Semi-Clustered Settlements

2. Semi-Clustered Settlements Also known as par­tially agglomerated settlements, such settlements are characterised by a small, but compact nucleus around which hamlets are dispersed and form a ring around the main settlement. In case the houses are situated along a road or stream, the settlement looks like a linear cluster.
Such settlements are situated along streams in Manipur, and in Mandla, Raigarh and Balaghat districts. Different tribal groups inhabit such settlements in the Chhotanagpur region. In Nagaland, such settlements are situated on hilltops and are fortified. In coastal areas, such settlements may be in the form of fishing villages. Apart from these, the semi-clustered settlements may acquire the following forms.
A checker board pattern is a feature of some of the large rectangular villages and occurs, generally, at the junction of two roads. The village streets meet each other at an angle of 90°, or are parallel to each other. This is because of the tendency to align the dwellings with cardinal axes. This type is common in the northern plains and in the south.
An elongated pattern occurs as a result of elongation of the rectangular pattern due to influence of site features. For instance, in the Ganga plains, in areas liable to inundation, the rectangular pattern becomes unusually elongated along the high ground. Even otherwise, the advantage offered by a riverside location forces such a pattern.
A fan-shaped pattern is seen where some focal point or line is situated at one end of the village. A focal object may be a tank, a riverside, a road, an orchard, a well or even a place of worship. Such patterns are common in the delta regions where the dwellings simply follow the fan­shaped profile of the delta, as in case of delta regions of Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna. Such patterns are also common in the Himalayan foothills.