ISVS e-journal, Vol. 10, Issue.

2,
February, 2023

Towards Creating Inclusive Villages:

The Types of Rural Settlements in
India
Priya Tyagi1, Bhavna Shrivastava2*, & Nand Kumar3
Malaviya National Institute of Technology
Jaipur, India.
Email: [email protected], [email protected]*, [email protected]

Abstract
Human beings first began to live in settlements a long time
ago and since then, human settlements have been driven by the
needs of both the individuals and the society, including the need for
access to trade, food, water, and defense. India is one such a place
where they came into being and the book titled “Mansara
Shilpashastra” (700 AD), provides facts and evidence on these
settlements. The earlier settlements are thought to have been quite
successful at meeting the human needs. However, over time, these
needs have increased and the settlements do not seem to meet those
anymore.
To create the foundation for an inclusive developed
settlement, there is a need to study the settlements from the past to
the present. This study aims to unearth the types of Indian rural
settlements according to the published literature and also analyze
their key performing indicators.
The study uses a two-stage review of the literature. The first
stage uses a semi-systematic approach that examines the
government initiatives and policies. The second stage uses Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis
(PRISMA) approach based on online scholarly databases such as
JSTOR, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The study
explores only the Indian planning theories and government policies.
It concludes that harmonious architecture and the growth of
planning lie at the core of past planning theories. The findings offer
a perspective for creating policies that could enhance the
architecture and planning of rural areas in India.

Keywords: Village typology, Rural, settlements, Rural development

schemes, Semi-systematic literature review, PRISMA, Mansara
Shilpashastra.

Introduction
Rural settlements account for 65.07% of the population of India. It has decreased over
time, from 82.076 percent in 1960 to 67.2 percent in 2015 (Rural population-India, 2022). This
is because people are migrating from the rural to the urban regions in search of work, improved
living conditions, and a variety of other reasons (Mitra, 2019).
In the foundation era, food, clothing, and shelter were the most basic needs people have
had while looking for a location to dwell. Gradually, those needs have evolved and have
included safety from animals and security from the intruders. In fact, people began to live in
groups and form communities (Nyhus, 2016). As a result, numerous types of settlement patterns
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have evolved in different forms and sizes. These settlements can be distinguished by their
geographical characteristics, population density, and other characteristics (Bhattacharyya, et
al., 2018). Needless to say, Indian settlements have followed suit.
In terms of the Indian settlements, the book titled “Mansara Shilpashastra”, which has
been written in 700 AD, demonstrates how the meteorological data has been employed for the
selection of sites for the settlements in the past. In India, the wind direction is generally from
the Southwest to the Northeast. Therefore structures were exposed to the strong storms and rain
if the land sloped in this way, affecting even the local micro-climate (Sinha, 1998).
Additionally, the water reservoirs were as deep as a person standing with his arms raised above
his head (Patwari, 2019). Land was not considered suitable for settlements if the location could
not maintain a moderate temperature during the summer and winter (Prajitha, 2016).
In the early 1900s, settlement types have been based on socio-economic concerns. In
the current era, 'requirements of the villagers have shifted to sustainability and technology, and
thus the new types of houses are based on the distinguishing characteristics of the villages as
conceived by their makers. They range from the Smart villages (SAGY, 2016) Green villages
(IGBC, 2016), Eco villages (Eco-Village Development as Climate Solutions - South Asia,
2016), and Digital villages (Fishman, et al., 2020). These terms are frequently interchanged,
regardless of the fact that some of them have little in common in terms of distinctiveness. In
the same direction of development, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the Government of India
has prepared the Rural Area Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (RADPFI)
guidelines for the development of the villages and also categories of villages based on their
characteristics (RADPFI, 2016).
Recently, rural settlement studies have received increased attention. Earlier research
have focused on locations and transport (Mandal, 1979), housing (Mandal 1979; Mandal 1989;
Estika et al. 2021; Tanriover 2020), landscape (Chattopadhyaya, 1993), water resources (Sahay,
1997) and geography (Lal, 2010). The more recent research have focused on digitization and
technological advancements (Mani & Reddy, 2012), sustainability (Mukhopadhyay &
Rajaraman, 2012) and tourism (Shafieisabet & Haratifard, 2020) as a result of an increase in
human demand. The researchers have explored one or two aspects of the rural developments,
but none have comprehensively examined these settlements. To create the foundation for an
inclusive developed settlement, there is a need to study the settlements from the past to the
present. Needless to say that building an inclusive community will result in an endogenous
effort, culminating in a self-sufficient and sustainable world (Moravcíková, & Fürjészová,
2018).
The study addresses the following research questions: what are the different types of
Indian rural settlements? what are the influencing indicators for developments in rural
settlements? And what are the rural development parameters accounted in the modern rural
settlements?

