Settlement Flashcards
(28 cards)
Order of increasing population and services and settlement size.
Conurbation City Large town small town village hamlet isolated dwelling (pyramid)
Hamlet
small settlement and strictly one without a church (britain)
villages
a group of houses and associated buildings. larger than a hamlet, situated in rural areas. hamlet+church
towns
a built up area with a name. defined boundaries and local government. larger than a village, smaller than a city. villages + loval government + name + boundaries
cities
a town becomes a city by charter and usually containing a cathedral
conurbation
an extended urban area. typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of a central city
physical factors affecting settlement growth
near a water source
dry point (higher, dry land above wet ground)
in a gap between hills
in a valley (natural railway, fertile land for farming)
sheltered coast (protected harbour trade, fishing)
near to woods (source of timber for cooking, heating, building, tools etc.)
river (water source, meander - natural defence -, river confluence - double transport routes, flat land - easy to build)
what happens when the settlement is higher up in the hierarchy?
it will have a greater influence. however, it could also have a great influence if it’s at the bottom of the pyramid as many people will know the area
sphere of influence
the area surrounding an activity that is influenced by it e.g. a sports centre or a local park. it is also caleld the catchment area
dormitory town
an area with a large population but fewer services. usually close to cities. people live there for cheap cost of living and easy access to high paid jobs and services in nearby cities.
settlement hierarchy
shows how settlements in any area can be put in order based on their size or the services that they provide
low order settlements
services that are used often e.g. small general stores which sell convenience goods (food, petrol - stuff you need)
high order settlements
services that are needed but not often. they may sell comparsion goods like furniture or clothing and peole usually travel further for them
range
distance people are prepared to travel to use a service.
threshold population
minimum number of people needed for a service to be provided.
function of settlement
the purpose for a settlement existing. settlements have an original function, most in MEDC’s are now multifunctional. e.g a port, market, town, resort
site of a settlement
the piece of land upon which a settlement is built e.g. defensive sites, wet point sites, shelter
situation of a settlement
the settlement’s position in relation to the surrounding human and physical features, many of which will have an impact on the setllement’s size, type and function
the burgess model
(starting from inside going out)
CBD (central business district)/transition
inner city/factories/industry/low class residential
inner suburbs/medium class residential
outer suburbs/high class residential
rural-urban fringe/green belt
urban sprawl
the physical expansion of the city into its surrounding rural area
urban growth
the population of an urban area increases
urbanisation
when the % of people living in urban areas vs. rural areas increases
greenfield site
land that has never been built on before. will often be used for agriculture. countries are trying to restrict the amount of building on them
brownfield sites
has been built on previously but has been left abandoned and has become derelict. most common brownfield sites are former factories found. in the transition zone. government encourages building here.
