What are the distinctive features of settlements?

What are the distinctive features of settlements?

1. Settlement hierarchy

   • Hamlet
     • Village
       • Town
         • City
           • Connurbation
             • Mega-city
               • Global hub
                 • London
                 • Tokyo
                 • New York
             • Areas where cities have merged
               • Leeds
       • Few basic services
       • Maybe a small shop
     • No services, most numerous

2. Criteria to distinguish rural and urban

   • Number of people/ population threshold
   • Employment structure
     • Primary sector
       • Agriculture
       • Mining
     • Secondary sector
       • Manufacturing
       • Factories
     • Tertiary sector
       • Services e.g. Nursing, hairdressers
     • Quarternary sector
       • High tech
       • Research and development
       • Laboratories
     • Reflects on the rurality/ urban level of a settlement
   • Population density
     • High density = urban
     • Low density = rural
   • Extent of built up area
   • Sphere of influence
     • How far people will travel to access the services a settlement has to offer

3. Rural idyll

   • How the rural area is perceived
     • Quiet
     • Green hills
     • Birds singing
     • Thatched cottages
     • Old houses
     • Tight-knit communities
     • Very low levels of crime
     • No cars
   • Groups of people living in rural areas
     • Elderly community/ retired
       • A peaceful place to settle down
     • Farmers + landowners
       • Open spaces of land to grow crops and livestock
     • Commuters/ newcomers
       • Escape to countryside
     • Young families
       • Safe place to bring up children
       • Better quality of life
     • Established residents
       • Sense of community
     • Second home owners
       • Holiday experience

4. Issues for local residents of rural settlements

   • Second home owners disturbing peace - tourists
   • Council housing development
   • Anti-social development
   • Council budget not stretching for enough e.g. not enough grit
   • Isolation factors - services take a long time
   • Closure of post offices
   • Lack of public transport