Learn about the importance of human settlement. Read a settlement definition, explore geographical factors, and discover functions of urban and rural settlements.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Human Settlement | Definition, Importance & Types
Table of Contents
- Importance of Human Settlement
- Types of Human Settlements
- Functions of Human Settlements
- Lesson Summary
- FAQs
- Activities
Prompts About Human Settlements:
Essay Prompt 1:
In an essay of several paragraphs, define human settlement, and then explain the characteristics of urban and rural settlements. Provide an example of each, and also be sure to explain the nuances behind how people define urban and rural areas differently.
Example: For an urban area, you could explain that it is a city that contains a large downtown shopping area that is always bustling with people.
Graphic Organizer Prompt 1:
Make a chart or other type of graphic organizer that lists and briefly describes the four functions of human settlements.
Example: You can use drawings in your chart to show examples. For instance, you could draw a power grid to depict shared electricity for Shared Natural Resources.
Letter Prompt 1:
Write a letter to a friend or relative that explains why your choice of human settlement fits your needs. Imagine that your letter's recipient lives in the opposite type of human settlement as you (i.e., if you're writing from a rural perspective, your friend or relative should live in an urban area).
Example: Make sure you describe all of the functions of your particular type of human settlement, providing details to show how they fit your specific needs in areas like protection, a pooled economy, shared natural resources, and socioemotional connections.
What are the types of human settlements?
There are three types of human settlements that humans have used historically and in the modern age. They are rural human settlements, urban human settlements, and suburban human settlements.
What is the purpose of human settlements?
There are many purposes or functions of human settlements. Four functions of human settlements include protection, pooling economics, sharing natural resources, and socioemotional connection.
Table of Contents
- Importance of Human Settlement
- Types of Human Settlements
- Functions of Human Settlements
- Lesson Summary
Humans have adapted to their environment well over the years, both biologically and non-biologically. However, humans require shelter from the elements to survive. Most wilderness survival advice says that acquiring a suitable shelter is often the most important part of successfully surviving in the wild. Throughout history, humans have displayed many ways in which to shelter themselves. From ancient cave dwellings and tents, to log cabins and castles, there remains a rich diversity of dwelling spaces that are used by humans today.
Humans historically have built their homes in what is known as human settlements. The definition of a human settlement is an organized group of human inhabitations in a specific location. These groups tend to focus on important aspects of human life, such as economics, transportation, domestic living, communication, entertainment, and education. This lesson discusses the common types of human settlements seen around the globe today and provides information on the function of human settlements, as well as including information about the challenges associated with each form of settlement.
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There are many different types of human settlements used around the world today. Typically, human settlements are split up into the following categories: urban, rural, and suburban. Many factors go into determining the layout of human settlements, as well as the architectural styles and what opportunities are available within the settlement. Factors that determine the design of human settlements include settlement geography, community culture and needs, and the resources available for each area. These factors all affect the growth of the population within a human settlement.
Rural Human Settlements
Rural human settlements are settlements that have significant sections of wild natural land surrounding them that often segregate different rural settlements from one another. Rural settlements are usually described as villages, small towns, towns, and the countryside. Rural settlements are characterized by usually having a smaller population than urban settlements, with an economy based on trade and the utilization of natural resources. Natural resources that are used in rural economies include agricultural practices, timber, fisheries, and tourism. Rural human settlements also usually have households that are lower on the socioeconomic scale, and households overall earn less than their urban and suburban counterparts.
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There are several different types of rural human settlements arranged in different ways. The following bulleted list outlines the different arrangement categories that most rural settlements fall into.
- Compact Rural Settlements: These types of settlements are centered around the most important community spaces, such as churches, schools, and shops, with housing units that surround the town center. Farmland can then be situated out beyond the housing units. Compact rural settlements are usually situated geographically in the plains or a valley, usually around a water source.
- Linear Rural Settlements: Linear rural settlements are arranged in rows along a road, river, or coastline, with agricultural fields often behind the rows of houses.
