NOTES ON SETTLEMENTS

SETTLEMENTS

Definition

Settlement refers to grouping of house, huts or buildings of any type with a certain layout plan meant for residential and other purposes such as keeping livestock and equipments, with streets and footpaths connecting them.

TYPES OF SETTLEMENT

Settlement can be broadly classified into two categories based on size, population, occupation and the facilities found there. They are:

1. Rural Settlement

2. Urban Settlement.

Ø  Rural settlements are those settlements where people are mainly engaged in agriculture and other primary activities.

Ø  Urban settlements refer to those settlements where people are mainly engaged in secondary and tertiary activities like industry, trade, transportation and services etc.

DISTINCTION BETWEEN RURAL AND URBAN SETTLEMENT

Rural Settlement	Urban Settlement
Ø  Settlements are small in size which may consist of two to few hundred houses. Ø  Have small size population. Ø  People engaged in primary activities Ø  Modern facilities are often absent.	Ø  Settlements are bigger in size in which there are few thousand to few lakh people living. Ø  Have huge size population. Ø  People engaged in secondary and tertiary activities. Ø  Modern facilities are present.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SETTLEMENT TYPES AND PATTERN

Settlement Types	Settlement  Pattern
Ø  It refers to the space / gaps between the houses or settlements. Ø  Example: Nucleated, isolated etc.	Ø  It refers to the spatial organization (design) which describes the overall shape and indentation of the settlement of the settlements. Ø  Example: Linear pattern, rectangular etc

TYPES OF RURAL SETTLEMENTS

1.    Nucleated / Clustered / Compact / Agglomerated settlement

In such settlement, the houses are clustered together with narrow winding streets separating them, around the common centre for defensive, economic or social reasons, forming a large village.

Such settlements are usually surrounded by cultivated lands and the farmers travel to their land in the morning and return mostly at night.

In such settlements the houses are made up of strong building materials like stone, mud and wood and they are mostly found in high altitude areas.

Example: Ura in Bumthang and Khaling in Trashigang.

2.    Semi-Nucleated / Semi-Agglomerated settlement

In this settlement the houses are built not so close or not so far away from each other. This settlement is characterized by small and compact nucleus around which the other houses are dispersed forming a ring like shape around the main settlement.

They are also found in Northern, North-eastern and Central Bhutan.

Example: Gangtey Goenpa in Wangdue Phodrang.

3.    The Dispersed / Scattered / Isolated / Sprinkled settlement

In such settlement, individual dwellings such as farmsteads or houses are scattered widely over a vast area.

People built simple one or two storied houses by using materials like bamboo, stone and mud which may not be very far from next neighbor on their isolated farmstead. They are mostly found in low altitude like in south and south-eastern Bhutan.

Example: Khar in Pema Gatshel.

4.    Semi-Nomadic Settlement

In such settlement, the main occupation of the people is rearing of cattle mainly yak and sheep.

The people live in tents during some parts of the year when they take their animals away from the main settlement. They move to lower altitude during winters and higher altitude during summers.  Thus, only few family members live permanently in their main settlement and the rest migrate with their livestock.

This type of settlements is common in higher altitudes of Bhutan like Laya in Gasa and Merak-Sakten in Trashigang.

What are the factors affecting the formation of nucleated / dispersed settlement?

1. Local physical landscape.

2. The resources available to support the given population.

3.  Economic, social and political factors like the stability of society and nature of ownership,     inheritance and distribution of land.

Distinction between compact settlement and Dispersed settlement

Compact Settlement	Dispersed Settlement
Ø  They are normally found in fertile plains or river valleys. Ø  Main occupation of the people is agriculture. Ø  The houses are located adjacent to each other and provide less space. Ø  Farmland in this settlement is small. Ø  They are generally dirty due to lack of sanitation. Ø  People lead a social life.	Ø  They are normally found in mountainous highlands, forested areas etc. Ø  Main occupation of the people is cattle rearing and lumbering etc. Ø  Houses are located at a distance from each other and provide more space. Ø  Farmland in this settlement is large. Ø  They are normally neat and clean. Ø  People lead an isolated life.

Compare Semi-Nucleated Settlement with semi-nomadic settlement. 

Ø  Semi-Nucleated settlements are characterized by small and compact nucleus while semi-nomadic settlement may be of any shape or size.

Ø  Semi-nucleated settlement will be permanently occupied by people throughout the year while the semi-nomadic settlement may remain more or less empty during certain part of the year when the herders live move with their animals.

Ø  The main occupation of people in semi-nucleated settlement will be farming while the main occupation of people living in semi-nomadic settlement will be herding livestock.

Ø  People of semi-nucleated settlement do not practice seasonal migration but the people of semi-nomadic settlement practice seasonal migration.

FACTORS DETERMINING THE TYPES OF RURAL SETTLEMENT

A large number of factors determine the types of rural settlements which are classified into following three groups:

1. Physical Factors

2. Ethnic and Cultural Factors

3. Historical Factors.

Physical Factors

Various physical factors like relief, altitude, climate, drainage, depth of underground water level, soil, etc. play an important role in determining the type and spacing of settlements. E.g. In the dry areas, the houses are clustered around the source of water such as pond or an oasis.

More settlement will come into existence in a place where the relief is plain, climate is moderate, and soil is fertile with enough water for cultivation, slowly leading to compactness of the settlement.

Ethnic and Cultural Factors

Ethnic and cultural factors, such as caste or communal identity, are also important in determining the layout of a rural settlement.

In some places the main land owning caste occupies the central point forming the nucleus while other caste (low caste) that provide services lives in the surrounding area.

This shows social segregation, leading to fragmentation of compact settlement into several units.

Historical Factors

Historical factors have also played an important role in determining the types of rural settlements as well as their distribution all over the world.

Even in Bhutan, certain areas which suffered frequent invasions from outside invaders have formed compact settlement for defensive reason.

Similarly, we also have settlement developed in and around the Dzong so as to seek refuge in the Dzong in times of danger from invaders or war.