Chow, Armainne D.

Ar-402

Settlement
is a place where people live and interact through activities
such as agriculture, trading and entertainment
In geography help us to understand mans relationship with
his environment.

Urban Settlement
Engages in predominantly in secondary and tertiary activities
such as food processing and banking.
Often has a large population size and high population
density.
Characteristics of an urban settlement location, size, landuse, form and function, and social, economic and structural
patterns
Processes that influence an urban settlement: migration,
sprawl, urbanization, planning, gentrification, urban renewal,
industrial growth or decline and transport changes Distinct
centers of population concentration with a defined form and
several functions (with boundaries around it)
They perform social and economic functions which influence
areas beyond their urban boundaries (they interact with a
wider hinterland, e.g. Christchurch and Canterbury)

 They grow or decline at different times as result of the

cultural processes that cause changes
Can be towns, cities and mega-cities (megalopolis)
Individual farmhouses, hamlets and villages are rural
settlements (there are more of these and less of the urban)
They are distinctly different from non-populated or sparsely
populated areas
Shape and Form
Urban Settlements are different sizes, shapes and forms because
of natural and cultural factors operating.
Physical features such as rivers, mountains and ports limit or
determine shape
Cultural factors like immigration, natural increase, perception and
improvements in technology and accessibility also affect the size.
3 main ways urban patterns are described:
Economic commercial (shops), business functions,
finance centres, industrial areas
Social residential and institutional functions and patterns
of schools, hospitals, parks
Structural Infrastructural networks and patterns of power,
water, gas, rail, roads, ports.
Urban Settlements History

 10,000 years ago, the first so called urban settlements

developed when humans settled in one place, domesticated
animals and began farming crops, ending the
hunting/gathering nomadic lifestyle.
Permanent dwellings were built, people began to specialize
in work and other functions - potters, farmers, carpenters
etc., and a system of trade began.
5,500 years ago, first cities developed in Iraq (Babylon, Bam,
Ur) and Egypt (Thebes and Memphis).
Hydraulic cities, inland and river based, developed in China
(An-Yang) and in the Indus Valley (Mohenjo-Daro)
Civilisation began with cities, to be civilised means to have
cities.
Early cities were usually fortified (castle or Pa style), but also
needed access to fresh water & resources, good climate (not
too extreme) and trade routes for growth.
Later Cities
Early cities had a central religious focus, populations of
10,000 100,000 people, and were governed by religious
leaders or officers appointed by religious leaders
Ancient cities like Athens and Rome were Port based relying
on trade and control of other settlements for growth.
Medieval Cities in Europe were dominated by the Holy
Roman Catholic Church and its associated laws and
systems, trade suffered, they were overcrowded, unsanitary,
isolated, small (30,000 50,000) and few in number.
1000s (11th C) large trade cities developed (Hamburg) to
trade with larger existing cities like London and Venice.
People moved to cities for the opportunity to trade, and for
new technologies and foreign trading items with the East.

 Trade eventually overshadowed the church, new kingdoms

emerged and technology led to the Industrial revolution and
the Industrial City.
Later cities, as we know them, have evolved, becoming
larger, more complex and having a lot of functions
Industrial Cities
Many were medieval cities that grew larger (1 10 million)
Others, like Manchester (UK) emerged due to their
proximity to resources like iron ore, coal and water
Factories attracted workers and populations boomed
Hastily built housing developed into slums with unsanitary
conditions
Crime, pollution and grime increased so wealthy people
built on the edges of cities to avoid the worst bits of the
city
Transport was limited to walking for most (some cars
around and rail was underdeveloped) so people lived
close to where they worked, working class and merchant
class became evident
Edinburgh and older industrial cities maps wealthy
sections and old dirty sections
Cities like Chicago, Auckland and Singapore emerged after
the industrial revolution and have grid patterns of streets and
blocks and distinct industrial, residential and port zones.
Mega Cities / Megalopolis
A recent development where large cities sprawl into each
other like BosNYWash (Boston, New York and Washington)
or Tokohama (Tokyo and Yokohama).