Moreover,
1. This study aims to understand the types of Indian rural settlements and also analyze their
key performing indicators.
2. It provides combined indicators that may be used to create inclusive developed settlements.

The paper is divided into five sections. The first part briefly highlights the relevance of
the study, as well as the aim and needs of the paper. In the second section, a literature review
of current types is presented, therefore narrowing the study aims. The methodology for the
investigation is outlined in section three. The review findings are discussed in section four.
Section five concludes the research findings and offer future research directions.
It is noteworthy that this is the first of its kind to identify and describe all types of rural
Indian settlements from the perspective of influencing indicators such as social, physical,
environmental, economic and technical.

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Literature Review
Rural settlements are the topographic representations of how dwellings and
highways—the two basic components of human geography—are clustered and arranged in rural
areas (Mandal, 1979). According to the Indian Census, "the essential unit for rural regions is
the revenue village, which has definite surveyed limits "recognized by the standard district
administration (Census of India, n.d.). The revenue village may be made up of several hamlets,
although it has been classed as a single unit for census reasons. Each habitation area with locally
recognized borders within each forest range officer's beat was considered as a single unit in the
un-surveyed regions, such as the towns within the forest areas (census of India, n.d.). The
Census Commission identified the villages by their names and specified boundaries. On the
other hand, a rural settlement is also described as "any area in which the majority of the
population are involved in primary activities like agriculture, forestry, mining, or fishing"
(Negi, 2013:32). Rural settlements are significant in human geography and settlements because
they demonstrate the intricate links between human habitation and the environment. In the
literature thus, different types of villages from the past to the present have been presented.

Research Methodology
For the data collection, the semi-systematic literature review method was
employed. Semi-systematic reviews frequently examine the evolution of a certain
subject through time or how it has changed across study traditions. In general, the
reviews aim to identify and understand all potentially relevant research traditions
that might have implications for the topic under study and to synthesize them using
meta-narratives rather than effect size measurements (Wong et.al, 2013).
First, an unstructured review was conducted to gather information on
government initiatives and policies related to the rural settlements in India. Second,
to study the papers from the database “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic
Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach” was employed. The keywords
chosen were: smart villages, sustainable villages, green villages, eco-villages, digital
villages, and, rural settlements. The keywords were searched in all titles and case
studies restricted to India in all fields and activities relating to the rural types.
Relevant content was found using Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and
JSTOR. Fig. 1 shows the methodological framework utilized in this study.

Literature Review (Indian Rural settlement)

Typologies Parameters

Systematic Review (PRISMA Method) Semi-systematic review

Web of Google Goverment Government

JSTOR Scopus
Science Scholar schemes/Policies Guidelines

Descriptive Analysis

Findings and Discussion

Conclusion

Fig. 1: Methodological Framework for Research on the Typology of Rural settlements

Source: Author

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The language was confined to English, to ensure that the information was
accessible. The source categories for the search were limited to journals and the
document types to articles, reviews, and conference papers since peer-reviewed
scientific journal articles would be the most beneficial. The initial sample of papers
had 1054 publications. The list was narrowed to publications using the majority of
published articles and numerous journal rankings, including the h-index, CiteScore,
SCImago Journal Ranking (SJR), Source Normalized Index per Paper (SNIP), and
the Journal Impact Factor (JIF). The final 60 papers were selected specifically from
a shortlist of pertinent titles, abstracts, and full texts. There were no time constraints
for the literature selection. They were performed between November 2021 and May
2022. The detailed screening process is discussed in Fig. 2.

