Settlement. Definitions Site: the land or area on which a settlement is built Situation: location in relation to the surrounding area Function: intended

Settlement

Definitions

Site: the land or area on which a settlement is built

Situation: location in relation to the surrounding area

Function: intended purpose for the settlement (can change over time)

Site:Area’s main physical characteristicsClose to water supplyAltitude: low lyingAspect: south facing slopesDry point – good defensive sitesNodal pointsResources: mineralsCoastal areas

Situation:Location of settlement in relation to surrounding

areaNatural routeways: gaps & valleysDeveloped routeways: transport lines

Function: Towns main economic activitiesTowns today are multi fiunctional

R eligious I ndustrial C ommercial & Communications E ducational P orts O pen Spaces (recreational) T ourism S ervices

Physical factors effecting locationquestions to ask…

Relief: is the land flat enough to build on? Drainage: is there a water supply near by

and is the land well drained? Soil quality: can the land provide food? Altitude: is the site on low land? Aspect: is the site in a sunny sheltered

location

Advantages offered by river sites

1. Water and food supply2. A fertile floodplain3. Flat land which is easy to build on and

travel across4. Transport: either on the river or across it5. Defence: river bends and islands are

easily defended

The site of Irish Settlements

Sheltered harbour- Dungarvan, Co. Waterford

Bridging point- Ballina, Co, Mayo Route focus: Mullingar, Co. Westmeath Dry point: Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly Centre of fertile farmland, Athy, Co.

Kildare

Distribution and density of settlements on OS Maps

Describing distribution

1. Describe where people are located

2. Link this to factors

3. refer to areas where people are absent and why they are absent

Describing density

1. Note areas with significant amount of housing

2. Link to factors favouring settlement

3. Note areas of dispersed or clustered settlement etc by using map evidence

Development of settlement on maps and photographs

You are expected to identify and locate by 6-figure grid reference and then describe and explain various periods of past and modern settlements

All ancient settlements are labelled as antiquities on the OS map

Historic Settlements: What to look for on OS maps

Mesolithic (7000 BC)

middens

Neolithic (new stone age) (3500 BC)

First Farmers, low lying land near rivers, soil was fertile, river provided food, water and transport.

Map evidence: Megalithic tombs, barrows, portal dolmen, passage graves, court cairns, stone circles, standing stones

Bronze age (2000 BC)

Copper mines, barrows, cist graves, wedge tombs

Iron age/ Celts (600 BC- 500)

From Central Europe, Iron weapons, Defensive structures: elevated sites, cliff edges, centre of lakes, scattered across country

Map Evidence:Ring forts, promontory fort, hill forts, crannog, barrows, fulacht fia

Early Christian (500-800 AD)

St Patrick, Illiterate, stone crosses, monastic life, round towers for protection, monasteries became first towns, education and alms

Map evidence: Holy well, cross inscribed stones, round towers, high crosses, cillin, monasteries, churches

Historic Settlements: What to look for OS Maps

Viking (800- 1000 AD) Longboats, plundered monasteries, towns developed on dry sites, trading centres, sheltered mouths of rivers

Map evidence: Found in place names ending in ‘ford’ and ‘low’ or port towns on the east or south of Ireland can be an indicator

Norman/ medieval (1100-1500 AD)

Bend of river, elevated site, defensive & trading purposes, bridging point, towns walls and gates to control trade and disease, encouraged religious orders

Map evidence: Stone castles (near rivers & bridging points), motte and bailey, priories and abbeys

Plantation (1500-1700) English planters, Fortified buildings, defensive walls, Main street with market square, weekly fairs, well planned, near large estate/demense

Map evidence: Fortified houses, demesnes, place names with grange or lott, or town named after people (Charleville)

Georgian (1700-1800) Most easily seen on photographs, grid pattern or street plan, square markets in towns

Industrial/resort/dormitory/ new towns (1900-2000)

Urban planning, counteracted urban sprawl,

Map evidence: areas route focus, modern services, industrial estates

The historic development of Dublin:case study

Dublin city has developed over many centuries. Traced through evidence.

