Site and Situation. Site

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1 Site and Situation The study of settlement patterns is one of the most important aspects of urban geography. Settlements can range in size from a small village with a few hundred residents to a metropolitan city of over one million people. Geographers often study the reasons behind why such cities develop where they do and what factors lead to their becoming a large city over time or remaining as a small village. Some of the reasons behind these patterns are thought of in terms of the area's site and its situation - two of the most important concepts in the study of urban geography. Site The site is the actual location of a settlement on the earth and is composed of the physical characteristics of the landscape specific to the area. Site factors include things like landforms (i.e. is the area protected by mountains or is there a natural harbor present?), climate, vegetation types, availability of water, soil quality, minerals, and even wildlife. Historically, these factors led to the development of major cities worldwide. New York City, for example, is located where it is because of several site factors. As people arrived in North America from Europe, they began to settle in this area because it was a coastal location with a natural harbor. There was also an abundance of fresh water in the nearby Hudson River and small creeks as well as raw materials for building supplies. In addition, the nearby Appalachian and Catskill Mountains provided a barrier to movement inland. The site of an area can also create challenges for its population and the small Himalayan nation of Bhutan is a good example of this. Located within the world's highest mountain range, the terrain of the country is extremely rugged and hard to get around. This, combined with the incredibly harsh climate in many areas of the country has made much of the population settle along rivers in the highlands just south of the Himalayas. In addition, only 2% of the land in the nation is arable (with much of it located in the highlands) making living in the country highly challenging. Situation Situation is defined as the location of a place relative to its surroundings and other places. Factors included in an area's situation include the accessibility of the location, the extent of a place's connections with another, and how close an area may be to raw materials if they are not located specifically on the site. Though its site has made living in the nation challenging, Bhutan's situation has allowed it to maintain its policies of isolation as well as its own highly separated and traditionally religious culture. Because of its remote location in the Himalayas getting into the country is challenging and historically this has been beneficial because the mountains have been a form of protection. As such, the heartland of the nation has never been invaded. In addition, Bhutan now controls many of the most strategic mountain passes in the Himalayas including the only ones into and out of its territory, leading to its title as the "Mountain Fortress of the Gods." Like an area's site however, its situation can also cause problems. For example Canada's Eastern Provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island are some of that country's most economically downtrodden

2 areas due in large part to their situations. These areas are isolated from the rest of Canada making manufacturing and the little agriculture possible too expensive. In addition, there are very few close natural resources (many are off the coast and due to maritime laws the government of Canada itself controls the resources) and many of the traditional fishing economies they did have are now crashing along with the fish populations. The Importance of Site and Situation in Today's Cities As shown in the examples of New York City, Bhutan, and Canada's East coast, an area's site and situation play a significant role in its development both within its own boundaries and on a world stage. This has occurred throughout history and is part of the reason why places like London, Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles were able to grow into the prosperous cities that they are today. As nations around the world continue to develop, their sites and situations will play a large role in whether or not they will be successful and though today's ease of transportation and new technologies such as the Internet are bringing nations closer together, the physical landscape of an area as well as its location in relation to its desired market will still play a large role in whether or not such areas will grow to become the next great world city.

3 Site and Situation The location and growth of an settlement depended upon its site and situation. The site was the actual place where people decided to locate their settlement. The growth of that settlement then depended upon itssituation in relation to accessibility and availability of natural resources. Site Factors reliable water supply away from flood risks defence building materials (stone or wood) fertile land shelterered from winds fuel supply (wood) south-facing slope (aspect) flat land, easy to build on natural harbour Situation Factors route centre gap town lowest bridging point on a river port minerals for export

4 Settlement Patterns Nucleated or clustered settlements often form at crossroads or route centres. Dispersed settlements have no obvious centre and are often hamlets spread over fertile farmland. Linear settlements: settlements grow along a road (e.g. in a narrow valley) or along the coast. Ribbon development is when housing grows out from a town along a main road. Barcelona's Site and Situation Site Situation Hill for defence Reliable water supply for drinking and power Fertile farmland Flat land for building Sheltered by hills to the north South-facing slope Natural harbour Construction material Bridging point Port Route Centre Limestone quarries Close to wealthy NW European markets Physical and Economic Site Factors Physical Economic Water supply Dry-point sites Aspect Shelter Defence Meander bend Flat land Natural harbour Route centre Bridging point River confluence Gap in hills Port Resources e.g. coal

5 What is a settlement? A settlement is a place where people live. A settlement could be anything from an isolated farmhouse to a mega city (settlement with over 10 million people). Settlements can either be temporary or permanent. Temporary settlements include things such as refugee camps. Some temporary settlements have become permanent over time such as the Rochina, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The reason why a settlement developed in the first place is said to be its function. For example the function of Liverpool was as a port. What do we mean by site and situation of a settlement? The site and situation of a settlement are very different things. The site of a settlement is the land upon which it was built. There are a range of factors that can determine the site of a settlement. These are: wet point site - these are sites close to a supply of water dry point site - these are sites that avoided the risk of flooding defensive site - these were sites that were on high ground and allowed the inhabitants to see enemies from a distance aspect - many settlements in the northern hemisphere are located on south facing sides of valleys where it is sunny shelter - away from rain and prevailing winds trading point - often settlements developed where natural training points meet such as along rivers or natural route ways resources - many settlements developed close to where natural resources could be found. The situation of a settlement is its location in relation to surrounding human and physical features. We usually describe the situation when we are telling someone where a settlement is. What are the functions of a settlement? Most settlements in MEDCs have multi-functions. This includes education, retail and industry. However, when settlements first formed they often had one main function. These functions included: port market town resort What is a settlement hierarchy? We can catagorise settlements according to their size and shape. The result is a settlement hierarchy.