Identification of studies via databases and registers

Records identified from*:

Identification

Records removed before screening:

Databases (n = 1054) Duplicate records removed (n = 6)
Records marked as ineligible by automation
tools (n = 815)
Records screened Records removed for other reasons (n = 72)
(n= 204)
Records excluded by reading abstract (n
=111)
Screening

Reports sought for

retrieval (n = 93)
Reports not retrieved (n = 5)

Reports assessed for Reports excel Studies included in review

eligibility (n = 88) (n =76)
Excluded article (n= 28)
Included

Total included =60

Fig. 2: The PRISMA flow diagram

Source: Authors

Historical Literature
Based on Shape and Size
In several historical pieces of literature from the Vedic period, circa 400 B.C. the book
titled “Mansara Shilpashastra” was well-known for town planning theory. Dandaka, Swastika,
Padmaka, Nandyavarta, Prastara, Chaturmukha, Karmuka, and Sarvathobadra are examples of
town layouts from that era (Prajitha, 2016). Each approach is aimed at achieving a certain goal.
A lot of attention have been paid to the wide roads, wide spaces, and water tanks. The
topography, drainage patterns, vegetation cover, wildlife pockets, and climate have all been
investigated and considered in planning (Prajitha, 2016). The Manasara does not distinguish
between a hamlet, a village, a fort, or a city in terms of the layout. The fort is sometimes little
more than a fortified village. In each village or city, there were four entry/exit points. This is in
contrast to poorly constructed modern cities, where controlling mobility in and out appears to
be impractical (Sharma & Jadon, 2019; Patwari, 2019).

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Table 1 depicts several extant instances of these villages. The plan layout in Table 1 is
extracted from a town planning book (Rangwala, 1977), and the the road in Google Maps image
for case example plans has been highlighted.

Table 1: Plans Based on the Mansara Shilpashastra

Source: Author

Plan
Layout

Karmukha
Nandyavarta
Dandaka
Prastara
Case
example

Vijaynagar Madurai Jaipur City Plan

Fatehpur Sikri

Manasara has addressed settlement planning concerns in depth, and it is worthwhile to

examine these treatises, which are still important in today's settings, particularly when
contemplating the planning of settlements in harmony with Nature. These eight settlement types
have placed a premium on the perceived image of the cosmos, as well as the placement of
roadways and other monuments like the temples and palaces, to maximize the benefits of Nature
(Sinha, 1998). The Mansara settlement focuses mostly on social, physical, and environmental
factors. These settlements are found in several historic cities in India (Table 1). The following
information comes from the book named Manasara Shilpa-shastra (Bose & Kumar, 2006).

Medieval
Based on Density
The four different types of villages based on density are compact (Chand, 2013),
nucleated (Cohn, 1971), hamleted (Cohn 1971), and dispersed (Cohn, 1971). The dispersed are
also known as semi-compact settlements (Chand, 2013).
The Compact settlement: A compact settlement is constituted of a concentration of
all the dwellings of a village in one area distinguishing this form of the village (Ahmad, 1952).
The compact farming villages of the great green river valley plains are well-known (Human
Settlement, 2014).
The Nucleated village: In the nucleated form, dwellings are clustered together in a
specific location, separated by small pathways surrounded by the fields of the village. Villages
of this type can be found in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, and areas of South India. There is a
core settlement, many hamlets, and several satellite villages distributed over the fields of the
village in a "hamleted" village; they may be found in the middle and lower Gangetic plains, as
well as the areas of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Homesteads are spread and lay connected
to the fields owned or cultivated by the agriculturists in a dispersed pattern, which is seen in
Kerala and the deltaic lands in the mouth of the Ganga in lower Bengal (Cohn, 1971;
Ramakumar, 2018).

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Semi-compact settlements: These settlements lie somewhere between the compact

and hamlet settlements. They may be identified by the presence of one readily visible location
and one or more little hamlets connected to one by the footpaths or cart roads (Mukerji, 1976).
Hamleted Settlements: These settlements have a core settlement, multiple hamlets,
and several satellite settlements distributed around the fields of the village they may be found
in the middle and lower Gangetic plains, as well as sections of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
These communities are separated by the existence of multiple minor hamlets and individual
habitations scattered around the village (Malik, 1970).

