houses are 4. Cruciform- In this settlement, houses are built along
spread out along a road or river. where two houses meet. This is sometimes confused
with a nucleated pattern, because in this pattern
houses tend to cluster together. They key difference
between is their spatial arrangement and what is
found at their center.

2. Nucleated/Compact- In this pattern, houses are built

very close together.

5. Circular Pattern- Houses are in a circular pattern.

3. Dispersal/Haphazard/Scattered- Houses are built far

apart from each other.
Settlement Hierarchy
We already talked a bit about Settlement Hierarchy when we spoke about the different types of
settlements, the sphere of influence and threshold population and range, but what exactly is
settlement hierarchy?
A Settlement Hierarchy shows how settlements in any area can be put in order based on their size or
the services that they provide. Higer up the hierarchy the population size increases, although in any
area there are fewer large settlements such as cities (High order settlements) than towns (Middle
order settlements). There are even more small settlements such as villages (Low order settlements)
Low Order Settlements- They comprise of settlements found towards the bottom of the triangle and they also have quite a small
population. They offer few services such as a post box, bus stop and a Church (These are Low order services); They don’t provide services
like Wi-Fi or electricity in some cases. Low Order services can be viewed as important necessities to the people living there.
High Order Settlements- They comprise of settlements found at the top of the triangle and they have a huge population. They offer high
order services (Services that aren’t needed as much) such as furniture stores and theaters.
Middle Order Settlements- They comprise of settlements found in the middle of the triangle. They have a moderate number of people
living in them, and they offer more services than Low order settlements. They tend to have both Low Order and High Order services.
CASE STUDY A

Urban Land Use

The land in a settlement can be used for a different purpose, and they are usually classified as:

1.CBD- Central Business District 2.Industrial Area

It is the heart of a large settlement like a city, where the bulk of Industrial Areas means an area designated for industrial use
the economic activities. where products or materials of all kinds and properties are
fabricated, assembled or processed.
Land is much cheaper here as the demand is lower due to this area
being located further away from the Residential area and CBD.
There are a lot of open spaces here.

*Proof that Botswana has a CBD after all! But in all honesty, this is
what a real CBD looks like:

3.Residential Area
A place where people live; occupied primarily by private
residences.

In a CBD, land is very expensive. So, buildings tend to grow

upwards in the form of skyscrapers to maximize the space they can
use.

4.Transport Routes
Land used for a large volume of transport and this takes
advantage of available space. They usually located at the edge of
town.
 Characteristics of:
CBD Industrial Area Residential Area Transport Routes
• Lack of open space • Presence of factories and • Lots of open spaces • Found on the edges of the
• Expensive to live here warehouses • Availability of facilities like settlement
• Easy access to public • Availability of land and schools and shopping • Has lots of roads
transport labor centers • Has a high volume of
• Multi-story buildings • Accessibility of transport • Backyard gardens traffic
• Quality entertainment lines • Community halls • Car go vroom vroom
facilities • Pollution
• Some open spaces
Land use models
a) Concentric/Ring Model
Created by a man called W. Burgess in 1920, and it claims cities grow outward in a series of rings.
During the 1920’s, most people were very class conscious, housing was segregated according to income and there was a lack of
transport infrastructure.

This Model assumes that: Problems with the Model:

• Older buildings were located in the center; newer buildings • It is Old.
were located at the edge of the city.
• It doesn’t take car ownership into consideration
• Strong economic and ethnic segregation.
• Landscape isn’t considered
• Low-income groups lack transport and live close to the city
• It doesn’t consider the impact the industry and transport
center.
could have on land use.
• Cities develop on a flat plain with equal access to transport.
• Zones are never as clear cut in real life.

b) Sector Model
According to Homer Hoyt in 1939, the city develops in a series of sectors. These sectors may be determined by environmental factors.
As the city grows, certain activities grow outwards like a wedge from the center.
Once a certain area has been established for a certain type of
use, other buildings related to that use will cluster in the area.
Areas with wealthy people will attract more wealthy people.
Middle-income people live adjacent the wealthy people and the
poor occupy whatever free space is left.
This model is very similar to the Ring theory, but areas are not
organized into perfect unbroken circles.
 c) Multiple Nuclei Model

This Model was created by Ullman and Harris in 1945, and it stated that cities
don’t grow from one nucleus (CBD), but from multiple CBDs. Each CBD can have a
different function. The CBDs usually expand into each other to form conurbations,
e.g., Greater London.
The model states that incompatible land-use activities don’t cluster in the same
area. The nodes (The different nuclei) influence the type of development that
happen around them.

N.B: Remember that each model has its limitations, and that you should avoid the temptation of saying a certain settlement fits one model
(Because at best the settlement will share only a few characteristics with the model) as each settlement is unique.

