Definition for Clustered Rural Settlement

The term "settlement" refers to an assembly of residences grouped together, whether in close proximity or at a distance, to create a community. A settlement can vary in size and population, and can be temporary or permanent. Three types of settlements exist: dispersed, linear and clustered.

Identification

A clustered settlement, also known as a nucleated settlement, is a settlement pattern identified by its dense development around a central church or public place. A clustered rural settlement is different in that there is a distribution of farmsteads and dwellings in an agricultural setting or around a trade route or main trail in a nucleated manner.

Features

Typically, any type of settlement will consist of water sources, roads, boundaries, homes and churches. Mills and agricultural land are also common features of settlements such as dispersed settlements and clustered rural settlements. These features provide the cornerstone of community and the basis for population growth.

Other Types

Dispersed settlements refer to rural farmsteads and estates that tend to have large fields between them, but share roads and boundaries between fields. Linear settlements are settlements that have developed along a river, stream or road in a comparatively straight line.

References

• Institute of Historical Research: Landscape and Townscape
• "The Geographical Journal": Geography and the History of Landscape