Geography Notes – Rural and Urban Settlements
Q21 Rural Settlement Meaning Types and Patterns
Rural settlements are villages where people mainly depend on agriculture fishing animal husbandry
and forestry.
Characteristics
• Small population size
• Agriculture main occupation
• Houses made with local materials
• Low level infrastructure
• Close social relations
Types of Rural Settlements
• Dispersed settlement houses scattered far apart usually in hills or forests
• Nucleated settlement houses closely grouped common in fertile plains
• Semi clustered settlement houses partly grouped partly scattered
• Hamlet settlement very small group of houses forming small village unit
Patterns of Rural Settlements
• Linear pattern houses along roads rivers or canals
• Circular pattern houses around central space or water source
• Rectangular pattern houses arranged in rectangular blocks
• Star pattern houses spread from a central point
Factors Affecting Rural Settlements
• Physical factors climate relief soil fertility water availability
• Economic factors agriculture opportunities transport markets
• Social factors culture traditions security community life
• Political factors government policies land ownership
Q22 Urbanization and Urban Problems
Urbanization is the growth of cities and increase of population living in urban areas mainly due to
migration and industrial development.
Causes of Urbanization
• Industrialization creates employment opportunities
• Better education healthcare transport communication
• Migration from villages for jobs and living conditions
• Economic development trade commerce services
Features of Urban Settlements
• Large population
• Non agricultural occupations
• Developed infrastructure
• Better transport and communication
• Higher standard of living
Major Urban Problems in India
• Overpopulation
• Housing shortage
• Slums
• Traffic congestion
• Pollution
• Unemployment
• Water and sanitation problems
Factors Influencing Origin of Cities
• Physical factors water fertile land favorable climate
• Economic factors trade industry transport resources
• Political factors administrative centers government policies
• Cultural factors religious centers educational institutions
Urbanization Reasons in the World
• Industrialization
• Employment opportunities
• Better educational facilities
• Medical facilities
• Better infrastructure
• Modern lifestyle
• Rural push factors like poverty unemployment
Merits of Urbanization
• Economic development
• Employment opportunities
• Better education
• Better healthcare
• Infrastructure development
Demerits of Urbanization
• Overpopulation
• Housing problems
• Pollution
• Traffic congestion
• Social problems
Urban Settlement and Functional Classification of Cities
Urban settlements are towns and cities where people mainly engage in non agricultural activities
like industry trade and services.
• Industrial cities example Jamshedpur
• Commercial cities example Mumbai
• Administrative cities example New Delhi
• Cultural educational cities example Varanasi
• Port cities example Chennai
• Tourist cities example Jaipur
Central Place Theory
Central Place Theory was developed by German geographer Walter Christaller in 1933 to explain
the distribution and hierarchy of settlements.
Main Ideas
• Central places provide services to surrounding areas
• Hinterland is the area served by a central place
• Threshold population minimum people required to support a service
• Range of goods maximum distance people travel to buy goods
• Hierarchy of settlements villages towns cities metropolitan cities
Importance
• Helps understand location of towns and cities
• Useful for urban planning
• Explains distribution of services and markets
Criticism
• Assumes flat land and equal population distribution
• Ignores physical barriers like rivers mountains
• Modern transport changed settlement patterns