Urban Sprawl and Urbanization

Urbanization: The Population shift from rural to urban residency. This could be for many reasons such as Political/Government causes,
economic causes, educational, environmental degradation and Global Village (The belief that people who live in urban areas are superior).
Urban Sprawl: The spreading of urban developments (such as houses, dense multifamily apartments, offices buildings and shopping
centers) on undeveloped land near a more or less densely populated city.
The are at the edge of the city where it meets the country side is known as the Rural-Urban fringe, and there is a lot of pressure there,
because:
• Urban Sprawl
• Industrial Growth
• Demand for recreational facilities
• Agricultural Development

Problems associated with Urban settlements

Urban Settlements face the following problems due to their size:
Pollution Lack of employment
Pollution is a huge problem all over the world. Many Since there are so many people living in urban areas, there
imagine pollution as large evil factories dumping their is a lack of jobs. This leads to increased unemployment
toxic waste into a lake, but really it can be as simple as and crime rate (as people have to steal for a living).
dropping a sweet wrapper on the ground.
Once again, a possible solution to this problem would be
Possible ways to reduce pollution include introducing fines to develop rural areas to reduce migration.
for littering, adding more rubbish bins and using fuel
Expensive Lifestyle
sources that don’t pollute the air.
Due to the high population in urban areas, there is a high
Overpopulation
demand for resources, making everything very expensive.
Urban settlements are densely populated, and this causes
Once again, a possible solution to this problem would be
all sorts of problems. High migration to urban areas and
to develop rural areas to reduce migration.
prostitution are a few reasons to this
Outbreak of diseases
Possible ways to reduce overpopulation includes
developing other rural settlements to reduce migration Due to the high population in urban areas, it is very easy
and using awareness campaigns to encourage use of birth for diseases to spread because people are very close
control methods to reduce overpopulation. together.

The high population also contributes to traffic congestion. Once again, a possible solution to this problem would be
to develop rural areas to reduce migration

CASE STUDY FOR THE CLASS: Explain how migration has impacted a named urban area.
Squatter Settlements
A Squatter Settlement is a structure built on land that
doesn’t belong to the builder.
This is a settlement that has developed due to
construction of structures on land but without legal
permission from the concerned authority.
Squatter Settlements are characterized by closely
packed houses, high population density, high rate of
pollution, poor waste disposal methods, poor security
standards, use of dirty water and poor-quality
housing 9But It can be high-quality housing in some
cases)
Reasons behind the growth of Squatter Settlements Reasons why the development of Squatter Settlements must be
stopped
• High building standards for legal houses.
• Delayed responses from the Ministry of Land. • Leads to an outbreak of diseases
• High rental prices as demand for housing increases • Drug abuse and Vaping
• Less government control on open spaces • Increase in immorality (Prostitution)
• Increase urban unemployment • Pollution
• High Crime rate
Solutions to the Development of Squatter Settlements
• Legalize Squatter Settlements like in Soweto, South Africa or Epworth, Zimbabwe.
• Reforms or Land right (This involves coming up with better urban zone planning schemes, decreasing housing prices, slum upgrade
initiatives, etc.)
• Demolishing Squatter settlements and resettling the area
• Coming up with control measures on such settlements
• Strict control on open spaces.
Case Study B

Case Studies
Case Study A: For a named settlement, describe and explain the settlement hierarchy and service provision
SETTLEMENT: Toulouse
Toulouse is a city based in Southern-France, famous for its clear settlement hierarchy. Toulouse has a population of 1 million in 2020.
Laborde Fabien is the isolated homestead of the area, it has very few buildings and is located 38 Km away from Toulouse. Espaon is the
region’s Hamlet, followed by Lombez which is the village. Lombez has low order services such as village shop, post office, and therefore a
low threshold population. Pibrac is the town of the region, it is located 25Km away from Toulouse and it has medium-order services such as
Carrefour Shopping Centre and a secondary school. Old Toulouse is the “city” part of the area, and it has high order services like a
university and airport. Finally, we have Grande Toulouse, which is the conurbation of the area. It was a city that expanded into other
settlements in the area. The are more small settlements than large settlements, and the large settlements are further away from each
other.

Case Study B: For A named urban area, describe the measures that have been taken to reduce traffic congestion
URBAN AREA: London
London is the capital city of the United Kingdom. The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. London is located
in southern England. London hopes to reduce traffic congestion in the city by implementing the “London Congestion Charge” in February of
2003. The congestion charge discourages vehicular transport in certain areas called “Low emission zones”. In this area, only vehicles that
release less than a 100g of carbon dioxide are allowed to travel. This has reduced both traffic congestion and air pollution. Cars that
comply with the London Congestion charge are exempted from car tax. Another scheme that has been implemented to combat traffic
congestion is the “Legible London” scheme that was implemented in November of 2009. This scheme encourages people to use healthier
forms of transport such as walking or using bicycles. The implementation of these schemes has seen a great degree of success in the city,
as traffic congestion has reduced by 30% and air pollution by 65%.