How Settlements Grow
Reasons why some settlements get bigger:
· People hear it is a good place to work so they move there and work there
· The population also grows naturally – but slowly – through birth
· But around 1750, the industrial revolution arrives and from now on, many settlements grow rapidly, because people flock in from the countryside to work in the new factories
In this way, hamlets grew into villages and then towns, then cities. As they grew they took over the countryside or rural areas around them. This process is called urbanisation. (Urban means built up)
How Settlements Grow
How the pattern grew:
· A settlement usually grows out from the centre. So that is where the oldest buildings are.
· As the settlements grow, homes in the centre were turned into shops, offices, that people can reach easily from all directions
· So the main shops and offices are still in the centre. It is called the central business district or CBD
· The first factories were built alongside canals, rivers or railways so that goods could be transported easily
· Rows of small cheap terraced houses were built close to factories for the workers
· As the population grew new houses were built at the edges of the settlements where the land was cheaper
· Today, new industries are usually set up close to major roads towards the edge of the settlement
