Urbanization and Land Use

Urbanization is defined as the process by which a population shifts from rural areas to urban centers, typically driven by industrialization and employment opportunities.

In settlement patterns, settlements that occurs near rivers, coasts and railways are classified as linear settlements. In this type of settlement houses are built on the side of roads or tracks. This type of settlement is followed mainly to make the transportation easier.

The Rural-urban fringes are the outskirts of an urban area. These are used for recreational purposes by building parks and golf courses. It is an area of interface between a country side (village) and an urban area.

Specific area in urban settlement in which specific activities are concentrated is called as a territory. It is an administrative unity that falls under a particular jurisdiction.

People of urban areas follow compact form of settlement. This is due to increased settlement in urban areas. In such type of settlement houses, shops, hospitals etc. are closely located and packed. People face problems of overcrowding and suffocation in such type of settlements.

A place where one inhabits or establishes a community to lead his life is called a settlement. Urban settlement is nothing but people living in towns. People of urban settlement involve themselves mostly in business and manufacturing activities because it provides good opportunities to secondary and tertiary sectors.

In a settlement which concentrates on agricultural economy, land plays an important factor affecting settlement. There should be proper distribution of land resources and also possess spatial structure suitable to agriculture.

Process of developing towns and making an area more urban is called urbanisation. Lot of people tend to settle in urban areas for good employment opportunities. Though urbanisation resulted in increased comfort and luxury of people, it also caused negative effects like congestion or crowding due to increased informal human settlement in urban areas, power blackouts etc.

Process of developing towns and making an area more urban is called urbanisation. It results in movement of people from rural areas to urban areas. Lot of people tend to settle in urban areas for good employment opportunities. Though urbanisation resulted in increased comfort and luxury of people, it also caused negative effects like congestion or crowding due to increased informal human settlement in urban areas, power blackouts etc.

Rural-urban fringe is also known as the outskirt or the urban hinterland. It is the transition zone where urban and rural uses intermix. It is the area where the city meets the countryside. It is an area of transition from agriculture and other rural land use to urban use.

A linear settlement is a settlement that is formed in a long line. It follows a transport route, such as a road,  river, canal, coastlines, mountains, hills or valleys. A linear settlement has no obvious center. The linear settlement has a long and narrow shape.

Territory means an area of land under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state. It is an administrative division. It is a specific area in an urban settlement in which specific activities are concentrated.

Types of settlement include:

Functional zones are that areas that are designated for only one kind of activity. For Example industrial zones, residential zones, inner city zones, suburbs, rural-urban fringe, and Central Business Districts. It has been criticized for causing the squandering of land, energy and time.

Dispersed settlement are those settlement where the houses are spread over a wide area. They are often the homes of farmers and can be found in rural areas. The settlement doesn't follow any pattern.