Settlement Hierarchy and
Sphere of Influence
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Learning objectives
What is a settlement hierarchy?
What is the settlement hierarchy based upon?
What is a shopping hierarchy?
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What is a settlement hierarchy?
A settlement hierarchy is the arrangement of settlements
in an order of importance.
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Identify this type of settlement
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Learning objectives
What is a settlement hierarchy?
What is the settlement hierarchy based upon?
What is a shopping hierarchy?
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What is the settlement hierarchy based upon?
The order of settlements within the settlement hierarchy
is usually based on one of the following:
the size of the settlement in terms of its area and
population
the range and number of services/functions within
each settlement
the relative sphere of influence of each settlement
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Settlement hierarchy
population
1,000,001 +
conurbation
100,001 – 1,000,000
city
2,001 – 100,000
town
101 – 2,000
11 – 100
1 – 10
population
and size of
settlement
increases
village
hamlet
isolated dwelling
Why is the hierarchy drawn as a triangle with a wide base
and a narrow point?
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Organising a hierarchy by population size
Is it easy to organise a hierarchy by population size?
NO!
The population figures for each type of settlement are really
just a guide, as it is difficult to give a cut-off figure for when
a hamlet becomes a village, or a village becomes a town.
In some countries, so-called villages can be very big. For
example, some villages in India may be as large as a British
town.
BUT it is true that the larger the settlement, the fewer of
them there are – look again at the pyramid! There are many
isolated buildings but very few conurbations.
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What is the settlement hierarchy based upon?
The order of settlements within the settlement hierarchy
is usually based on one of the following:
the size of the settlement in terms of its area and
population.
the range and number of services/functions within
each settlement.
the relative sphere of influence of each settlement.
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What shops/services do you find in a …?
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More shops and services in larger settlements
The number of shops and services in a settlement depends upon
the threshold population, which is the minimum number of
people required by a shop/service to make a profit. Shops and
services are classified according to their threshold population:
classification frequency maximum example and
of use
distance estimate of
customer threshold
prepared population
to travel
general store –
convenience very often short
200 people.
(low order)
comparison fairly often reasonable bank – 15 000
(middle order)
– even the people
next town
specialist
(high order)
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not often
can be
quite far
department store
– 350 000 people
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Convenience, comparison or specialist?
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Types of shops and services
Choose which column to put each type of shop or service into.
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Settlement size and services: their relation
Plot a scattergraph using the following data to work out
the relationship between settlement size and services:
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Basing a hierarchy upon shops and services
Is it easy to base a hierarchy on the number of shops and
services?
Yes – but there are some types of settlement that do not
conform to the general pattern…
Liss is a large village in Hampshire,
approaching the size of a small town as its
population exceeds 6,000. It is on the main
railway line to Waterloo. The village has been
badly hit by the closure of local services.
Three banks and the bakery have closed
down. Why?
Tourist resorts like Swanage in Dorset have
more services than their population can
support to cater for tourists. Its population
doubles to 20,000 in the summer.
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What is the settlement hierarchy based upon?
The order of settlements within the settlement hierarchy
is usually based on one of the following:
the size of the settlement in terms of its area and
population.
the range and number of services/functions within
each settlement.
the relative sphere of influence of each settlement.
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Sphere of influence
Sphere of influence is the area served by a particular
settlement.
What factors give Guildford its sphere of influence?
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Sphere of influence
Sphere of influence is the area served by a particular
settlement.
Range is the maximum distance that a customer is prepared
to travel.
Competition
from nearby
settlements
Functions of
nearby
settlements
Population size of
the settlement and
its surrounding
area
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Size of
sphere of
influence
Functions
of the
settlement
Transport
facilities
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Learning objectives
What is a settlement hierarchy?
What is the settlement hierarchy based upon?
What is a shopping hierarchy?
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Shopping hierarchies
As well as a settlement hierarchy, there is a shopping hierarchy!
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Sphere of influence
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Sphere of influence of shops and services
Explain why the sphere of influence of the corner
shop is much smaller than the department store.
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Sphere of influence of shops and services
N
Which grocer has the
largest sphere of
influence?
Describe the shape of
the sphere of influence
of ‘grocer 3’.
0
2km
1
grocer 2
3
Why don’t people
travel to ‘grocer 3’ from
the east?
Give some possible
reasons why ‘grocer 1’
has the smallest
sphere of influence.
settlement
bridge
river
sphere of influence
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How good is your hierarchy knowledge?
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Key ideas!
Settlement hierarchy refers to the arrangement of settlements
in an order of importance based on size, services and
sphere of influence.
Services can be classified as convenience, comparison or
specialist.
Sphere of influence is the area served by a particular
settlement.
Threshold population is the minimum number of people
needed to support a settlement or service.
Range is the maximum distance that people are prepared to
travel to obtain a particular service.
Shops and services can also be organised into a hierarchy.
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