Settlement patterns
A settlement is a place where people live. A settlement pattern is the arrangement or shape of houses in an area. There are three main patterns:
- Linear — houses arranged in a long line along a road, riverbank or coast.
- Cluster (nucleated) — houses grouped closely around a centre such as a mosque, market or well.
- Dispersed (scattered) — houses spread far apart, common in farming and plantation areas.
Key idea
The three settlement patterns are linear, cluster and dispersed.
Factors of settlement
Where a settlement grows is shaped by physical and human factors. Physical factors include water supply (near rivers), flat relief and fertile soil. Human factors include transport, job opportunities and social facilities.
Example
A linear settlement often forms along a road because people want to move and communicate easily.
Water is one of the strongest factors. Early settlements grew beside rivers because people needed water for drinking, farming, washing and transport. Fertile soil on river plains also allowed people to grow crops, so more people came to live there. Good transport, such as roads and railways, lets a settlement grow larger because goods and people can move in and out easily.
A settlement can change its pattern over time. A small cluster village may grow into a town as roads and shops are built, and new houses may spread out along the roads leading into it. Understanding these patterns and factors helps town planners decide where to build new housing and facilities.
Remember
Steep highlands are usually avoided because it is hard to build houses and roads there.