- Circular Rural Settlements: Circular rural settlements are arranged in a circle, and were very popular during medieval times. Circular rural settlements are usually positioned on a hill, with a wall built around them for protection and an open court space in the town center.
- Scattered Rural Settlements: Scattered rural settlements are dispersed settlements that have buildings and homes scattered throughout the region. This type of settlement is common in mountainous regions, in densely wooded areas, and in other areas that have large geographical factors that physically separate dwelling spaces.
- Isolated Rural Settlements: These types of settlements consist of one home, such as a farmhouse or a house on an island, positioned in isolation from other buildings and surrounded by natural resources, such as farmland or an ocean.
Urban Human Settlements
A pattern of human settlement is the tendency toward urbanization. Eventually, if the resources in a specific location are abundant, or the settlements are positioned in an advantageous location, villages will become cities. This process is known as urbanization, where large numbers of people become permanently settled in a relatively small area. This leads to the development of structures that accommodate larger numbers of people, such as skyscrapers, apartment buildings, and densely packed houses, which make up urban human settlements. Urbanization happens in the wake of industrialization, which refers to a period of technological advancement and commerce becoming the center of life in settlements.
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The promise of increased access to resources, opportunities, and advancement brings many people to cities, both historically and in the modern-day. Today, approximately 55% of all people globally reside in urbanized locations, and as much as 80% of the population in mid to high-income countries live in cities. This increase in population to cities influences many factors, such as crime rates, economy, and government. Without careful planning, an increase in population can lead to an increase in poverty rates as well as increased pollution. This is why urbanization often requires considerable civil planning to accommodate more people.
Suburban Human Settlements
Suburban human settlements refer to residential settlements that are located at the borders of cities. Suburban settlements have residential homes positioned in areas that are separate from commercial spaces or consist of small segmented towns within commuting distance from a large city. They typically have a more rural feel than highly urbanized locations but are more populated than rural locations.
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Suburban human settlements grew in popularity after WW2 in the 1950s. With the population boom after WW2 and many discounted opportunities afforded to specific returning soldiers, developers colonized the areas surrounding major cities and transformed them into what was then thought of as the ideal living community. However, these spaces were almost entirely populated by middle-class white families, which has led to a racial disparity that is prevalent even today. Additional issues with suburbia today include poor upkeep of older homes, and the increase in urban sprawl, which is the rapid expansion of suburban housing with little to no supportive community features such as grocery stores and public transportation.
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There are many functions of human settlements. These include protection, pooled economics, shared natural resources, and socioemotional connections. The following bulleted list outlines the important functions of rural settlements, and how each function aids in overall cultural wellness and success.
- Protection: By living in settlements throughout history, humans had the advantage of strength in numbers. This made it much easier to fight off wild animals and protect food stores as there are lots of people able to lend a hand. Additionally, settling in groups made it possible to defend from unwanted other groups of humans as well, and the strategic location of human settlements gave some groups an advantage during wartime.
- Pooled Economics: Pooled economics refers to the sharing of skills in a community so that all needs are met. This model assumes that members of a settlement can become especially skilled at one or a few crafts or tasks, and can meet the needs of others by doing this task, provided that others who have different specialties meet their needs as well.
- Shared Natural Resources: Sharing natural resources is vital to the wellness of human settlements as all humans rely on natural resources to live. Sharing natural resources, such as food, water, and land, assures that everyone has what they need.
- Socioemotional Connections: Humans are social creatures, and need to have some level of social interaction in most cases. By settling together, groups of humans can rely on their community to meet social-emotional needs. Humans do this by attending events together, sharing meals, and living and working nearby.
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Humans form and live in organized groups of human habitation known as human settlements. Humans have practiced forming human settlements throughout all of human existence, and there are several types of human settlements seen both historically and today. Types of human settlements include rural, urban, and suburban settlements. Rural human settlements are sparsely populated human settlements that are often located in or around an abundance of natural resources, such as farms, oceans, and forests. Urban human settlements are densely populated human settlements that often have specialized structures to accommodate large amounts of people, such as skyscrapers and apartment buildings. Suburban human settlements are moderately populated and are located on the outskirts of urban cities.