Viking Dublin (800-1000) Easily defended site of the black pool (Dubh Linn) Dry point of the river Liffey Nearby settlement of Ath Cliath (west) provided wealth, goods for

plunder and a market Native population captured sold into slavery Dublin very important port in the Viking world (outside Scandinavia) Excavations at Wood Quay showed main features ie. Religious

buildings, areas for markets, craftwork, food storage, fortified areas


Norman Dublin (1100-1500) Norman invasion major effect on the Irish landscape Characteristics of a Norman town incl. moat, castle, town walls and

gates, market place, church/monastery/priory Important buildings made of stone (Norman walls and gates still

intact on Cook Street) Castle was built close to the Viking high street, walls surrounded the

whole of Dubh Linn Dublin castle stood in the strategic location beside Dublin bay. Native Irish were not allowed to stay within the walls after dark. An

irish only settllement developed outside the town, eg. Irishtown in Ringsend.


Georgian Dublin (1700-1800) Time of growth and construction. Stone structures replaced wooden structures Wealth reflected in buildings such as Custom house, Four Court and

the GPO Home to members of the Irish parliament (wealthy Protestant land

owners) lived in 3/4 stories town houses overlooking private squares which acted as rural retreats in the city.

1801 Act of Union past meaning ireland couldn’t govern itself. Many landlords left the city taking the wealth with them

Townhouses became rundown and began to house poorer people leading to the development of tenements and slums.


Twentieth century Dublin Poverty and devastation through the 1916 rising, civil

war and world wars Post war years planned large housing estates on the

outskirts of city ie. Crumlin Many inner city families rehoused in new estates 1960s three new towns built around the villages of

Tallaght, Lucan/Clondalkin and Blanchardstown High rise flats build in Ballymun 1980s large out migration industry and housing left

vacant and derelict


1990s urban renewal and the Celtic Tiger dublin emerged as an attractive place to live and work.

Derlict buildings and vacant lands were redeveloped and renewed into apartment buildings etc

The IFSC, Docklands, Temple Bar 2000+ recession paused the construction of

projects Unfinished ghost buildings are visible on the

dockland

Rural settlement patterns

Rural areas, individual houses make up settlement pattern

Dispersed settlement pattern Clustered settlement pattern Linear/ribbon settlement pattern Absence settlement pattern

Dispersed Settlement Pattern

Scattered over a wide area

Individual farmhouses surrounded by farmland, separated from each other

Today the pattern can be seen when houses are located at the end of long roads

Dispersed Settlement Patterns

Long tradition in Ireland Before the 18th century open field system of farming was

practised (common land) Usually surround central settlement After 18th century the system changed land was

enclosed by fences and hedges Farm houses were built on there own land that was

worked to the benefit of the farmer Dispersed pattern developed by isolated farmhouses

surrounded by fields

Clustered settlement patterns

Houses grouped together

Can be found around source of water or a church

Road junctions can also be points of clustered settlement

Clustered settlement patterns

Upland areas in the West of Ireland sign of the old farming system

Clachans: small cluster of houses usually owned by extended family

Small villages built during landlord times for estate workers

Nucleated generally applied to urban settlement

Linear/Ribbon Settlement Patterns

Arranged in a line usually along a road or a scenic coastal view

Linear/Ribbon Settlement Patterns

Many people prefer to live in rural areas close to towns to access services

Roads entering towns have services ie. Sewerage, water facilities, telephone and electricity cables

Less expensive for local authorities to provide them along main roads than each individual laneway

Roadsides are valuable places in which to live Farmers often sell the more valuable road frontage sites

for housing Leads to unsightly linear pattern or ‘bungalow blitz’

Absence of settlement

Area of land may have no settlement due to both physical and human factors

Physical: relief, altitude, aspect, exposure to the wind, poor soil or lack of water supply

Human: out migration, abandonment of farms

Absence of settlement

Avoid living in land 200m above sea level (wetter/colder), Soils are thinner and land is steeper

Low lying areas may be absent: river floodplains (if there is settlement usually on a dry point)

Social: out migration and exhaustion of resources

Reasons for the growth of rural housing

Housing development in rural areas built to accomadate people working in nearby towns (commuters)

Linear development resulting in pressure on services

Holiday homes develop along senic coastal areas

Rural Planning

One off housing Explosion of linear housing – exit routes Celtic Tiger era (1997-2007) 2nd homes, B&B’s Declined – tax levies

