Settlement Hierarchy

A hierarchy is a ranking of items, therefore a settlement hierarchy is a ranking of settlements.

If we group and classify a number of settlements according to their size and shape, the result
is settlement hierarchy - a way of arranging settlements.

A settlement`s place in the hierarchy depends on the size of the population, the range and
number of services and the sphere of influence or area served by the settlement. This is how
far people will travel to use the services in the settlement. If people travel further, the town
becomes more important and ranks higher in settlement hierarchy.

As you move up the hierarchy, the size of the settlement and the distance between similar sized
settlements increases. The diagram below shows that there are more cities than conurbations,
more towns than cities and more villages than towns. The number of services that a settlement
provides increases with settlement size.

DRAW: Complete Geo pg 39 Fig 2.1: A hierarchy of settlements and fig 2.2 the distribution
of high order and low order settlements

Isolated Place: A look at the levels of a settlement hierarchy starts with a base. The
base of this chart is the isolated place, a settlement with only a few households. Isolated
places require very little in the way of services and may have none at all.

Hamlet: Above that is a slightly larger and slightly less common settlement called
a hamlet. Hamlets generally have populations of 100 people or less and might have a
few very basic services.

Village: A hamlet becomes a village if more people are added. Villages have a few
hundred people, making them large enough to contain basic services like post offices,
gas stations, or churches.

Small Town & Large Town: The next size of settlement is the small town, which has
a population of between 1,000 and 20,000 people. Small towns have enough basic
services that people don't have to always leave this settlement in order to fulfil their
basic needs. This means that basic stores, grocers, and restaurants are available. When
a town's population grows to be over 20,000 people, it can become a large town and
attract more varieties of these services.

1. As you move up the hierarchy, the size of the settlement and the distance between similar
sized settlements increases. As you can see from the diagram above, there are more cities
than conurbations, more towns than cities and more villages than towns.
2. The number of services that a settlement provides increases with settlement size.
3. The number of services that a settlement provides increases with settlement size.
4. Small settlements will only provide low-order services such as a post offices, doctors and
newsagents. Large towns, cities and conurbations will provide low and high-order
services such as leisure centres, chain stores and hospitals.
5. Larger settlements and conurbations have a much larger sphere of influence than smaller
ones. This means they attract people from a wider area because of the facilities they offer.
Cities such as London have a global sphere of influence, whereas a small hamlet or village
may only have a sphere of influence of a couple of kilometres.
6. Services such as department stores selling high order goods have a higher threshold than
those selling low order goods such as newsagents. This means they need a higher number of
people to support them and make them profitable, therefore they will only be found in larger
settlements. It also means that there are fewer big department stores than small newsagents.
7. The range of a service or product is the maximum distance people are prepared to travel to
purchase it. The range of a newspaper is much lower than an item of furniture for example.

Services are things such as retailers (shops), professionals (doctors, lawyers etc),
entertainment, government functions and leisure. The theory goes that the larger a settlement
is, and therefore the higher it is on the urban hierarchy, the more services and functions it will
have. In general in the UK, this is the case. London is the settlement at the top of the urban
hierarchy, and it has the greatest numbers of services and functions of any settlement in the
country. For instance, it has the major international airports, it is the seat of national
government, it has the widest range of shops, including very specialist ones, and it has the most
renowned professional services. This is because its population is large enough to support all of
the services. A small village may on the other hand only have the population to support a pub,
post office, village store and perhaps a small garage.
Settlement hierarchy (refer to the previous settlement hierarchy diagram and note the slight
variations)

Small settlements will only provide low-order services such as a post offices, doctors and
newsagents. Large towns, cities and conurbations will provide low and high-order
services such as leisure centres, chain stores and hospitals.

DRAW: Complete Geo pg 39 Fig 2.2 the distribution of high order and low order settlements

Larger settlements and conurbations have a much larger sphere of influence than smaller ones.
This means they attract people from a wider area because of the facilities they offer. Cities such
as London have a global sphere of influence, whereas a small hamlet or village may only have
a sphere of influence of a couple of kilometres.

Services such as department stores selling high order goods have a higher threshold than those
selling low order goods such as newsagents. This means they need a higher number of people
to support them and make them profitable, therefore they will only be found in larger
settlements. It also means that there are fewer big department stores than small newsagents. In
order to be profitable, a shop or service will require a minimum number of potential
customers, this is known as its threshold population.

The range of a service or product is the maximum distance people are prepared to travel
to purchase it. The range of a newspaper is much lower than an item of furniture for example.