Title: Settlement
1Settlement
2- Site
- Size
- Function
- Urban morphology models of an MEDC city
- Urban morphology models of an LEDC city
- The characteristics of Urban Zones
- Definition of urbanisation and the problems
associated with it - Problems in CBD and inner cities of MEDC
- Problems in Shanty Towns of LEDC
- Reasons for urban sprawl
- Advantages/disadvantages of urban sprawl
3- The site of a settlement is the physical land on
which a settlement is built. - There are many factors which influence choice of
site, for example - Water supply- all settlements need water but
need to avoid flooding (places which are built
near water are called WET POINT SITES and places
which are built to avoid water are called DRY
POINT SITES) - Aspect and shelter- In the northern hemisphere
the south-facing slopes are warmer than the north
facing slopes - Defence- settlements were often built high on
hill sides or close to rivers in order to defend
themselves against attack - Food supply- Early people needed to grow their
own food so would need to locate on fertile soil - Communications- All settlements need to be
ideally located near to roads, at gaps in a hill
or a bridging point - Building materials and fuel supply- Early
settlements were often sited near woodlands so
that people had access to wood for building
materials and a fuel supply
4A settlement hierarchy arranges settlements in
size or importance. A settlements place in the
hierarchy depends on the size of the population,
the range and number of services and the sphere
of influence or area served by the settlement.
5The function of a settlement is its purpose- the
main work that it does e,g, religious,
industrial, educational. Small settlements may
have one specific types of employment which
dominates, for example, mining towns. However,
large cities and towns often have several
employment types and are therefore described as
multifunctional. Many settlements have changed
their function over time. In some cases the
original functions, such as defence or farming,
have disappeared altogether.
6The Burgess model for an MEDC city The Burgess
model has five rings of different land uses. The
CBD (central business district) is in the middle.
The Burgess model was developed in the 1920s and
followed two main ideas. 1 The most expensive
land is often in the centre of the city where the
CBD is located and the land on the edge of the
city is cheaper. 2 Cities grew outwards from the
original site so the oldest buildings would be in
the middle of the city and the youngest would be
on the edge
7An urban model for an LEDC city The model below
is based on cities in Brazil. The model has one
similarity with the Burgess Model as the CBD is
still in the centre. However, in the LEDC model
the urban zones are less defined, the high class
sector is very small and close to the CBD, there
are no middle class housing zones (like the
suburbs of the MEDCs), the largest zone is the
shanty towns which are usually on the outskirts.
Large-scale industry is often fairly recent and
is sited along main routeways or around the edges.
8CBD- The Central Business District is at the
heart of a city where the original settlement was
sited. Offices, shops and leisure activities are
often found here and there are very few
residential areas. INNER CITY- The inner city
zone grew during the industrial revolution. It
would have consisted of a mix of densely-packed
terraced homes and factories. However, many inner
city housing areas have now been pulled down and
replaced with high rise flats. SUBURBS- The
suburbs began to grow as cities expanded after
the 1st world war. Houses are more varied and are
often semi detached or detached. There are more
gardens and open space. RURAL-URBAN FRINGE-
Different land uses are found in this area. Some
of the land may be covered in farms, whereas
other areas are covered in housing estates.
Out-of-town shopping centres and airports are
also often found in this area. INDUSTRIAL
ESTATES- These have been built on the fringe of
many towns and cities, where there is more space
for single storey factories and car parks.
9- URBANISATION is the process of urban growth that
leads to a greater percentage of the population
living in towns and cities. It is the movement of
people from rural areas (countryside) to urban
areas (towns and cities). - Advantages
- Improved economy- farms surrounding cities can
increase production to provide food for sale in
cities - Better services- people have better access to
services although in LEDCs people may not be able
to afford them - Improved income- there are more jobs available
and jobs in towns and cities tend to pay more - Disadvantages
- Poor housing- problems in housing provision in
LEDCs leads to shanty housing being built - Unemployment- Lack of jobs in LEDCs leads to
work in the informal sector - Increased traffic congestion and air, water and
land pollution (LEDCs and MEDCs) - Problems in rural areas- The rural areas in
LEDCs may have insufficient able-bodied workers
to farm the land, therefore the agricultural
production can be reduced.