On the Basis of Village Patterns

Rural settlement evolution is intriguing because diverse morphologies arise as a result
of distinct geographic settings. Some of the village patterns are Rectangular, Elongated,
Circular and Semi-Circular, Triangular, ‘L’ Shaped, Checkerboard/Chess-board, Linear, Radial
Pattern, Double Nuclei, Amorphous, and the Shapeless Agglomeration Pattern. These village
patterns may be broken down into two categories: outward layout and the interior layout. Both
are closely related to a wide range of physical and cultural factors. Cart tracks and alleyways
form the backbone of the inner plan of a village. The structures located inside the skeleton's
region dictate the hamlet's shape and form.
These villages are located typically in agricultural areas, with their main axes running
North to South and West to East to provide optimum sunlight and fresh air. Houses are
organized in two or even more rows in such communities, with roadways running parallel to
each other. A substantial agglomeration is present in such settlements. Due to specific physical
and cultural characteristics, this extended habitation pattern extends in one direction and limits
in the other (Malik, 1970). The amorphous pattern is a word for such an uneven pattern. The
most prevalent village pattern is a shapeless or uneven village design. This form of village
layout is most common in bigger, dispersed communities where people live in a haphazard
manner across the village with no defined plan.

On the Basis of Residence

On the basis of residence, there are three types of villages (Dasgupta & Laishley, 1975).
They are as follows.
Migratory Village: A migratory village is one in which people just stay for a few
months or a season. When the food supply from that location is depleted, they move to another
location where they can obtain sufficient food. For example, in the tribal communities, we see
this form of settlements, i.e. shifting cultivation.
Semi-permanent Agricultural Village: In this type of settlement, people live in one
spot for a few years before migrating to another when the land's production runs out. In
comparison to migratory communities, the time of residency is longer. Animals such as cows
and goats are kept in this type of community, but land is not used for agriculture. When people
discover that the land does not produce the appropriate food grains, they depart for a new
settlement.
Permanent Agricultural Village: These villages are where people live from
generation to generation. Within their own villages, they form village organizations and social
relationships. In general, people do not relocate their living and farming areas. Permanent
houses are formed in these villages.

On the Basis of Organisation

Harold Mann (1917-1921) and Gilbert Slater (1916), the pioneers of village studies in
India, were economists by training. Their findings included qualitative and quantitative data on
land and asset ownership, caste discrimination, settlement patterns, cropping patterns,
agricultural techniques, credit linkages, and tenancy types. Villages are classified into three
groups on the basis of organization, based on the organisation (Thorner, 1967; Slater, 1918).
The following information comes from (Dube, 2018).

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Co-operative Villages: Land is held privately in this type of community, and residents
pool their resources for common cultivation and farming. Co-operative households are often
set up to supply them with the goods they want. India has cooperative communities as well.
Semi-collective Villages: Land in such settlements belongs to the communal body. The
collective owns the means of production and the resources. People collaborate in the production
of food grains and other necessities. Their monthly or annual dues are set according to the
income of the village for their usage. The number of hours the members work in a specific
household has little bearing on the income of the villagers. The quotas were distributed to the
households based on their numerical strength.
Collective Villages: Life in a communal settlements of this type of a village are where
all the property is owned jointly and all arrangements are made together. Members of the village
work only for the common good and get all of the life's essentials, such as food, clothes, shelter,
education, and so on. In the community, there is a communal dining hall, a common store, and
a communal kinder-garden. The elderly and the disabled are also supported through the
common funds. Overall, such a community provides complete security for a person's whole
life, as well as his offspring and dependents.

Based on Land Ownership

Villages are classified into two types on the basis of land ownership (Gilbert, 1918).
The following information come from those writings.
Land-lord Villages: Individual or a small groups of families known as landlords own
the land in such settlements. The landlords own all of the rights to the land, but they lease them
to the tenants. Landlords also charge rent on the land, which is normally paid by the tenants.
Landlords pay a portion of their rent to the monarch or the government while keeping a large
portion for themselves. Before the removal of the middlemen in the agricultural industry, such
villages existed in India.
Ryotwari villages: In Ryotwari villages, farmers are the proprietors of land and they
cultivate them. They pay the rent straight to the government, bypassing any middlemen.
Ryotwari villages are those where the land is held by Ryots or the cultivators (Baker & Jewitt,
2007).

