HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Human Settlement means cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live.Thus, the process of settlement inherently involves grouping of people and apportioning of territory as their resource base. Settlements vary in size and type. They range from a hamlet to metropolitan cities.

Classification of Settlements

On the basis of occupation, settlements may be classified as rural and urban settlements.

Rural Settlements

Any settlement where most of the people are engaged in primary activities like agricultural, forestry, mining and fishery is known as a rural settlement. Most of the world’s settlement are rural, they are mostly stable and permanent. The most important and unique feature of rural settlement is the vast, open spaces with green, pollution – free environment.

Patterns of Rural Settlements

Rectangular pattern

Rectangular pattern of settlements are found in plain areas or valleys. The roads are rectangular and cut each other at right angles.

Linear pattern

In a linear pattern, the houses are located along a road, railway line and along the edge of the river valley or along a levee.

Circular or semicircular pattern

The pattern of settlement that is found around the lakes, ponds and sea coasts are called circular or semi circular pattern.

Star like pattern

Star shaped settlements develop in places where metalled and unmetalled road converged. In the star shaped settlements, houses are spread out along the sides of roads in all directions.

Triangular pattern

Triangular patterns of rural settlement generally develop at the confluence of rivers.

T-Shaped, Y-Shaped, Cross-Shaped or Cruciform settlements

T-shaped settlements develop at tri-junctions of the roads (T), while Y-shaped settlements emerge as the places where two roads converge with the third one. Cruciform settlements develop on the cross-roads which extend in all four directions.

Nebular pattern

The arrangement of roads is almost circular which ends at the central location or nucleus of the settlement around the house of the main landlord of the village or around a mosque, temple or church.

Urban Settlements

An Urban settlement is a concentrated settlement that constitutes or is part of an urban area. It is an area with high density of human-created structures. These geometrical patterns are usually in squares and rectangles and are well laid out.

Classification of Urban Settlements

Urban centres are classified as towns, cites, metropolitan cities, mega cities, conurbation, etc. , depending on the size and services available and functions rendered to it.

Town

A town is generally larger than a village, but smaller than a city. It has a population of less than 1 lakh. E.g. Arakkonam near Chennai

City

Cities are much larger than towns and have a greater number of economic functions. The population in cities are estimated to be more than 1 lakh. E.g. Coimbatore

Metropolitan cities

Cities accommodating population between 10 lakhs and 50 lakhs are metropolitan cities. E.g. Madurai

Megacities

Cities with more than 50 lakh population are called Megacities. E.g. Greater Chennai

Conurbation

A conurbation is a region comprising of a number of cities, large towns and other urban areas. E.g. Delhi conurbation