Function

What is the function of a settlement?

The function of a settlement describes all the main activities that occur in it. These can be grouped into a number of headings:

 Residential  Recreational  Religious  Retail  Government  Entertainment  Industrial

Some settlements have one predominant function. This was particularly the case when settlements were first established. Some towns performed important defensive functions (Stirling), others were ports and others were important route centres, settlements located at the meeting point of several roads/railways; the meeting point of two or more river valleys (which provide good road and rail routes through high land), is often the location of a route-centre settlement. Bridging points, ports and gap towns are also natural route centres.

Most settlements now are multi-functional, which means that they perform a range of different functions, however some may be more important than others to a particular settlement. For instance a tourist town will perform all sorts of functions, but its main ones are concentrated towards the tourists.

Many settlements around the world have found that their functions have had to change over time. One such example is that of small farming villages finding that their residents are moving out to find jobs in the cities.

This leaves the village empty, apart from the older population. The village then may become a retirement centre, or commuters may move in and it could become a commuter village. A good example of the changing function of a settlement can be seen in South Wales mining towns.

Importance of a settlement `

This is related to:

 The range and number of functions or services within a settlement  The size of a settlement (its area and population)  The sphere of influence (area served by a settlement)

Threshold and range

The services that are found in settlements are influenced by the minimum number of customers needed for a service to be profitable (threshold). For this reason services can be divided in to three types:

 Low order services – Services with a small threshold e.g. newsagents  Middle order services – Services with a middle threshold e.g. Gregg’s  High order services – Services with a high threshold e.g. Debenhams

Figure one shows the correlation between size, importance and function of a settlement. (next page) There are various factors that influence the sphere of influence of a settlement:

 Distance and ease of transport  Type and variety of services provided  Local environment – some areas may be more attractive or friendly to shop in than others  Personal contact or choice – relatives, easier parking or better customer service may influence people to shop in an area which is further away than home.

Task Answer the following questions in sentences.

1) What is the function of a settlement? Give examples. 2) What is the importance of a settlement linked to? 3) Explain the correlation between size, importance and function of a settlement 4) What is the sphere of influence? 5) What does the term threshold refer to? 6) What are the factors that influence the sphere of influence of a settlement? 7) Look at diagrams A and B which do you think will have the largest sphere of influence settlement A or B? Explain your choice.