Settlement Dynamics

What is a settlement?
A place where people live.

What does dynamic means?

Dynamic means change.

What does rural mean?

Rural is a countryside area.

What does urban mean?

Urban is a built up area like a town or city.
 Population size?
What are the characteristics


Population structure?
Housing types?
of rural settlements?
 Types of
services/facilities?
 Occupations/economic
?
 Land-uses?

What are the characteristics of urban settlements?

Annotate the photos to
show the characteristics
Small population
Large population size
Mainly primary jobs
Densely populated
Some footloose
Secondary, tertiary and
industries set up
quaternary jobs
there as land is
(employment)
cheaper and work
force can commute,
Many services: Schools,
creating some
banks, hospitals, shops,
secondary and
entertainment, transport.
tertiary jobs.
Settlements close together
Few services,
possibly local
Mixture of landuses/functions
school, shop…
– residential, open space,
industry, businesses
Lots of open space
Many economically active
In remote areas
people and children of
people over 65
secondary school age.
Rural-urban continuum
Rurality in England and
Wales
Cloke’s index of rurality
combined socio-
economic variables to
have absolute complete
urban areas at one end
of the scale and pure
rural ones at the other.
From the index, Cloke
produced a map that
classified UK into 5
areas on the urban-
rural continuum.
Look at rurality in England and
Wales, created by Cloke in 1977.
What pattern do you notice?
 Changes in rural settlements
• Rural settlements in HIC, MIC and LIC have gone through a lot of change in
the last 50 years due to:
• Rural-urban migration
• Urban- rural migration
• Urban areas growing quickly
• Changes in technology
• Changes in rural planning policies
• Government funding in rural and urban areas.
People can travel further, work from home, there is less of a division between
rural and urban but more of a merging.
Changes in rural settlements in LIC’s/MIC’s
 The problems that rural areas in
LIC’s / MIC’s face: (REVISION PUSH)
Soicio Economic Factors
1. Unemployment/Underemployment
2. High Birth Rates = increased pressure on food/land/services
3. Rural Depopulation (Ageing)
4. Low capital investment -> vicious cycle of poverty
5. Disease – eg HIV/Aids in Africa
6. Wars and government corruption
Provision of Services & Infrastructure
1. Clean Piped Water
2. Sewerage
3. Electricity
4. Tarred Roads
5. Clinics & Schools
Food Shortages & Agricultural Problems
1. Soil Exhaustion (over cultivation) = low yields
2. Drought
3. Floods/Cyclones
4. Pests/Diseases
5. Increases in the use of biofuel
6. Land Tenure & Social Changes
Most changes in rural areas in LIC’s are mainly due to rural to urban migration.
Class/Homework
Make notes from Green Book p166-168 to add detail
to the notes made in class.

Complete all questions on rocks and weathering from

past papers 2012 – 10 mark and 25 mark

ie, three 25 mark questions

three 10 mark questions