Settlement patterns, urban growth & morphology
Look around you — every farm, village, town and city is a settlement, a place where people chose to live. In this lesson we learn the three shapes rural settlements make on a map (dispersed, linear and nucleated), and the physical, economic and political factors that decide where people settle and how big a place grows. We meet a settlement's function and the hierarchy from hamlet to city, then step inside a town to see its internal structure — the CBD, residential, industrial and shopping zones. Finally we study the problems of fast urban growth in cities like Windhoek — congestion, housing shortages and informal settlements — the solutions, and the effect of urbanisation on the environment.
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO Geography 3.3):
- Describe the patterns of rural settlement: dispersed, linear and nucleated
- Explain how physical factors (relief, soil, water supply), accessibility, agricultural land use and political factors influence the size and pattern of rural settlement in LEDCs and MEDCs
- Discuss the factors that influence the size, growth and function of rural and urban settlements in LEDCs and MEDCs
- Discuss the internal structure (morphology) of towns and cities: the Central Business District (CBD), residential areas, industrial areas, shopping areas and open space/transport routes
- Analyse and discuss the problems associated with the growth of urban areas (congestion, housing shortage, informal settlements, traffic) and suggest solutions
- Describe the effects of urbanisation on the environment (air, water, visual and noise pollution; urban sprawl and out-of-town growth)
Mr Thomas and Mike talk through the whole topic — with the figure and working drawn live.