TYPES OF URBAN SETTLEMENTS

THE EVER CHANGING CITY• In 1800 less than 3%

of the world’s population lived in cities.

• In 1900 there was scarcely 10 cities that had populations over 1 million people

• Although people were moving to urban centers a vast majorities still resided in urban rural areas or small clustered settlements

Name Population1 London, United

Kingdom6,480,000

2 New York, United States

4,242,000

3 Paris, France 3,330,0004 Berlin, Germany 2,707,0005 Chicago, United

States1,717,000

6 Vienna, Austria 1,698,0007 Tokyo, Japan 1,497,0008 St. Petersburg,

Russia1,439,000

9 Manchester, United Kingdom

1,435,000

10 Philadelphia, United States

1,418,000

VILLAGE• A village is a clustered human settlement

or community smaller than a town with a population generally ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand (sometimes tens of thousands).

• Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village can also applied to certain urban areas.

• Has just basic necessities and very few amenities. Residents often need to venture beyond the village into towns and cities in order to acquire more specialized items.

TOWN• A town is a human settlement larger

than a village but smaller than a city.

• The size definition for what constitutes a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world and depending on the time. Centuries ago a town may have possessed as few as 10,000 inhabitants, today many places with a population near or in some cases exceeding 100,000 residents can still be regarded as towns. The designation of a settlement as a town also varies depending on the place. In China a town may to have well over than 100,000 whereas in countries this might meet criteria for a city.

• Has most basic necessities and some additional amenities but lacks the advanced development and specialization of a city.

CITY• A city is large permanent settlement that is

bigger than a village or town.• Is more densely populated.• Likely has suburbs.• Has craft specialization, many leisure

activities and luxury items readily accessible, has skyscrapers & CBD

SUBURBS• A suburb is a settlement that exists on the

outskirts of a city. • A suburb may also be commuting distance to its

larger neighboring city. • Think About This: a city is an urban settlement, if a settlement is suburban it is subtracted from or outside the urban area. It is often near the city but not within the geometric boundaries.

• May or may not be densely populated. • May have a large or small population.

METROPOLIS• A metropolis is a very large city or urban area which

serves as the center of significant economic activity, political affairs, and/or culture for a country or a region.

• A metropolis is an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.

• Is generally regarded the major city for a given region. i.e. New York is the metropolis for the East Coast, Chicago is the metropolis of the Midwest and Los Angeles is the metropolis for the West Coast.

METROPOLITAN AREA• A metropolitan area or metro area is the

metropolis and its many less-populated surrounding suburbs that share industry, infrastructure, etc.  

• A metropolitan area is made up of multiple townships, cities, townships, and in some cases states.

CONURBATION• A conurbation is a large settlement that

consists of cities or towns that have grown so that there is very little room between them.

• Conurbations occur as a result of urban sprawl.•Urban Sprawl is the gradual and unplanned spreading of residents into areas adjoining the edge of a city.

MEGACITY• A megacity is a large urban settlement with a

population over 10 million people.• A megacity can be a single metropolitan area or

two or more metropolitan areas that converge.• 100 years ago there were zero megacities. The New

York Metropolitan area was first to reach 10 million in 1950. Tokyo was the first city in 1962.

• There are currently 24 megacities in the world. By 2025 we expect there to be at least 29 megacities.