Modern
Based on Location
There has been an attempt by the Census of India to classify the urban and rural areas
according to population size which in turn also affects in terms of characteristics of the
city/town. RADPFI, (2016) categorizes rural areas/villages on the basis of location and
population. The following classification is as per this document.
Rural-Urban Fringe: For the economic activities and expansion of the village, the
village in close proximity to the urban centre will be interdependent upon the city. The village
will not be a typical rural location with solely agricultural activities, but it may feature a variety
of non-farm economic activities. The changing nature of the village is frequently observed, and
as a result, the region is classified as part of the rural.
Villages adjacent to the Corridor Development: "Economic Corridors" link
economic regions that are separated by geography. They are not self-contained, as their
contribution to regional economic growth can only be understood in the context of the network
effects they generate. The impact on cities and villages next to the economic corridors has a
significant impact on the cities/towns and villages, particularly in terms of land values
(RADPFI, 2016)
Villages in the Interior: To reduce outward migration to urban areas, rural areas that
are dependent solely on agriculture and related activities, fishing, and mining and quarrying
activities should have spatial plans that have the potential to develop such activities and include
the basic requirements for improving the individual quality of life. Villages with such socio-
economic qualities are classified as pure rural communities isolated from the urban centers with

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specialized activities based on physical region's appropriateness of the area. Following criteria
must be met in order for a village to be classified as such:
More than 75% of the population is reliant on the primary activities.
In terms of distance and accessibility, it should be isolated from the metropolitan
regions.

Based on the Population Size

RADPFI has categorized villages based on their population size (RADPFI, 2016).
According to the Census 2011, 58.33 percent of the villages have a population of 1000-5000
people, making them appropriate for preparing a Gram Panchayat Spatial Development Plan.
However, for communities with a population of more than 5,000 people, a Spatial Development
Plan can be produced using the URDPFI standards from 2014. Villages with a population of
less than 1000 people are evaluated for planned developments, which will be based on their
location, physiographic characteristics, and connections.
Class -I 10000+ 4682

Class -II 5000-9999 18,641

Class -III 2000-4999 96,388

On the basis of
Class -IV 1000-1999 1,39,136
Population Size
Class -V 500-999 1,41,761