Issues in planning housing development

1. Provision of services- water, electricity, broadband2. Provision of employment opportunities in rural for less

community 3. Loss of scenic amenity value created by one-off housing4. Problems of water quality due to seepage from greater

number of septic tanks5. Rising land prices in rural areas. Locals cannot afford

land prices6. Planning permission controls in scenic areas7. Traffic management issues due to increased commuters

Problems associated

Ghost estates due to recession people moving futher outside the city

many estates left unfinished 621 ghost estates in Ireland Nearly every county has one Worst effected area in Leitrim

Measures to support rural population growth

The National Development Plan 2007-20131. Providing transport infrastructure to link rural areas to

urban centres (Transport 21)2. Broadband provision throughout country3. Supporting rural resource based industries such as

agriculture and food4. Village renewal to make villages attractive to live 5. Increase tourist potential6. Provision of good quality waster supply to rural areas7. Provision of education and training schemes for rural

population8. Social inclusion, especially older population9. Preservation of scenic areas

Measures to support rural population growthCounty Development Plan

Each county has its own development plan Rural Development plan:

Protect the distinctiveness of the rural areas Prevent suburbanisation

Strict planning laws Wicklow: planning permission for individual housing in

rural areas is only granted to people born and raised in the county or those that have been living or working there for over a year

Westmeath: planning in rural areas is only granted to residents or natives . Those who get permission must occupy the house for more than a year

Concerned about: Rural service provision, traffic management, pollution, scenic quality, expanding commuter services

Updated every 5 years

Functions of Urban settlements

Function Example on map/ photo Example

Religious Churches, cathedrals Knock

Recreational Parks, golf course, marinas Tramore

Residential Housing estates Malahide

Industrial Industrial estates, factory Navan

Communications Post office, transport network Waterford

Commercial Shop fronts, shopping centres Galway

Functions of Urban settlements

Education Schools, Universities, ITs Cork

Ports Ships, containers, marinas Killybegs

Transport Roads, Rail, Luas, carparks Dublin

Open spaces Playing fields, parks, mountains

Glendalough

Tourism Information offices, picnic sites, golf courses

Killarney

services Hospitals, garda stations Drogheda

Defence (Historic)

Walls, mottes, castles Limerick

Functions changing over time

Settlements have changed over time In answering this question look at the

following

Town Original function (s)

Present function (s)

Future function (s)

Changing functions in Galway city

Located relatively flat site on the banks of river Corrib Large hinterland, major urban centre in the West and

fourth largest in Ireland Medieval: Norman landlord built a castle on the land

seized from Irish clans (Defensive Function), quickly developed a port function with trade links growing

with France (Merchant City) City walls have survived Lynch’s Castle in the city centre (used as a bank since

1927


Port function: important port for centuries Distribution centre for its hinterland acquiring a

transport function Bridges built made it an important crossing point Port function has declined since the importance

of the ports in the south and east has expanded


Educational function: 1845 became a university city

Location of the university enhanced the importance of the city

Recent years: Galway Mayo Institute of technology- the Regional Hospital is a teaching hospital

Many schools both primary and secondary


Manufacturing function: Major centre west of the Shannon Location of multinational companies in

healthcare and IT High quality of 3rd level graduates and

Industrial development authority Led to residential estates cropping up


Other services: Fourth largest city in the Republic Financial, commercial, retail and tourist

services Link with the Irish language Functions changing over time

Central Place Theory

Devised by Walter Christaller in the 1930s Towns located on a plain were spaced a certain

distance apart so they would not compete for the same costumer, not by sheer chance

Studied towns in Bavaria, Germany Theory maintains that if there is even distribution,

equal money, transport opportunities, if the land is flat and featureless then settlements are distributed according to size

Source: http://www.uwec.edu/bfoust/155/G155_RS3/sld002.htm

What's wrong with circles?

What’s wrong with circles

Central place theory


A Central Place is a settlement which provides one or more services for the population living around it.

Simple basic services (e.g. grocery stores) are said to be of low order while specialized services (e.g. universities) are said to be of high order. Having a high order service implies there are low order services around it, but not vice versa.


Settlements which provide low order services are said to be low order settlements.