There are several functions of human settlements. One is protection, for when there are more people there are more hands to serve as a defense. Another is pooled economics, which is where skills are specialized and shared with others so that everyone gets what they need. The third function of human settlements is shared natural resources, where everyone in a human settlement receives the natural resources needed to survive. The fourth and final function of human settlements is for socioemotional connections, where humans attend events together to receive social-emotional support from community members.
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Video Transcript
Settlements
Jerome lives on a farm near a small town. He has lots of space to himself; in fact, he can't see his neighbor's house from his! His friend Andy, though, lives in a big city. He's surrounded by people day and night, and he lives in a tiny apartment surrounded by others.
A human settlement is an organized grouping of human habitation. Settlements can involve lots of people, like the city Andy lives in, or just a few, like the area out in the country where Jerome lives. Let's look closer at human settlements, including the types and functions of settlements.
Types
Jerome and Andy live in two very different places, but they are both considered settlements. There are many ways to define settlements, but one way is to discuss two major types of settlements: urban and rural.
Urban settlements have a lot of people. These include large cities and towns. Andy, who lives in the big city, enjoys life in an urban settlement.
Rural settlements, on the other hand, are more spaced out. Remember that Jerome lives out by himself and can't see his neighbors from his house. This is a rural settlement.
It's important to note that not everyone defines urban and rural the same. For example, Jerome's cousin lives in a tiny town. He can see his neighbors from his house, but there aren't very many of them. There are only a few hundred people in the village where he lives.
So, is that an urban or rural location? Not everyone will agree on the answer to that question. Still, urban and rural are good, general settlement types.
Functions
As we've seen, there are different types of settlements. But all settlements share some things in common. In particular, settlements are meant to offer several functions that help make people's lives easier. They include:
1. Protection
One of the main benefits of living near other people is protection from predators. Think about our caveman days, when we had to fight off predators, like lions. Living near many other people increased the chances of survival.
Whether it's Andy's place in the big city, which is surrounded by lots of other people, or Jerome's place out in the country that's more isolated, but still near enough that other people could get there in a few minutes, living near others offers a certain level of protection.
2. Pooled Economies
Jerome is very good at doing hard labor. He likes to build things and create things by hand. But he's not so good at cooking, first aid, or other things.
Andy, on the other hand, is a doctor who is also a very good cook. But he can't build a birdhouse! Settlements allow people to pool their talents to create an economy where everyone can do what they are good at, and no one is left out in the cold. For example, without a settlement where he could go to his local doctor, Jerome might end up with a lovely house that he built, but be in trouble if he hurts himself, because he doesn't know how to treat it.
3. Shared Natural Resources
While pooling talents is a good thing, settlements also help people share natural resources. For example, it's more efficient to grow a lot of corn to feed many people, than to grow just a little to feed one family. It also makes more sense for people who use wood or coal to have a large amount that they can distribute across the settlement, than for them to try to get just enough for one or two people.
From water to electricity to food and beyond, settlements allow people to share natural resources, much in the same way that they are able to pool their talents together to create a pooled economy.
4. Socioemotional Connections
Everyone wants to be loved; it is a basic human need to connect with others. But what would happen if someone lived all alone, in the middle of nowhere and never saw or talked to other people? They might find that they'd get lonely really quickly!
Socioemotional connections are a big benefit to settlements. For example, even though he lives in the country and is far from his neighbors, Jerome still knows a lot of people in his town. He can meet up with them and connect at a restaurant, a person's home, or in church or temple.
Lesson Summary
Human settlements are organized groupings of human habitation. Two types of settlements are urban, which are densely populated, and rural, which are sparsely populated. All settlements provide some key functions for humans, including protection, pooled economies, shared natural resources, and socioemotional connections.
Learning Outcomes
Once you're done watching the lesson, your goal should be to:
- Describe the two different types of human settlements, rural and urban
- Explain the different functions that settlements should employ
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Human Settlement | Definition, Importance & Types
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