Class -VI 200-499 1,14,726

Class-VII Less than 200 82,149

Fig. 3: Indian village categorization based on population size and the total no. of villages of
each type
Source: RADPFI, 2016
On the Basis of Distinctiveness
On the basis of the distinctiveness, there are several types of villages. Some of those
are as explained below.
Smart Village: In the 18th century, the British International Development
Organizations first introduced the idea of smart villages. It is a rural development model that
fully utilizes the solutions supplied by information and communication technologies (ICT) to
support the long-term development of a village based on the definition of rural development's
features and demands (Mondal, 2013; Zhang & Zhang, 2020). Ontologically distinct from the
smart city research, smart village research identifies a village and its citizens as a separate study
subject. In India, smart villages are launched as a scheme named Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana
(SAGY). According to this scheme, the growth of a village is based on the five routes of
Retrofitting, Redevelopment, Green Fields, E-Pan, and Livelihood. The Foundation had
selected the village Dhanora, the Bari, District Dholpur, and a tiny and isolated village in
Rajasthan, to develop as India's first smart village under the concept (SAGY, 2016). There are
several indicators to be recognized in this way. These are discussed in Fig. 4.
Eco Village: The phrase eco-village is a combination of ecology and village, and it is
necessary to look into the origins of each of these concepts. The word "ecology" comes from
the Greek words oikos, which means "home" or "place to dwell," and logos, which means
"study" or "knowledge" (Booth, 2010. Ecology refers to the "impact of the environment on
living organisms, the influence of living creatures on the environment, and the mutual link
between living species” (Marten, 2008). Eco-villages promote self-sufficiency, participatory
communities, and local living to create economic and social stability. By utilizing public
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transportation and shopping at local merchants, residents in eco-villages spend less energy per
capita, improve the natural landscape, and protect the green spaces (Sizemore, 2004).
The eco-village concept supports the sustainability of the ecosystem by using design
and planning elements such as green space preservation to improve the ecological functions.
When the three aspects, namely the social, economic, and ecological concerns are in harmony,
the eco-village concept may substantially aid in ensuring long-term urban growth (Yuliastuti,
et al. 2017).
The Korean local government has developed a basic planning method to encourage
environmentally friendly residential complexes and has sought to execute the central
government's planned eco-friendly development criteria (Moon, et al., 2020). Govardhan
Ecovillage is a model sustainable community and spiritual retreat center that invites visitors
from all over the world throughout the year. Govardhan Ecovillage, which opened in 2003,
intends to show how rural communities may live in peace with the environment while also
achieving self-sufficiency and a higher quality of life. It has in particular, established and built
a sustainable paradigm based on India's old spiritual culture combined with contemporary
science and technologies (Eco-Village Development as Climate Solutions - South Asia, 2016).
Indicators of Eco village developments are discussed in Fig. 4.
Digital Village: This is the most significant plan on which the Indian government is
working as part of the digital India endeavor. Under this concept, selected villages will be
turned into digitally engaged communities with less cash, allowing the rural residents to do the
majority of their activities fully online (Bhatt, 2020). The goal is to develop a comprehensive
remote and local sensing method for farmers that combines spectral imaging with micro and
nano sensor-based digitalized information and communication technology (ICT), transporting
data from the farmland to the cloud, and providing accurate near-real-time logistics analysis.
This method, like many others, may be used for a wide range of agricultural crops (Fishman, et
al., 2020).
In recent years, concerns faced by the social and economic changes, as well as the
bigger changes in people's communities, both rural and urban, have been increasingly addressed
through the perspective of technological breakthroughs and digitalization. Investing in digital
connectivity within the villages and throughout the larger regional community has improved
the area's long-term viability and opportunities for local/regional and circular economies. All
of the project cases/initiatives emphasize the need for getting ideas and solutions from the local
or regional specialists, especially when planning for the long term (Zavratnik, et al., 2018).
The Indian Prime Minister dedicated the Icici's Digital Village to the nation, on January
2, 2015, and the village of Akodara located in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district was labeled
"Digital Village” (PMINDIA, 2015). Digital village and Cashless village are two terms used to
describe Akodara. This village is referred to as the India's first digital village. It has its own
website (http://akodara-digitalvillage.in), which is used for a variety of purposes. Wi-Fi is
available in this community, and residents use it for a variety of online activities (Bhatt, 2020;
Saxena & Joshi, 2019). The indicators of Digital India (Digital village) development are
discussed in Fig. 4.
Green Village: This is a village that provides clean electricity, appropriate water, basic
education, decent healthcare, and good sanitation in an environmentally sustainable way,
resulting in economic success and improved quality of life (IGBC, 2016). It is a habitat where
people may live in a pleasant environment and a method that can keep a community on track
to achieve a sustainable growth. On traditional resources, the community should prioritize
energy conservation, efficient transportation, biodiversity, waste control, watershed
management, and a rainwater collecting system (Kadave, et al., 2012). Enebavi, in Warangal,
is known as a green chemical-free village because its residents practice chemical-free
agriculture, water conservation, debt-free farming, and are self-sufficient in terms of seeds
(Ajith, 2017). Khonoma is India's first green village launched by the Government of Nagaland
and the Govt. of India through the “Green Village project‟ in 2005.
In this village, the inhabitants conserve the forest and never chop the trees. Khwuno, a
tiny plant found in abundance across the area, gave the village its name (Papu, 2020). The
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Indicators of green village developments are discussed in Fig. 4. Indicators are a method for
analyzing and projecting village and neighborhood developments in the present and the future
(Kalinka, et al., 2020).

The Discussion
The findings from this study address emerging patterns of types of the villages in India
that may be used to build a cohesive case about a rural settlement.
Table 2 shows an Indian rural settlement typology studied by various researchers. This
order says that rural settlements are an essential source of human subsistence and that they have
existed since the beginning of time as settlements recounted in sacred books.