10Problems in the CBD of MEDCs CBD Traffic
congestion- Towns grew before the motor vehicle
were invented so therefore most cities have not
adapted easily to cope with the modern levels of
traffic. Many local authorities have tried to
solve the problem of too many cars by only
allowing pedestrians in certain areas of the CBD
(pedestrianisation). Many have built urban
motorways and flyovers, ring roads and by-passes
to divert traffic away from the centre. In London
and other cities congestion charges aim to keep
non-essential vehicles out of the CBD. Lack of
space and high cost of land- In the CBD land is
expensive and very scarce, therefore high-rise
buildings have been built to combat these
problems. Urban Decline - Some parts of the CBD
have become run down and boarded up shops and
offices are vandalized. This is urban decay and
may be caused by competition from large
out-of-town shopping centres. Pollution- Water,
land and air pollution are very common in the
city centre due to heavy traffic, large numbers
of workers and nearby heavy industry.
11- Problems in the inner city of MEDCs
- By the 1960s and 1970s large parts of inner
cities were in decay. There are three main
problems - poor quality housing with a lack of space and
with no proper kitchens, bathrooms and central
heating - a decaying environment with pollution, derelict
land and a lack of open space - unemployment due to the closure of the
old-fashioned industries. - Solutions
- in some urban areas, the only solution was
comprehensive redevelopment. This meant knocking
everything down and starting again. - in other cities, the local authorities were able
to use urban renewal which meant taking the
current housing and making it fit for modern life
by knocking two houses together to create more
space, by fitting central heating, insulation and
new roofs, etc.
12- Problems in shanty towns of LEDC
- The main problems in the shanty towns of LEDCs
are - high crime rates
- poor transport facilities
- poor quality and a lack of affordable housing
- land, air and water pollution
- lack of employment opportunities
13Reasons for Urban Sprawl Urban sprawl is the
expansion of an urban area into the
countryside Urban sprawl occurs because more
people want to live in an urban area and there is
a lack of space for new housing, the expansion of
industry, transport links, open space, etc. so
the urban area builds outwards on to greenfield
sites. Such urban growth has engulfed nearby
villages, farmland and woodland. At first the
growth was not well planned, but urban planners
have been trying to control the growth of urban
areas by creating green belts and using more
brownfield sites.
14- Advantages of Urban Sprawl
- advantages to companies who have the opportunity
to locate their companies in edge-of-town
shopping centres - cheaper land than within urban locations
- provides better access to motorways and airports
- Disadvantages of Urban Sprawl
- Loss of agricultural land and public open space
- Loss of trade in traditional city centres
- Increasing pollution and traffic congestion in
rural-urban fringe
Conservation and Green Belts Green belts were the
first attempt to stop urban sprawl. Green belt
areas are areas of green and open land on the
edge of cities in which urban development is
restricted. There is now increasing pressure to
build on greenfield sites within this protected
land e.g around London Brownfield
Sites Brownfield sites are urban sites which have
been previously used for other things. For
example, old factories which have become disused
can be converted into apartments.
15- Summary
- The site of a settlement is the physical land on
which a settlement is built - A settlement hierarchy arranges settlements in
order of size or importance - The function of a settlement is its purpose- the
main work that it does. - CBD- The Central Business District is at the
heart of a city where the original settlement was
sited - INNER CITY- The inner city zone grew during the
industrial revolution - SUBURBS- The suburbs began to expand after the
1st world war. Houses are more varied and are
often semi detached - RURAL-URBAN FRINGE- many different land uses are
found in this area - URBANISATION is the process of urban growth that
leads to a greater percentage of the population
living in towns and cities - Urban sprawl is the expansion of an urban area
into the countryside