1.5 Settlements and Service Provision Flashcards
What are the 3 types of settlements?
Dispersed
Linear
Nucleated
What is considered as 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 considered as a Linear settlement:
Buildings are strung along a line of communication,
for example a main road, a river valley, or canal
What is considered as a Nucleated settlement:
Buildings are grouped together, initially for defence, or a
common resource.
Site:
describes the physical nature of where a settlement
is located – the actual piece of land
Situation:
settlements and physical features around it – this
determines whether the situation will grow into a large
city or remain a small town or village
Factors influencing settlements:
(name atleast 5)
- Wet point site: this has a good water supply
- Dry point site: this has less risk of flooding
- Building material: availability of stone, wood, clay etc.
- Defensive site: in a river meander or on a hill with
steep sided and commanding views - Fuel supply: for heating and cooking
- Food supplies: land suitable for farming
- Nodal points: where routes converge
- Bridging point: river shallow enough to build a bridge
- Aspect: settlements often on sunny side of a valley
- Shelter: from cold prevailing winds and rain
Hierarchy of Settlements
Top:
Conurbation
City
Large town
Small town
Village
Hamlet
Isolated dwelling
Bottom:
Determining order of importance:
- The population size
- The range and number of services
- The sphere of influence
Sphere of influence:
The distance or area people travel from to access a service.
Services:
Facilities that are offered to people e.g.
supermarket. Services have a threshold population,
which helps explain why bigger settlements have more
services.
Range:
This usually refers to the number of different
services e.g. a school, a post office, etc.
Threshold Population:
The minimum amount of people
required for a service to be offered and remain open.
High Order Goods (Comparison):
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
Low Order Goods (Convenience):
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
