Unit 4

Human settlements

One of the basic human needs is shelter. It may be in the form of a hut, a house, an apartment
or a big mansion. Settlement refers to an organised colony of human beings together with
the buildings in which they live or use and the paths and streets over which they travel. It
includes the temporary camp of the hunters and herders; the permanent settlements called
villages; and large urban agglomerations. Human settlements may consist of only a few
dwelling units (hamlets), or they may be as large as megalopolis with a big cluster of buildings
accommodating millions of people.

Settlements can be studied in terms of their site, situation, size, buildings, form, function,
internal structure, external linkage, and roles in the national and global economy. Site refers to
the actual piece of ground on which the settlement is built. Rural settlements originate in the
areas that have favourable physical environment such as availability of water, plain surface,
fertile soil and other similar factors. Nature of advantageous site may differ from place to place
depending upon the surroundings. For example, in desert areas, oasis or any other source of
water acts as a favourable site for settlement. this is called wet point settlement. In other words,
these are the sites close to supply of water. Contrary to this, in marshy areas, higher ground
that is little away from water body can prove to be a favourable site. These are the sites
that avoid the risk of flooding. This is known as dry-point settlement. Similarly,
settlements are located in valleys in mountainous and hilly areas. These are called spur-line
settlement. Since rural settlements are more dependent on their surrounding environment
as compared to urban settlements, site plays an important role in their origin and survival.

Situation or Position refers to the location of the village or town in relation to surrounding
areas. Therefore, situation covers the socio-economic and locational aspects of the settlement.
For example, a cluster of houses may grow into a village at the junction of transport or trade
routes. Situation affects the growth of a settlement but, since situation itself is dependent
on the physical aspects of the locality, site appears to be the most important factor
responsible for rural settlements.

The site and situation of the settlements and the type of building may be studied in relation to
the physical environment and cultural heritage. For example, a village may be sited on a hill or
a river bank. Such a site will determine its access to water and the likely inundation in rainy
season. The form of settlement in any particular region also reflects human perception of the
natural environment.

Factors affecting rural settlements-

Rural settlements are most closely and directly related to land. They are dominated by primary
activities such as agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing etc. The settlements size is relatively
small. Some factors affecting the location of rural settlements are:

Water Supply: Usually rural settlements are located near water bodies such as rivers, lakes,
and springs where water can be easily obtained. Sometimes the need for water drives people to
settle in otherwise disadvantaged sites such as islands surrounded by swamps or low lying river
banks. Most water based ‘wet point’ settlements have many advantages such as water for
drinking, cooking and washing. Rivers and lakes can be used to irrigate farm land. Water bodies
also have fish which can be caught for diet and navigable rivers and lakes can be used for
transportation.

Land: People choose to settle near fertile lands suitable for agriculture. In Europe villages
grew up near rolling country avoiding swampy, low lying land while people in south east Asia
chose to live near low lying river valleys and coastal plains suited for wet rice cultivation. Early
settlers chose plain areas with fertile soils.

Upland: Upland which is not prone to flooding was chosen to prevent damage to houses and
loss of life. Thus, in low lying river basins people chose to settle on terraces and levees which
are “dry points”. In tropical countries people build their houses on stilts near marshy lands to
protect themselves from flood, insects and animal pests.

Building Material: The availability of building materials- wood, stone near settlements is
another advantage. Early villages were built in forest clearings where wood was plentiful. In
loess areas of China, cave dwellings were important and African Savanna’s building materials
were mud bricks and the Eskimos, in polar regions, use ice blocks to construct igloos.

Favourable climate: It refers to equitable or moderate climate which is neither very hot nor
very cold. People generally avoid settling in windy, cold, frost stricken areas and those that are
prone to damp, unhealthy winds.
Defence: During the times of political instability, war, hostility of neighbouring groups villages
were built on defensive hills and islands. In Nigeria, upstanding inselbergs formed good
defensive sites. In India most of the forts are located on higher grounds or hills.

Planned Settlements: Sites that are not spontaneously chosen by villagers themselves, planned
settlements are constructed by governments by providing shelter, water and other
infrastructures on acquired lands. The scheme of villagisation in Ethiopia and the canal
colonies in Indira Gandhi canal command area in India are some good examples.

Types of Rural Settlements-

Rural settlements may be studied in terms of form, internal structure and functions.

I)Form

Distribution of rural settlements on a world map reveals two distinct patterns: clustered or
compact and dispersed or scattered.

[Link] or Nucleated settlements: In these settlements, houses are built in close vicinity
to each other. Initially it may begin as a small hamlet at the intersection of two footpaths or
near a water body. As new households are added, the hamlet expands in size. Such settlements
are commonly seen in river valleys and fertile plains. The houses are closely spaced and streets
are narrow. Socially, the people are closely knit and share common occupations.

