Organic Human

Settlement Pattern
Land use and settlement study of villages in Ghana
What is organic settlement?
An organic settlement is one in which developments including land use are not planned prior to the
creation of settlements. Traditional planning refers to organization of land use undertaken by chiefs and
elders of the community in contrast to planning done by development planners

Ghana Akokoaso village – factors of Spatial planning

General principles underlying in the spatial planning of the whole village include security ,solidarity and
social well being.

 Young Members of the family built their houses close to Senior members.
 Very little space was left between the houses
 Closeness of buildings and narrow access lane were deliberately created to make the movements of enemies
who were not familiar with the village difficult, thereby making it possible for people to defend themselves or
flee.
 The close proximity of houses facilitated face to face interpersonal contact, promoted social relationships and
solidarity among the members of the extended family.
 These conditions bought about a nucleated type of residential development
 Existence of roads prior to establishment of town contributed significantly to its settlement
pattern. Houses were sited on the either side of the main road.
 An important feature of this linear type of settlement is that the outskirts of community are
Visibly demarcated and houses tended to be linear.
 A settlement pattern unique and characteristic of the farming system practiced by the Krobos outside their traditional
home is called Huza.
 A large parcel of land usually adjacent to either a river or a brook was divided into a series of strips each with a
frontage along the stream
 Each family built a house near the stream thus creating a series of string elements which at times extended as long as
five kilometers along a main path. Few Huza settlements later became town

A casual look into the residential land use pattern in an organic settlement may indicate the lack of any deliberate efforts
to achieve an objective. Yet there is an understanding of social values, social organization, politics and history of the
people will reveal that there were deliberate and conscious efforts to site certain important buildings
Community facilities in such villages :

 Streets
 Markets
 Palaver grounds ( they formed the nuclei of
settlements)
 Cemetries
 Public latrines
 Sanitary Areas

Individual people still play a major role in deciding the settlement pattern in
Ghana village instead of town planning officers. Community heads have a major
role in deciding the location of important buildings