RURAL SETTLEMENT

RURAL SETTLEMENT
PATTERN Villages in India, where the concept of planned rural settlements does not seem to exist, are a sort of natural growth in their physical and cultural setting. Thus, although they do not possess well-defined shapes and a distinct internal plan, there is considerable organisation, both in the internal structure and in external profile of villages, which is very closely related to the attributes of the site and its cultural setting. The configu­ration of the site, surface water, nature of soil, cultivation patterns, tracks, roads and the level of security in the past along with the present social structure of the village are significant factors in the evolution of rural settlement patterns in India.
A typical Indian rural settlement consists of houses, streets and the surrounding farmland, along with areas for commercial and religio-cultural activities.
Rural settlements can be of three sizes:

1. Isolated Settlements These consist of single or two­
three dwellings in a remote farmland. There is no shopping or religio-cultural activity.
2. Hamlet This comprises two-three to ten dwellings.

3. Village It consists of a number of dwellings,
farmland around them, a street network, a religious centre like a temple, mosque or gurudwara, and areas for com­mercial and cultural activities.