Rural Settlement Patterns

Rural settlements are built closely and directly related to land. They are dominated by primary activities such as fishing, animal husbandry, agriculture, etc. The size of rural settlements is comparatively small.

Rural Settlements Types

There are four types of rural settlements in India – compact, semi-compact, hamleted, and dispersed or scattered type of rural settlements.

Compact Settlements

If the total number of hamlets equals the total number of villages in an area unit then the settlement is known as a compact settlement. Compact settlements are found all over the plateau region of Malwa, large parts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Nimar upland, Vindhyan Plateau, the Narmada Valley, and other cultivated parts of India.

Semi-compact Settlements

A settlement is considered semi-compact when the overall number of villages exceeds half of the hamlets. These settlements are found in both plateaus and plains that depend on the prevailing environmental conditions in those areas. The dwellings in semi-compact Settlements are not tightly linked and are gathered at a single location. It extends further than the compact settlement.

Hamleted Settlements

Hamlet settlement is defined as when the total number of villages equals half of the hamlets. The hamlets are dispersed around the area, separated by fields, and the central or major village has little or no influence over the rest. Most of the time, it is not easy to distinguish the original site and the diversity of morphology is often disregarded. Hamleted settlements are found in coastal plains, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

Dispersed Settlements

When a settlement has fewer than half the number of hamlets, it is classified as dispersed settlement. The occupants of such villages live in small, isolated houses that are scattered across the farmed fields. The marriage customs, sentiments associated with living independently, and individualism are conducive in dispersed settlements.

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Factors Affecting the Location of Rural Settlements

Water Supply

• Generally, the majority of rural villages are constructed around bodies of water. such as lakes, springs, and rivers
• At times, the need for water drives people to settle in, otherwise the drawbacks of sites such as islands surrounded by swamps and low-lying riverbanks
• Most water-based settlements have many benefits such as water for washing, cooking, and drinking. Lakers and Rivers can be used in irrigating farmland
• Water bodies influenced the local people’s diet such as people catching fish for their diet

Land

• People choose to settle where there are fertile lands that are suitable for agriculture
• In European villages, people grew up near rolling countries to avoid low-lying land, which is swampy while people living in southeast Asia choose to live near coastal plains and river valleys that are low-lying and suitable for rice cultivation

Upland

• Upland that is resistant to flooding was chosen to prevent house damage and loss of life. Therefore, in places where low-lying river basins chose to settle on levees and terraces that are dry points
• People build houses on stilts amid marshy lands in tropical countries to protect themselves from animal pests, insects, and floods

Building Materials

• The availability of building materials, stone, and wood near settlements is another advantage
• At earlier times, villages were built in forest clearings where wood was ample

Defence

• During times of war, political instability, and the hostility of neighbouring villages were constructed on defensive islands and hills
• In Nigeria, upright inselbergs formed good defensive sites

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Rural Settlement Patterns

Rural settlement patterns reflect the way the houses are built concerning each other, the size of the village, the surrounding topography, and the terrain influencing the shape and size of the village.

Classification of Rural Settlements

• Based on the Setting: Plateau villages, coastal villages, desert villages, plain villages, and forest villages are the most common 
• Based on the Functions: Pastoral villages, farming villages, lumberjack villages, fishermen’s villages, etc. may all exist
• On the basis of Forms or Shapes of the Settlements: In this pattern, the settlement may have several geographical shapes and forms such as rectangular, T-shaped village, linear, cross-shaped village, circular star-like, etc
• Linear Pattern: In linear pattern settlement, houses are located along a river, a levee, railway line, or along a valley’s canal edge
• Rectangular Pattern of rural settlement: In such types of settlement, patterns are found in wise intermontane valleys or plain areas. Their roads are at right angles to each other and are rectangular
• Circular Pattern: Circular pattern type villages are developed around tanks, lakes and at times, the village is planned in a way that the central section is still accessible. In addition, it is used to keep the animals protected from wild animals
• A star-like Pattern: The buildings built along the roads form star-shaped villages where numerous routes converge
• Cross-shaped, Y-Shaped, cruciform settlements or T-shaped
• Y-shaped settlements appear as the place where houses are built along the intersection of two routes that lead to a third
• T -shaped settlements are developed at tri-junctions of roads
• Cruciform settlements develop houses that are extended in all four directions and on the crossroads
• Double village: These villages can be found on both sides of a river where a ferry or bridge connects them

Problems of Rural Settlement

Rural settlements in under-developed countries are poorly equipped with infrastructure and are huge in number.

• Water Supply: People living in villages, specifically in arid and mountainous areas have to travel many miles on foot to fetch drinking water. Water-borne diseases such as jaundice and cholera are common diseases in rural areas
• Drought: South Asian countries often face drought conditions in their areas. Due to the absence of irrigation, crop patterns get affected
• Sanitation: The absence of facilities like garbage disposal and toilets causes health-related problems in such areas
• House: The houses made up of thatch, wood, and mud, remain susceptible to damage during floods and heavy rains
• It also required proper maintenance every year
• Roads: Lack of facilities like modern communication networks and unmetalled roads causes problems such as during the rainy season, the settlements pose serious difficulties in providing emerging services
• Health and Education: Inadequate educational and health infrastructure for; large rural populations is a big issue in under-developed countries

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Conclusion

The forms and patterns of rural life are constantly changing. Kinds and patterns witness the architectural and geometrical alteration and shifting paradigm of society and cultural way of life as a result of changes in vocation, types of cultivation, cultural assimilation, technical developments, and dissemination of innovation.