6 As you move up the settlement hierarchy the size of the settlement increases, as does the population and the range of services available. Smaller settlements tend to provide only low order services such as a post office and newsagents. Whereas, larger settlements have more high order services such as leisure centers and chain stores. As the result of this the larger the settlement, the greater the range of services and therefore the market area or sphere of influence. This is the market area that a settlement services (the distance people will travel to use services). High order services usually have a high threshold. This means they need a higher number of people to use the service in order to remain profitable. This means high order service such as department stores need a greater number of customers than a low order service such as a newsagent. This is why there are so few department stores in villages! Rural settlement

7 We must ask ourselves what factors cause farms to be isolated and spread apart - or why they are nucleated and close to one another. There are three major aspects that result in different farming patterns: physical social and cultural economic Factors resulting in a nucleated or dispersed settlement Nucleated Dispersed Physical a) Relief b) Water c) Soil Social and cultural a) Safety b) Political c) Tradition and religion Economic Gentle slopes and plains Scarce settlements, ie wet point settlement oasis Fertile soil therefore farmers cluster Fortified villages in times of war Communism and socialism, ie commune in China Sense of belonging and a desire to maintain villages and united family Mountainous and hilly Abundant water therefore people can settle anywhere Infertile soil and poor pastures, ie stock farmers Peaceful times - farmers disperse Capitalism - free market system Sub-division of inherited land, breakdown of tradition a) Land ownership b) Agricultural Communal, collective utilisation; hired workers Collective farming, ie entire community is concentrated in a centrally located village Private ownership, loose pieces of land. Extensive stock farming Individual farmer on his own land Activity

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9 Rural settlement Dispersed rural settlements Advantages - economic farmer lives on his or her own farm farmer decides how to manage the farm and makes his or her own decisions lives on a single holding and makes maximum use of machinery greater profit Disadvantages - social living in isolation, therefore there is little social contact safety of farmer threatened because of isolation farmer has to travel great distances for basic commodities living in isolation may lead to boredom, however TV, radio, alarms have minimised the fact that farms do not have access to security and communication

10 Nucleated rural settlements Advantages - social more socialisation, therefore no boredom farmers can share ideas travelling for trade purposes is much easier lives in safety easy access to basic commodities Disadvantages - economic farmlands are scattered and small less scope for individual ideas wastes time walking to the fields little mechanisation less scope for entrepreneurial profits The farmers living in nucleated villages are often referred to as tenant farmers. This is a farmer who does not own his land but lives on and works the land, paying rent. In short Rural settlement Rural settlements are classified according to: Function: single functional Activities: primary activities Size: isolated farmstead, hamlet, village Pattern: dispersed (single farmstead) nucleated (cluster of farms) Physical factors influencing a settlement: Availability of drinking water If settlement is in a water shortage area, (eg in a desert) it will tend to develop around the water source (eg oasis). This is known as a wet point settlement.

11 Aspect Altitude Arable land Pasture Rainfall south-facing slopes are preferable high-lying areas are best avoided essential for farming good grazing for animals adequate rain and moderate temperatures What results in a nucleated or dispersed pattern? Physical Social Economic Nucleated Gentle slopes Little water Fertile soil Times of war Communism Tradition Communal Intensive farming Farmers leaving their farms is called rural depopulation. Dispersed Hilly Lots of water Infertile soil Peaceful times Capitalism No traditions Private ownership Extensive farming Push lack of money fewer jobs increased mechanisation farm consolidation natural disaster Pull better jobs social services better education more money Consequences of the moves Large farmers bought the smaller farms so production increased; however the countryside started collapsing. Schools and shops closed, and there was reduced spending. Rural settlement

12 Definition A settlement is any form of habitation from a single house to a city. Rural settlements can be classified in terms of the following categories. Classification of rural settlements Function - what activity occurs? 1. Single functional: concentrate on one activity 2. Primary activities, ie farming, fishing and mining Size - how big or small is the settlement? Pattern - how are the settlements distributed? 1. Isolated farmstead: separate farm with outbuildings 2. Hamlet: small cluster of houses and farms, with few services 3. Village: dense grouping of houses and farms with a range of services 4. Small market town 1. Dispersed (isolated) individual farms lie apart from one another Dispersed or isolated 2. Nucleated or clustered: dense grouping of buildings with streets Nucleated or clustered 3. Linear pattern: farms occur along a river, road, canal or railway line Rural settlements

13 We can therefore conclude this unit by defining a rural settlement. It is a settlement that is single functional, involved in primary activities and can either be dispersed, nucleated or linear. Source:- Internet