Urban settlements: Origin, Patterns, Processes, and Consequences

About Urban Settlements:

Urban settlements are generally compact settlements and are also large in area. Residents of urban settlements are involved in non-primary activities and economic and administrative work. However, the criteria for defining urban settlements differ from country to country. Examples of urban settlements are towns, cities, metro cities, and megacities.

According to the 1991 census of India, urban settlements [urban settlements] are those settlements in which the following characteristics are found -

• The area consists of a municipality or corporation or cantonment board or notified town area committee.
• Has a population of at least 5000 people.
• At least 75 percent of the male workforce is engaged in non-primary activities.
• The density of the population is at least 400 persons per sq km.

Urban settlements [urban settlements] are functionally linked to rural settlements. The exchange of goods and services between rural and urban settlements takes place through a series of market towns and cities.

Origin of Urban settlements:

Urban settlement is developed through the expansion of rural settlements. Usually, those rural settlements are transformed into urban settlements where new industries are established or new transport nodes such as railway stations, bus stations, or airports are available. After the availability of these basic facilities, the population of people increases rapidly and the rural settlement gets converted into an urban settlement.

London was the first urban settlement in the world to reach a million population. By 1810, the population of London had reached one million. By 1982, about 175 cities in the world had a population of more than one million. Now [2017], more than 54 percent of the world's population lives in urban areas, while only about 3 percent of the world's population lived in urban settlements in the year 1800. So we can say that rapid urban growth is a recent phenomenon.

Urban settlements such as Harappa and Mohenjodaro existed in prehistoric times in India. However, the number of urban settlements increased during the industrial revolution in the world. In India, urban settlements grew during the colonial period.

On the basis of their development in different periods, the urban settlements of India can be classified into three categories namely ancient cities, medieval cities, and modern cities.

The city is considered to be an ancient city with a historical background of more than 200 years. Some of the important ancient cities of India are Varanasi, Prayag, Pataliputra (Patna), and Madurai.

Some important examples of medieval cities are Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra, and Nagpur.

Some important examples of modern cities are Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Surat, Goa, Pondicherry, etc.

The pattern of Urban settlements :

Based on the settlement structure of urban dwellers, the following are the major patterns of urban settlements:

• Linear Pattern
• Square Pattern
• Star Pattern
• Planned urban settlements( Sectoral pattern, Central business district, multiple nuclei pattern)

The pattern of urban settlements is the result of urban development policy, natural topography ( hills, plains, rivers, lakes, etc), and cultural landscape ( road, rail network, airport, etc).

Types of urban settlements:

On the basis of population size, geographical size, available services, and functionality of the urban settlement, urban settlements are classified into the following types –

• Town
• City 
• Million city
• Conurbation
• Megalopolis

Town :

The population of the town is the smallest among the urban settlements. There is not a very clear distinction between a village and a town, but a town provides certain functions such as manufacturing, retail, wholesale trade, and professional services.

City : 

A city is much larger than a town and has a large number of economic functions. The city may have transportation terminals, major financial institutions, and regional administrative offices.

Million City :

When a city's population crosses the one million mark, they are called a million city; a Million City has the same functionality as a city.

In 2016, there were around 512 million cities in the world.

Conurbation:

The term Conurbation was coined by Patrick Geddes (British geographer) in 1915. Large areas of urban development that result from the merger of adjoining towns or cities are called conurbations. Great London, Greater Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Chicago, and Tokyo are examples of major convergences of urban settlements in the world.

About Megapolis:

Megapolis is the largest urban settlement in terms of population as well as geographical areas, they are formed after the merger of two or more conurbations. Megapolis has a population of more than 10 million. New York was the first city to receive megapolis status in 1950, with a total population of approximately 12.5 million. As of now, there are around 32 mega cities in the world. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai are examples of megapolises in India.

Urban settlements process:

Following are the four major urban processes-

• urbanization
• suburbanization
• counter-urbanization
• urban resurgence

Urbanization refers to the increase in the population living in the urban areas of a country. Rural-urban migration is the main reason for the urbanization process.

Suburbanization is a type of urban settlement process in which the urban population moves from the center of urban settlements to the periphery of the city [suburban areas] in search of open space and better environmental living conditions.

Counter-urbanization is a process in which people from urban areas move to rural areas. Counter-urbanization can occur due to an increase in jobs and other facilities in rural areas.

For some reason, job opportunities are reduced in some urban settlements which leads to a decline in the urban population. But after some time the urban settlement is restructured and the average of new services and jobs increases, then the urban population starts increasing again, such an urban development process is called urban resurgence.

Consequences of urbanization [ urban settlemnts]:

There are two major consequences of urbanization:

• Positive consequences
• Negative consequences

Positive Consequences of Urbanization:

Urban settlements are the main pillars of development of any country; The level of urbanization is a key indicator of the socioeconomic development of any country. The country which is more urbanized is also more developed. Urban centers are the main centers of economic development in the country.

Negative Consequences of Urbanization:

This widens the gap between the rich and the poor in society as the residents of urban settlements are generally richer than the residents of rural settlements.

Urban settlements are centers of various types of pollution like air pollution, water pollution, solid waste generation, chemical waste generation, etc.

Urban settlements are generally highly populated areas which lead to the depletion of natural resources like groundwater, forest, etc.

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