Settlements that provide high order services are said to be high order settlements.

The sphere of influence is the area of under influence of the Central Place.

Hierarchy of settlementsHamlets Day to day

servicesLocal shops/ bread and milk

Fanore

Village Low order School/church/petrol station

Ballyvaughan

Small town

Some high order

Pharmacy/supermarkets Balbriggan

Large town

More high order

Retail parks/variety of shops

Bray/ Ennis

Small city Increasing number

Hospital/third level college/specialist stores

Waterford

Large city More high order

Cathedral/university/ specialist hospital

Killkenny/ Galway

Regional centre

All services available

Administrative and financial insitutions

Dublin/Cork

Central place theory four basic ideas

1. Threshold population: each service has minimum population to keep it in business

2. Range: maximum distance people will travel for a product or service, range determines the size of the hinterland

3. Frequency of demand: how often a product and service is needed. High frequency demand everyday products

4. Rank order: expensive items brought infrequently are high order ie. Cars,

medium order: clothes, low order: milk


Central place is a town or urban centre that provides goods and services

Centrality: degree to which serves the surrounding area, measured in terms of goods and services offered

New York would have a high centrality Ballygarvin, Co. Cork would have a low centrality


To simplify Christaller made the following assumptions:1. All movements take place on a flat plain where there is equal

distribution2. Transport is equally easy in all directions so cost is a

proportional to distance3. Customers use rational behaviour, travel to the nearest centre4. All customers have equal purchasing power and demand

constant5. A hexagon-shaped hinterland gives the best coverage of the

area

Distribution using Central Place

Based on the assumptions central place shows that:

1. The larger the settlement the fewer there are

2. Larger settlements are spaced further apart from each other

3. Large towns have a wider range

4. Larger settlements offer more high order services

Distribution using Central Place

Exceptions are:

1. Tourist resorts that have a small population but have large number of functions

2. Dormitory towns that have a large population but a small number of functions

Criticisms of Central Place Theory

1. CPT is too simplistic and random in allocating ranges and thresholds.

2. Historic view of urban settlement that does not take transport improvements into account

3. Increasing concentration of all services in larger centres

4. People do not always use rational behaviour and tend to shop around for high order goods

Christaller’s CPT

Christaller made a number of assumptions such as:

All areas have ･ an isotropic (all flat) surface ･

an evenly distributed population ･ evenly distributed resources - similar

purchasing power of all consumers

Limitations of Christaller's model

Few real-life regions fit Christaller's model (except the flat lands of the Dutch Polders and East Anglia in the UK)

The problem lies in the basic assumptions of the model: People do not always go to the nearest central place (they may chose a

new edge of city superstore further away) So the K3 theory wouldn’t work. Large areas of flat land rarely exist. Mountains & hills etc distort transport

routes (so the K4 theory wouldn’t work) People and wealth are not evenly distributed (if poorer people live in a

certain area & their nearest high order settlement is expensive then they won’t visit it)

Governments often control where new towns are located, not market forces (i.e. not necessarily where the demand for goods and services is highest)

HillTrain-line

Historic Settlement Examine the 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey map of Carrick-on-Suir that accompanies

this paper. Using evidence from the map describe and explain three different examples of

historic settlement. Central Place Examine the Ordnance Survey map and aerial photograph accompanying this paper. Using evidence from the Ordnance Survey map and aerial photograph, show that Carrick-on-Suir performs the function of a Central Place or market centre for the surrounding hinterland. SETTLEMENT PATTERNS Examine the Ordnance Survey extract that accompanies this paper. Using map

evidence to support your answer, identify and explain three patterns of rural settlement. DYNAMICS OF SETTLEMENT With reference to one Irish urban centre that you have studied, examine how its

functions change over time.

URBAN FUNCTIONS Study the aerial photograph of part of Galway that accompanies this paper. Examine any three functions of the city, using evidence from the photograph to

support your answer. POPULATION DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION Describe and explain, using examples which you have studied, the difference

between the terms Population density and population distribution. Central Place Theory Examine this diagram, which refers to Christaller’s Central Place Theory. Explain

what you understand by this Theory.

Documents

Settlement. Definitions Site: the land or area on which a settlement is built Situation: location in relation to the surrounding area Function: intended