Most of the river plains of monsoon Asia present compact settlements. In the plains of India,
China and Thailand, large nucleated village is the prevailing type. In the Irrawaddy delta, one
can see the linear settlements along with nucleated small villages. The Kwanto plain of Japan
has the largest concentration of compact settlements. In southern Arabia, human settlements
are concentrated close to the coast, where water and good soil are available.

In Europe, compact settlements are typical in the river valley plains of Volga and Danube. The
Rhine hilltops are also dotted with compact settlements, leaving plain areas for farming.

[Link]-compact settlements: As the name suggests, the dwellings or houses are not well-
knitted. Such settlements are characterized by a small but compact nuclears around which
hamlets are dispersed. It covers more area than the compact settlements. These settlements are
found both in plains and plateaus depending upon the environmental conditions prevailing in
that area. Such settlements are situated along streams in Manipur Mandla and Balaghat districts
of Madhya Pradesh, and Rajgarh district of Chhattisgarh. Different tribal groups inhabit such
settlements in the Chhota Nagpur region. Like compact settlements, semi-compact settlements
may also have different patterns.

[Link] or dispersed Settlements: These are generally, found over hills, plateaus and
highlands. They consist of one or two dwelling units knitted together in a common bond by a
cultural feature such as a church, a mosque or a temple. In Africa, scattered settlements of this
kind are common. In India such settlements are found in hilly terrain such as northern
Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and northern West Bengal. Isolated hamlets are found
in mountainous regions of China.

II) Structure

The arrangement of the streets, houses and other functions in rural settlements is related to its
form, environment and culture. Generally, three patterns are most common. They are: linear,
circular and square, and cross shaped. Many other variations may be seen (Fig.1.)

Linear: These settlements are very common and are found along either side of roads, rivers or
canals. The flood plains of rivers in the hilly terrains are also occupied by linear settlements.
In the low-lying areas of western Europe, villages are often positioned on dykes and levees
forming linear patterns. In India, such patterns are found all along the major roads and rivers.

Circular or Square: These types of settlements develop in flat level lands, around a pond,
tank, crater, hill top or a cattle corral. For example, in West Bengal, settlement around a village
tank is a common feature. In Africa and Europe, circular villages may be seen. At times because
of physical barriers or other obstructions on one or two sides, settlements take a square form.
Cross or star shaped : This type of settlement begins as a small hamlet at the intersection of
roads. Gradually, it grows along the roads on all sides and appears as a cross or a star depending
upon the number of roads joining at a junction.

Triangular Pattern: Points, such as the meeting place of rivers give rise to a triangular pattern
of settlements.

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 on the third one and houses are built along these roads. Cruciform
settlements develop on the cross-roads and houses extend in all the four direction.
 Fig.1.: Rural Settlement Types

III) Functions

Practically, all rural settlements are related to agriculture but within agriculture there is a
specialisation. Some settlements specialise in dairying, some in fishing, some in farming and
some in agro-processing. Besides, some rural settlements are primarily engaged in production,
but a few may develop specialised services in repairing agricultural implements and
machineries, credit facilities, selling of fertilisers and handloom clothes. Some large villages
have a few small shops which sell the goods against the payment of money as well as grains.
All the villages in India have panchayats which perform administrative functions.

Problems of Rural Settlements-

Rural settlements in the developing countries are large in number and poorly equipped with
infrastructure. They represent a great challenge and opportunity for planners.
Supply of water to rural settlements in developing countries is not adequate. People in villages,
particularly in mountainous and arid areas have to walk long distances to fetch drinking water.
Water borne diseases such as cholera and jaundice tend to be a common problem. The countries
of South Asia face conditions of drought and flood very often. Crop cultivation sequences, in
the absence of irrigation, also suffer.

The general absence of toilet and garbage disposal facilities cause health related problems

The design and use of building materials of houses vary from one ecological region to another.
The houses made up of mud, wood and thatch, remain susceptible to damage during heavy
rains and floods, and require proper maintenance every year. Most house designs are typically
deficient in proper ventilation. Besides, the design of a house includes the animal shed along
with its fodderstore within it. This is purposely done to keep the domestic animals and their
food properly protected from wild animals.

Unmetalled roads and lack of modern communication network creates a unique problem.
During rainy season, the settlements remain cut off and pose serious difficulties in providing
emergency services. It is also difficult to provide adequate health and educational infrastructure
for their large rural population. The problem is particularly serious where proper villagisation
has not taken place and houses are scattered over a large area.