Residence built and developed by humans in organised clusters on the earth’s surface is called a settlement. A human settlement is defined as a place inhabited more or less permanently. It includes dwellings in which they live or use and the paths and streets on which they travel. It also includes the temporary camps of the hunters and herders. It may consist of only a few dwelling units called hamlets or a big cluster of buildings called urban cities.
Pattern of rural settlements: The pattern of rural settlements is defined by natural factors like surface, rivers, reservoirs, historical factors, socio – cultural factors, transportation routes and religious places, etc. The formation of settlements is also called pattern.
On the basis of shape, pattern is divided into following parts:
1. Linear pattern
2. Arrow pattern
3. Triangular pattern
4. Rectangular pattern
5. Radial pattern
6. Circular pattern
7. Star pattern
8. Fan pattern
9. Irregular pattern
10. Ladder – shaped pattern
11. Bee – hive pattern
12. Other pattern.
1. Linear Pattern: When settlements develop along road routes, rail routes, canals, river valleys or sea coasts in rural areas, then the pattern of linear pattern is created. In this pattern, houses are very close together and in rows. Such settlements are found in the Ganga – Yamuna plains and Central Himalayan region.
2. Arrow Pattern: The arrow orientation develops at the top of a headland, along the bow of river or between two water bodies. It is usually said to be arrow-shaped. Due to lack of enough land in front and for development, the settlements develop at the rear. For instance ICanyakumari in South India and banks of Chilka lake in Odisha have such settlements.
3. Triangular Pattern: The triangular settlements develop at the meeting of rivers, canals or roads but not at their intersecting point. In India, these types of settlements are found in Haryana and Punjab.
4. Rectangular Pattern: The rectangular patterns are formed at the perpendicularly intersecting points of road or streets. These types of settlements form on the fertile land in the world.
5. Radial Pattern: This type of pattern can be seen in Northern Ganga plains and the state of Tamil Nadu. When muddy roads or tarred roads coming from different directions meet at a place, radial pattern settlement takes place.
6. Circular Pattern: Generally, such types of settlements are formed by buildings or houses around a lake, pond, well, religious place or a village chaupal. Circular pattern can be seen in most of the urban areas.
7. Star pattern: Star pattern of settlements begin to develop initially as a radial pattern, but later on, the building of houses along the roads leading outwards, create a star-shaped settlement.
8. Fan pattern: When houses are built around a central place in a village or hamlet, and the settlement also develops along the main contact road in a linear way, a fan-shaped pattern is formed.
9. Irregular pattern: When without any planning, shapeless building or houses are built for human convenience, an irregular pattern is formed. In this pattern, roads and streets develop automatically in the gaps of buildings. Most of the Indian villages are the examples of such pattern.
10. Ladder-shaped pattern: Such type of settlements are seen – in the slopes of hills and mountains, where houses are built next to one another close together and also one after another. The rows of these houses can be seen at many levels according to the slope.
11. Bee – hive pattern: Villages of domed huts of primitive tribes in India, Toda tribes, fisherfolk villages of coastal Andhra pradesh and Zulus of Africa live in such type of pattern which look like a bee-hive from a distance.
12. Other patterns: Other patterns are haphazard and spider. The patterns which are formed without an order or planning or by chance or irregularity aimlessly are called haphazard patterns. When patterns are formed automatically here and there, the result is a spider pattern.
