Changing urban areas

• A settlement is a place where people live. It may be as small as a single house or as big as a city.
• The function of a settlement refers to it's main activity or purpose. Today most settlements are multi-functional.
• The CBD (Central Business District) is located in the Centre of an MEDC city. It is where main shops and offices are found. It is the centre of commerce and entertainment. There are few open spaces.
• The inner city commonly surrounds the CBD. Its land use can be divided into industrial and residential.
• Early industries were located in the inner city because they were located near the CBD and main roads and railway lines. Early residential areas were located in the inner city because of their close proximity to the industry.
• The inner city residential areas are no longer close to industry and now many are in deprivation and urban decay.
• Suburbs are primarily residential areas that are located at the edge of settlements. They feature:

  • Detached and semi-detached housing.
  • Lower population Densities.
  • Cheaper land values.
  • Large open space.

  Most residents in the Suburbs commute to work in other land zones.
• The Rural-urban fringe is the interface between rural and urban land at the edge of a city. It is an area where urban land gradually gives way to rural land. Typically of mixed land use.