Evolution of Settlements PDF

EVOLUTION OF SETTLEMENTS  SETTLEMENT It generally implies the presence of a large number of dwellings with the corresponding plots of land, functional buildings, public thoroughfares, infrastructures, etc. (Bibliographisches Institut GmbH, 2015). According to Borsdorf a...

EVOLUTION OF SETTLEMENTS  SETTLEMENT It generally implies the presence of a large number of dwellings with the corresponding plots of land, functional buildings, public thoroughfares, infrastructures, etc. (Bibliographisches Institut GmbH, 2015). According to Borsdorf and Bender (2010) almost every form of human establishment is considered a settlement The term settlement refers to the result of the occupation and use of space (in the sense of the earth’s surface). Thus, anywhere people stay for more than just a short time is a human settlement  SETTLEMENT It`s the physical spaces and environments in which households are sheltered (UNHCR, 2022) In simple terms; Thus, a settlement is a place where: ✓ A group of people live ✓ An infrastructure exists ✓ Buildings occur ✓ Social and economic activities happen  EVOLUTION OF SETTLEMENTS Academic disciplines such as Architecture, Geography, Demography, Economics, Regional Planning Studies as well as physical Planning look at evolution of settlements in different ways. The study of Settlements formation starts as a general socio-economic history with emphasis on factors such as the first settlers or discoverers and the social systems introduced as a result of the new settlement. Research has revealed that early settlements tend to grow out of nature given conditions, rather than the growth of structured forms of organisms and ecosystems. Settlements and their structure are not static entities, but undergo continuous change EXAMPLE OF A SOCIAL FACTOR FOR SETTLEMENT In Ghana for instance, a lot more settlements grow out of the existence of water bodies including the sea, rivers, lagoons, lakes, streams etc. It is therefore the nature, layout and spread of the water bodies that determines the form and nature of settlements. E.g. Nungua (Nunma – fresh water).  HUMAN SETTLEMENT Human settlement is a place where people live. It refers to the totality of the human community with all the social, material, organizational, spiritual, and cultural elements that sustain it. Origin of settlements can be traced back to the caves where people gathered for protection against the natural forces or for defense against rival tribes. In the modern era of science and technology, man have made remarkable progress in the construction of shelter. Settlements have provided man with stability. STAGES OF HUMAN SETTLEMENT OLD STONE AGE SHELTERS MIDDLE STONE AGE SHELTERS NEW STONE AGE SHELTERS IRON AGE SHELTERS  FACTORS INFLUENCING HUMAN SETTLEMENT A lot of factors influences human settlement. PHYSICAL FEATURES HUMAN FACTORS Flat land / Vegetation Quality of life Fertile soil Employment Forests Social network or supports Body of water Common language, religion or culture Climate  RURAL SETTLEMENT According to the UNHCR (2022), a rural settlement is where displaced populations settle on land outside of cities and towns. Is a small settlement with a small population involved in primary activities Examples of rural settlements are: villages, farmstead, harmlet.  CHARACTERISTICS OF RURAL SETTLEMENTS 1. Exhibits distantly-placed houses 2. Agriculture is the major activity undertaken in rural areas. 3. It is characterized by simple houses; many thatched with grass and few with iron sheets and smeared with mud. 4. Many temporary and very few permanent buildings, some of which are inherited from family members.  URBAN SETTLEMENT Is a densely populated area. Mostly man-made structures that contain all of a society's administrative, cultural, residential and religious functions. They are characterized by continuous buildings with people of mixed ancestry and kinship. Examples of urban settlements are: cities, metropolitan areas, municipalities.  CHARACTERISTICS OF URBAN SETTLEMENTS Houses are closely built and are in their hundred`s and thousand`s Urban centers are commercial in nature. Serves as places for Businesses Major trading activities Schools Recreational centres, like kids playground, community centres Houses or dwellings are built using sophisticated methods, thereby erecting huge and imposing structures for various uses Mostly permanent buildings are erected  SETTLEMENTS BASED ON FUNCTIONALITY Rural settlements are usually unifunctional. Settlements are noted for their primary functions Farming community Fishing settlement Nomadic settlements Urban settlements are multifunctional. wide variety of functions secondary (manufacturing and industry), tertiary (trade, transport, education, service, administration) quaternary (law, finance, media, research, IT) activities. PATTERNS OF Settlements are also classified based on how dwellings are DISTRIBUTION arranged.  LINEAR PATTERN Dwellings or settlements are aligned along a particular resource. That is, a water body, road, amongst others  DISPERSED PATTERN Settlements are isolated and spaced apart from each other. Scattered and not arranged in any form.  NUCLEATED PATTERN Buildings are close together, clustered around a central point. The location of a nucleated settlement can be determined by a range of factors, including being easy to defend (ie, chief`s palace, shrine), close to a water supply, etc.  NAMES OF SETTLEMENTS IN GHANA In Ghana, and other developing cities, names given to neighborhoods normally indicate how the settlements begun or how they were formed. Accra alone has so many of such neighborhoods: Legon – (‘ni le gon’ – The Hill of Learning) Tema – (‘tor man’ – The land of the Gourd) Teshie – (‘t3 shi’ – Under the Stone) Togbe Kope; Banana Inn; Ashiaman; Nii Man (Nima); Achimota, Manponseh; Bukom; Ashaley Botwe; Korle Gonno; Okpoi Gonno, Agbogba; La Bawaleshi, Madina , Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua indeed the list is endless.  BRIEF HISTORY OF KWABENYA. Kwabenya is a small town in the Greater Accra Region. Located in the Ga East Municipal District. Discovered between the 16th and 18th centuries. The chiefs of Ga had a war with the people of Akwapiosi. The Ga’s defeated the Akwapiosi’s, they therefore gifted the land to Nii Kwao Obuabasa the late chief of Kwabenya. The name Kwabenya was derived from the word “Kwao bre nya” meaning Kwao struggled before acquiring the land.  HISTORY OF AYI MENSAH One day a hunter, Ayi, who lived in Teshie went to hunt for games. In his hunting, he discovered a river and thought it wise to migrate there. He built a clay house for himself and lived there for a while to study the conditions clearly. The conditions suited him so he moved his nuclear family there. He later informed his brother Mensah about it and he also moved there with his family When the population increased a little, the members of the community decided to name the community after those who first settled there, hence ‘AYI MENSAH’.  HISTORY OF ASHONGMAN The land was discovered by a man named Ataa Ashong, who was from `Antie We` a clan in Teshie. He was the first person to cultivate the land due to his work as a farmer and a hunter. He settled on the land with his family and started to cultivate on the land and hunt. He later went to Teshie to tell his people about the land, and it’s benefits in terms of growing crops and hunting. As the people of `Antie We` started moving, they use the word ‘w) ya Ashong man ni eto l3’. That was how the name came About.  UNIQUE SETTLEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD Palm Jumeirah  UNIQUE SETTLEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD Benin  UNIQUE SETTLEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD Monemvasia, Greece  UNIQUE SETTLEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD Nzulezo, Ghana Thank You