BARCH, Architecture, 7th semester, III Year

AR508: Theory of Settlement

Unit - 1
Types of Urban Settlement

Lecture no. 3

Anjali Gupta
Assistant Professor, School of Architecture & Design
Outlines
• Types of urban settlement on the basis of Population

• Types of urban settlement on the basis of Function

Urban settlement : On the basis of Population
Urban settlement : On the basis of Population
TOWN

The concept of ‘town’ can best be understood with reference to ‘village’.

Population size is not the only criterion. Functional contrasts between
towns and villages may not always be clear-cut, but specific
functions such as, manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade, and
professional services exist in towns

CITY

Cities are much larger than towns and have a greater number of economic
functions. They tend to have transport terminals, major financial institutions
and regional administrative offices. When the population crosses the one
million mark it is designated as a million city.
Evolution of Human Settlement –Stage 2
Evolution of Human Settlement –Stage 2

G WA L I O R I S A C I T Y O R T O W N ?
Urban settlement : On the basis of Population
CONURBATION

The term conurbation

was coined by Patrick
Geddes in 1915 and
applied to a large area
of urban development
that resulted from the
merging of originally
separate towns or cities.
Urban settlement : On the basis of Population
MILLION CITY

The number of million cities in the world has been increasing as never
before. London reached the million mark in 1800, followed by Paris in
1850, New York in 1860, and by 1950 there were around 80 such cities.

Million plus city population – 1 million or 10 lakh

Is a Gwalior Million Plus City?

Urban settlement : On the basis of Population
Megalopolis
This Greek word meaning “great city”, was popularized by Jean Gottman
(1957) and signifies ‘super- metropolitan’ region extending, as union of
conurbations.

Population

<10 million
Urban settlement : On the basis of Population
Based on the population size, the census of India classifies urban centers
into six classes
Urban settlement : On the basis of Function
Administrative Cities

The town or cities performing administrative works are categorized

as administrative towns/cities. For example, the national capital (New Delhi)
and the capital of all states and Union Territories are the administrative
towns/cities.

Industrial Cities

The towns/cities that developed because of the industrial development are

known as industrial towns/cities. For example, Mumbai, Salem,
Coimbatore, Modi Nagar, Jamshedpur, Hugli, Bhilai, etc.
Urban settlement : On the basis of Function
Transport Planner

The towns/cities primarily engaged in export and import activities are

known as transport towns/cities. For example, Kandla, Kochchi,
Kozhikode, Vishakhapatnam, etc.

Commercial towns

The towns/cities primarily engaged in trade and business are known

as commercial towns. For example, Kolkata, Saharanpur, Satna, etc.

Mining Towns

The towns that developed because of the mining activities are known
as mining towns. For example, Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar,
Singrauli, etc.
Urban settlement : On the basis of Function
Cantonment Towns

The towns that developed as garrison towns are known as Garrison

Cantonment towns. For example, Ambala, Jalandhar, Mhow, Babina,
Udhampur, etc.

Educational Towns

The towns that developed because of the development of educational

institutions are known as educational towns. For example, Roorkee,
Varanasi, Aligarh, Pilani, Allahabad etc.
Urban settlement : On the basis of Function
Religious Towns

Some towns mark their development with the existence of religious shrines.
Such towns are known as religious towns. For example, Varanasi, Mathura,
Amritsar, Madurai, Puri, Ajmer, Pushkar, Tirupati, Kurukshetra, Haridwar,
Ujjain, etc.

Tourist Towns

The towns that developed because of the influx of tourists are known
as tourists’ towns. For example, Nainital, Mussoorie, Shimla, Pachmarhi,
Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udhagamandalam (Ooty), Mount Abu, etc.
Learning Outcome
1. Learned about the Types of Urban Settlement on the basis of
population and function
SELO
1. Critical & innovative thinking skills.

2. Application of concepts of topic.

3. Ability to be a lifelong self learner.