 Mexico City has a population of 16 million people and

together with other third world huge cities and the
megacities, are the most recent developments of human
urban settlement development.

Characteristics of Urban Settlements

All urban settlements are different, but people have come up
with models as a guide to understanding urban settlement
characteristics.
Characteristics can include shape, form, interactions,
functions and economical, social and structural patterns
The hinterland is the area surrounding the urban settlement
Urban Theories
Christaller Central Place Model
Developed by the German geographer Walter Christaller in
1933.
It explains the reasons behind the distribution patterns, size, and
number of cities and towns.
Tested in Southern Germany and came to the conclusion that
people gather together in cities to share goods and ideas and that
they
Urban Settlements influence and are influenced by their
hinterlands

An economic model that relies on the maximum distance people

will travel to trade (range) and the minimum amount of trade a
business needs to survive (threshold)
A larger urban settlement like a city is more accessible to more
people (people will travel far to go to one) and it also has more
functions (tertiary education, hospital etc) than a smaller urban
settlement, such as a town.
Smaller towns often make up the hinterland of a larger city
(Christchurch has Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Rolleston as satellite towns
that provide smaller functions to a rural community, but for larger
functions (hospitals, shopping malls etc ) people will travel to
Christchurch).

Urban Hierarchy
Develops Christallers model further
The larger the place the more services and functions it provides
therefore the more important it is
There are less large cities with a full range of specialist services
(luxury car showrooms, specialist shops, range of healthcare
options etc) and more smaller towns that offer low order, (dairy,
butcher, garage but no high school or hospital for e.g.)
People will travel much further even if it is not very often in order
to gain access to a specialist service than they will for a lower
order service like a bottle of milk
A large city can have several towns as its hinterland or it can have
whole regions (as Canterbury is to Christchurch), or nations
(Auckland interacts with the rest of NZ) or even an international
hinterland.
Public choice theory
Advanced by Paul Peterson in his 1981 book, City Limits
States that urban politicians and governing regimes are
subordinate to the overall economic principles that force cities to
compete to capture new investment and capital.
The competitive nature of cities encourages the business elite
and politicians to favour new development.
Grid model/Hippodamian plan
Examples; The city of Priene

Proposed by Hippodamus of Miletus who is considered the

father of rational city planning
The center of the city contains the agora (Market place),
theaters, and temples. Private rooms surround the citys public
arenas.
The plan can be laid out uniformly over any kind of terrain since
its based on angles and measurements.

Hippodamian plan /Grid Model used in

Priene city

Rank Size

Countries rank their cities in terms of size (population)

There is a rule which suggests that when you have ranked cities
form highest to lowest (population) then the 2nd city should be half
the size of the 1st one, the 3rd should be 1/3 the size of the 1st and
the 4th one of the size and so on, which implies that a lower
ranked city has fewer functions
This rule works best in industrialized, developed countries with
large populations
Primacy
A primate city is one that dominates all others in terms of size,
function, socially and economically.
Auckland is a primate city, it has over 1,000,000 people & then
Wellington has less than 500,000 people
Often occurs in developing countries, small countries & or when a
country has a colonial past.
Linearity
Not all relationships between cities are centrally based
A linear pattern can occur when port cities are settled first and
then more settlements are developed as people push inland
A line pattern develops as a result of roads, telephone and rail
lines & is often influenced by physical features such as mountains
or rivers
A transfer city is often settled between the port and the other
linear towns to distribute goods from the port city to the country
(rural settlements) and the raw materials form the rural

settlements to the port for export (as Hamilton is the transfer city
for Auckland).

Burgess Model - Concentric Zone Model

Zones of land use radiating out from the CBD (central business
district)
At its core is the CBD, or Central Business District. This is the
area with the highest land price, which could only be afforded by
businesses.
Around this is the zone of transition, which is where industry
located. In many cities in the UK, such as Birmingham, this zone
can be quite easily identified. However in most cases the industry
has moved out, leaving the zone empty and in need of renewal.
Beyond the zone of transition are the rings of residential housing.
As people became more wealthy they could afford to live further
out of town, in bigger houses, with larger gardens.
The houses closest to the centre originally would have housed the
workers for the inner city industries. Many British cities still have
many of these terraced houses remaining.

