There are a number of factors that affect the density (the amount of settlement) and location of rural settlement.
C B Aspect
Explain why people would live near Area A on this map segment, but not in the areas labelled B and C .
Altitude (Height above sea level)
Slope
Most human settlement is found on land below 200 m (coloured green on OS maps). Land above that is often too cold, wet and windy to live on.
Most building is done on flat or gently-sloping land. Farming is also easier on this type of land.
This refers to the direction in which the slope faces. South- facing slopes receive more sun and therefore are preferable for settlement.
Drainage Well-drained land is better for settlement. Marshes or rivers that are prone to flood are avoided where possible.
Rural Settlement Patterns
Settlement patterns means the general way or shape that houses are distributed (spread out) on an OS map. Rural settlement patterns generally have three patterns.
Houses are represented by little black squares on an OS map.
Dispersed settlement patterns will have houses isolated or spread around the countryside. They may be farm buildings surrounded by farmland.
Dispersed Dispersed
Linear Linear
Linear settlement patterns (also called ‘ribbon’ settlement) represent buildings that follow a road or coastline in a direct style. They can also be found at the foot of steep hills.
