Cambridge IGCSE Geography
12
Settlements and service provision
Settlement hierarchies
What is a hierarchy? A settlement hierarchy shows how settlements in any area can be put in order based on their size or the services that they provide. Higher up the hierarchy the population size and number of services in the settlement increases, although in any area there are fewer large settlements such as cities (high order settlements) than towns (middle order settlements). There are even more small settlements such as villages (low order settlements). Settlements in an area depend on each other as people will use a variety of services found in different settlements. The area served by a settlement is known as its sphere of influence. The size of this will depend on the type and number of services offered by the settlement and the transport links to it.
Rural settlements only have a few services, which are low order services. Low order services are those that are used often, for example a small general store which sells convenience goods. Urban settlements have a greater number and variety of services, including both low order and high order services. High order services are not needed so often. They may sell comparison goods, such as furniture or clothing, and people are usually prepared to travel further to buy them. The distance that people are prepared to travel to use a service is known as its range. In order to make a profit, a shop or service needs a minimum number of potential customers, which is known as its threshold population. Services providing low order goods or services need a lower threshold population (as the service is used daily) than high order services, which need many more potential customers and thus have a higher threshold population.
Rural settlement size and number of services in part of the Republic of Ireland
A settlement hierarchy
20 18 Increase in size Capital Above 2 million of settlement, city population and number of services Regional 150 000–500 000
RURAL
centre Large town
25 000–150 000
Small town
2500–25 000
Village
100–2500
Hamlet
10–100
16 Number of services
URBAN
42
14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
500
1000 1500 2000 Total population of settlement
2500
Percentage of rural settlements without services in part of the Republic of Ireland Population of settlement Services
Less than 1000
1000 to 2999
Above 3000
No bus service
69
41
23
No post office
48
21
9
No village shop
39
12
4
No primary school
21
5
2
3000