5. Settlement & Services Hierarchy

• Settlement hierarchy


  Settlements are ordered and classified based on three principles: population size, number of services provided, number of settlements
• Settlement hierarchy


  Dispersed ⇒ Hamlets ⇒ Villages ⇒ Market towns ⇒ Large towns ⇒ Cities ⇒ Conurbations ⇒ Megacities
• The result is a pyramid-shaped model, where there are more cities than megacities and more villages than towns
• Services hierarchy


  All settlements offer certain functions and services - the basics of life such as bread, milk, eggs etc.
• Threshold population


  The minimum number of people necessary before a particular good or service will be provided in the area
• Services provided by settlements

  • Low-order services (small village/hamlet): post office, general store, pub, possibly a doctor
  • Low and high-order services (towns): church, medical centre, garages, schools, restaurants
  • High-order services (cities/conurbations): leisure centres, schools, churches, chain stores, hospitals
• Some places may have more services than average, such as a small seaside resort
• Others can have less, such as a commuter or dormitory town
• Sphere of influence


  The area that a settlement serves, also known as a catchment area
• The larger the settlement, the greater the influence (usually)
• Low-order goods


  Things that are bought regularly, such as milk or bread. People are not prepared to travel far to buy a convenience good and there is no real saving in shopping around, the extra cost of 'shopping around' outweighs any savings that may be made
• High-order goods


  Comparison goods such as electrical goods and furniture that the shopper will buy only after making a comparison between various models and different shops. A high threshold population is needed to sustain a shop selling comparison goods, and people are prepared to travel some distance to obtain the goods