HUMAN SETTLEMENTS & TOWN PLANNING : LECTURE 1 – 07/04/2021

EVOLUTION & FORMATION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

a. From Cave to Village :

i. When prehistoric man moved from his cave into shelters he constructed of
boughs, twigs and leaves, he was taking the first step toward urbanization.
ii. With a settled shelter, man started planting tree saplings, domesticating animals,
and cultivating crops.
iii. Thereafter, he commenced creating possessions for himself and his family in the
form of crops, cattle, and various working tools.
iv. Amassing possessions bred rivalry which, in turn, brought in the need for
protection of the amassed possessions.
v. For the protection of possessions and for personal security, families collected into
friendly groups and formed villages, by which the predominantly agrarian
population enjoyed the advantages of numerical strength.
vi. Man being intrinsically a gregarious animal, he naturally sought the company and
companionship of his fellow-beings, not only for collective protection but also for
group entertainment and sports.

b. From Villages to Kingdom :

i. The village brought something new to the lives of primitive men – it introduced to
them the need for mutual responsibility and cooperation.
ii. There were varied interests common to the inhabitants of the village, and this led
to the creation of a social and political entity called society.
iii. The stronghold of the village became an appropriate sanctuary for the altar of its
deity. It provided a place for worship, a meeting ground for assembly, and a
central location for trade. Thus began the process of urbanization.
iv. Primitive man’s natural instinct for survival and self-preservation led to
occasional outburst of personal rivalries within the village; and the person who
emerged the strongest from such skirmishes assumed the status of the village
chieftain. It was he who maintained communal order in the village with the help of
his henchmen.
v. It was but natural that, as a next step, rivalry should spread among neighbouring
villages, followed by armed conflicts between them – resulting in timber
barricades along the boundary of every village being converted into fortified walls.
The armed conflicts would end with several losing villages being overlorded by
the victorious village, whose chieftain would come to be accepted as the ruler. In
time, kingdoms were created, and their rulers assumed the title of king and/or
emperor.