1. Settlement System
A settlement system refers to the organized pattern of distribution, size, functions, and relationships among human settlements (villages, towns, cities, metropolises) within a region or country.
- Settlements are arranged in a hierarchical order:
- Hamlets → Villages → Small Towns → Medium Towns → Cities → Metropolises → Megacities → Megalopolis
- The system reflects:
- Spatial linkages (rural–urban interaction)
- Functional linkages (administrative, economic, cultural)
- Dependency relationships (villages depending on towns, towns on cities, etc.)
2. Census Classification of Settlements (India)
(a) Rural Settlements
- All places that do not qualify as urban under Census criteria.
- Usually depend on agriculture and allied activities.
(b) Urban Settlements
As per Census of India:
- Statutory Towns: Places with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board, or notified area committee.
- Census Towns: Places meeting all 3 conditions:
- Minimum population of 5,000
- At least 75% of male workers in non-agricultural pursuits
- Population density of 400 persons/sq. km or more
(c) Categories of Urban Settlements by Population Size (Census 2011):
- Class I: 100,000 and above
- Class II: 50,000 – 99,999
- Class III: 20,000 – 49,999
- Class IV: 10,000 – 19,999
- Class V: 5,000 – 9,999
- Class VI: less than 5,000
3. Primate City
- A primate city is the largest city in a country or region, which is disproportionately larger than the second-largest city and dominates political, economic, and cultural life.
- Term popularized by Mark Jefferson (1939).
- Characteristics:
- Much larger than next-ranking cities
- Concentrates national functions (administration, trade, education, culture)
- Often the capital city
- Examples:
- India: Delhi (political primacy), Mumbai (economic primacy)
- France: Paris dominates over all other French cities
4. Rank–Size Rule
- Proposed by G.K. Zipf (1949).
- States that:
- “The population of a city is inversely proportional to its rank in the hierarchy.”
- The 2nd largest city will have ½ the population of the largest,
- The 3rd largest city will have ⅓, and so on.
- Indicates a balanced urban system (as opposed to primate city dominance).
- In India, the rank-size distribution is distorted by primacy of Delhi and Mumbai.
5. Urbanization
- Definition: The process by which a growing proportion of a country’s population comes to live in towns and cities.
- Measured by the percentage of urban population in total population.
- Urbanization in India (Census data):
- 1951 → 17.3%
- 2001 → 27.8%
- 2011 → 31.2%
- Projected 2036 → ~40%
- Drivers in India:
- Industrialization
- Migration (push–pull factors)
- Economic opportunities in services/IT
- Government policies (Smart Cities, AMRUT)
6. Industrialization
- Industrialization refers to the shift from agrarian to industrial economy, concentrating industries in certain towns and cities.
- Impact on urbanization:
- Creation of industrial towns: Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Bhilai, Durgapur.
- Growth of employment and in-migration → urban expansion.
- Emergence of slums due to mismatch between population growth and infrastructure.
- Industrialization has been the key driver of urban growth globally and in India (especially post-independence).
7. Urban Development
- Urban development is a broader concept than urbanization. It refers not only to the growth of towns and cities but also to the improvement of infrastructure, services, quality of life, and sustainability.
- In India:
- Planned cities: Chandigarh, Gandhinagar, Bhubaneswar.
- Urban missions:
- JNNURM (2005) → modernization of infrastructure
- Smart Cities Mission (2015) → sustainable, tech-enabled development
- PMAY → housing for all
- AMRUT → water supply, sanitation, green spaces
- Focus today is on sustainable urban development balancing economy, society, and environment.
8. Summary Diagram (Conceptual)
Settlement System Hierarchy:
Hamlet → Village → Small Town → Medium Town → City → Metropolis → Megacity → Megalopolis
- Primate City: One dominates the system.
- Rank-Size Rule: Balanced distribution of city sizes.
- Urbanization: % of population in cities.
- Industrialization: Economic driver of urban growth.
- Urban Development: Planned, sustainable improvement of cities.
✅ This set of concepts ties together the structure, classification, and dynamics of urban settlements in India and globally.