An urban settlement is mainly a built-up area.
There are many tall buildings with little open space.
The natural landscape is almost totally modified into a cultural landscape.
Urban land use is intensive.
There is keen land use competition.
The land rent is the high.
An urban settlement has a large population size and a high population density.
Urban dwellers have a higher living standard.
Secondary and tertiary activities are dominant.
An urban settlement performs many functions, e.g. commercial, industrial, administrative functions.
An urban settlement has a hinterland which it serves and is served.
The hinterland provides food and raw materials to the urban settlement.
The hinterland provides a big market for the urban settlement.
3 Processes of urbanisation
Urban growth is an increase in number of urban population in a country.
Urbanisation is an increase in percentage of urban population in a country.
3-1 Natural increase
There is urban growth when there is natural increase in the urban population.
There is urbanisation when the natural increase in the urban population is greater than in the rural population.
3-2 Rural-urban migration
Pull factors attract people to the cities.
There are better job opportunities.
There are higher income and higher living standard.
There are better educational and medical facilities.
Push factors drive people to leave rural areas.
There is unemployment due to farm mechanisation.
There are lower income and lower living standard.
There are inadequate educational and medical facilities.
There are inadequate farmland, crop failure and famine.
There are poverty, debt and hard farm life.