Settlement & Services Hierarchy (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography)

Settlement & Services Hierarchy

Settlement hierarchy 

• A hierarchy is when settlements are ordered and classified based on three principles:

  • Population size 

  • Number of services provided

  • Number of settlements

• Higher up the hierarchy, fewer settlements are found 

• However, the population, number and types of services provided increase 

• The hierarchy follows a path: 

  • Dispersed ⇒ Hamlets ⇒ Villages ⇒ Market towns ⇒ Large towns ⇒ Cities ⇒ Conurbations ⇒ Megacities

• The result is a pyramid-shaped model, where there are more cities than megacities and more villages than towns

Services hierarchy

• All settlements offer certain functions and services, such as the basics of life like bread, milk, eggs, etc.

• A settlement's physical and population size will determine the number of services it offers

• The minimum number of people necessary before a particular good or service will be provided in the area is called the threshold population

  • A small village or hamlet with a small populace will only provide low-order services such as a post office, general store, pub and possibly a doctor 

  • Towns will provide low- and high-order services such as a church, medical centre, garages, schools and restaurants 

  • Cities and conurbations will focus on high-order services such as leisure centres, schools, churches, chain stores and hospitals

• There are exceptions to this:

  • Some places may have more services than average, such as a small seaside resort 

  • Others have fewer, such as a commuter or dormitory town

Sphere of influence

• This is the area that a settlement serves, also known as a catchment area

• It is the range (distance) that people will travel to obtain a particular service or product 

• The larger the settlement, the greater the influence (usually)

  • A hamlet or village would normally have a low sphere of influence and, therefore, a small field of services

  • But if that village is a tourist spot, then its sphere of influence could be greater than a town

• Low-order goods

  • Things that are bought regularly, such as milk or bread

  • People are not prepared to travel far to buy a convenience good and there is no real saving in shopping around

  • The extra cost of ‘shopping around’ outweighs any savings that may be made

• High-order goods

  • Comparison goods such as electrical goods and furniture that the shopper will buy only after making a comparison between various models and different shops

  • A high threshold population is needed to sustain a shop selling comparison goods

  • People are prepared to travel some distance to obtain the goods 

Settlement & Service Provision Case Study: Lozère, France