As people moved away from the CBD, the houses closest to the
centre would be taken by newly arrived immigrants to the city,
either from elsewhere in the country or abroad.
1. Central Business District (CBD) - This area of the city is a
non-residential area and its where businesses are. This area
s called downtown ,a lot of sky scrapers houses government
institutions, businesses, stadiums, and restaurants
2. Zone of Transition- the zone of transition contains industry
and has poorer-quality housing available.Created by
subdividing larger houses into apartments
3. Zone of the working class- This area contains modest
older houses occupied by stable, working class families. A
large percentage of the people in this area rent.
4. Zone of better residence- This zone contains newer and
more spacious houses. Mostly families in the middle-class
live in this zone.
5. Commuters Zone/Suburbs- This area is located beyond
the build-up area of the city. Mostly upper class residents live

in this area.

Sector model
Chicago and Newcastle upon Tyne/Newcastle
Developed in 1939 by land economist Homer Hoyt
It is a model of the internal structure of cities.
Social groups are arranged around a series of sectors, or
wedges radiating out from the central business district (CBD)
and centred on major transportation lines
Low-income households to be near railroad lines, and
commercial establishments to be along business
thoroughfares.
Modeling Cities: Hoyt

Stresses the importance of transportation corridors. Sees

growth of various urban activities as expanding along roads,
rivers, or train routes.

Multiple Nuclei method

The Multiple Nuclei Model is an ecological model created
by Chauncy Harris and Edward Ullman in the 1945
City grows from several independent points rather than
from one central business district.
As these expand, they merge to form a single urban area.
Ports, universities, airports and parks also act as nodes
Based on the idea that people have greater movement
due to increased car ownership.
Modeling Cities: Harris-Ullman

Stresses the importance of multiple nodes of activity, not a single

CBD. Ports, airports, universities attract certain uses while
repelling others.
Urban Realms Model
Francisco Bay area
Developed by James E. Vance Jr. in the 1960s
Each realm is a separate economic, social and political entity
that is linked together to form a larger metro framework
Suburbs are within the sphere of influence of the central city
and its metropolitan CBD.
Now urban realms have become, so large they even have
exurbs, not just suburbs.
Bid rent theory
geographical economic theory that refers to how the price
and demand for real estate change as the distance from
the central business district (CBD)
This is based upon the idea that retail establishments wish
to maximize their profitability, so they are much more
willing to pay more for land close to the CBD and less for
land further away from this area.
The amount they are willing to pay is called "bid rent".
Irregular pattern model
Arrangement of Public space that characterizes the stage
of "Transition from village to city" especially in Third World.
This urban model is due to lack of planning or construction
and illegal without a specific order.

 Includes blocks with no fixed order, or permanent and

temporary structures. S
structures are not related to an urban centres near the
place
Howard gardens
Letchworth Garden City, Welwyn Garden city
Developed by Sir Ebenezer Howard (1898)
Inspired by the idea of ideal/Utopian cities
Inspired works on Model villages by Robert Owen and Model
industrial towns by Buckingham.
Comprised of Town, Country and Town-country interactions

Conclusion:
A settlement is any form of human habitation from a single
house to the largest city. There are 2 classifications of settlement:
Urban Settlement and Rural settlement. Urban Settlement is
mainly on built up area. There are buildings on it. Urban
settlements started from a small farm to villages to large cities. As
time goes by Urban settlements continue in developing. People
started to have domestic homes they began to settle in one place
and learned how to build a community. Trade became present in
their practice. They also developed different things like their
religions they also began to build structures that have different
use like churches and other industrial buildings. But every
development has its consequences thats why today urban sprawl
is very much present and the percent of crime began to increase,

thats why a lot of urban theories were made, like the theory of
Burgess were he separated the different people in the city.

References:
http://slideplayer.com/slide/6055261/#
https://golearngeo.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/urban-ruralsettlement-geography/
http://www.ancient.eu/urbanization/
http://www.slideshare.net/bgeffa/urban-models-23134278?
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