Table 2: Chronological order of the types of Indian villages

Source: Authors

No. Year Typology of Village Reference

1 400 B.C Based on shape and size (Acharya, 2006
2 1918 Based on Land Ownership (Gilbert, 1918)
3 1952 Based on Pattern (Ahmad, 1952; Malik, 1970))
4 1967 Based on Organisation (Thorner, 1967)
5 1971 Based on Density (Cohn, 1971)
6 1975 Based on Residence (Dasgupta & Laishley, 1975)
7 2004 Eco Village (Sizemore, 2004) (Eco-Village Development as
Climate Solutions - South Asia, 2016)
8 2014 Smart Village (SAGY, 2016)
9 2015 Digital Village (Phukan, 2015)
10 2016 Green Village (IGBC, 2016)
11 2016 Based on Location (RADPFI, 2016)
12 2016 Based on Population size (RADPFI, 2016)

The ancient typology “based on shape and size” outlines eight types of villages that
reflect how significant streets are on a North-South axis to provide proper lighting and
ventilation to houses. The major focus of the ancient villages was physical elements such as
drainage, roadways, and environmental aspects such as utilizing the meteorological data for the
occupant’s climatic comfort, as well as the social demands. Following that, the medieval
settlements are user-oriented in terms of social, physical, and economic needs. As living and
working in a community is a natural human instinct for protection and security (Cohn, 1971).
As a result, colonization is based mostly on social and physical characteristics, such as
the proximity to fertile land. Following that, between 1924 and 1976, several planners have
classified villages based on their external and internal layout patterns. These patterns have been
influenced primarily by the geographical characteristics of the land and the social division of
the villages based on caste discrimination (Dasgupta & Laishley,1975). In fact, they have
created a village typology based on the attitudes of the people about permanent vs. temporary
houses.
For colonization, these villages mostly consider economic factors. People require more
organization and land for their agricultural operations as time passes and people want variety.
Thorner (1967) and Gilbert (1918) characterize the rural communities based on organizational
behaviour and land ownership for social and economic purposes, respectively. Medieval
settlements were focused mainly on houses, the economy, and the other human needs to survive.
However, the modern settlements are more about technology, environment, the economy, and
the social needs.
In 2016, RADPFI categorized villages based on their topography and population size
to support village developments. Finally, based on their distinguishing characteristics, various
typologies are emerging around the world, and India as a developing country is also adopting
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them to develop the Indian villages. Thus, the government undertakes numerous attempts to
promote the villages, each of which has its unique characteristics. Each village has its own
identity, prompting the creation of a new typology based on their distinguishing characteristics.
The emphasis of these communities is similar to that of smart villages, which are focused on
technical, social, economic, and environmental issues.
Eco-village is a community that focuses on both the society and the environment. In
contrast. The focus of a Digital village is on technology, social issues, and the economy. Green
village is primarily concerned with social and environmental issues. Physical, social, economic,
environmental, and technical considerations are all taken into account in all types
of settlements. The target region of an individual settlement is shown in Table 3.

Table 3: The influencing factors in village settlements

Source: Authors
Category Village Social Physical Economical Environmental Technological
Typology
Ancient Ancient   
settlement
Density  
Pattern  
Residence   
Medieval
Organisation  
Land  
ownership
Modern Location  
Ecovillage  
Green Village  
Digital village   
Smart village    

In all three phases of ancient, medieval and modern settlements, social needs are a
common consideration. The difference between all the three phases is such that the ancient one
is more about the people and the environment. Those settlements were planned according to
their geographical locations and have moulded the villages according to Nature without
harming the natural features. On the contrary, the medieval phase is about the social, physical
and their economic needs. As this is a developing phase of the society, the consideration of the
environment and technology does not exist. The modern phase is about learning from the world
like technology is incorporated in settlements and economic aspects for people’s status
development. Many climatic issues arise globally in this era and therefore the environment is
also an important consideration.
The typologies of modern villages with distinctiveness provide indicators for
developments. These village types arise when human demands grow into a need for enhanced
connectedness to the rest of the world through technology. Rural people nowadays expect the
same advantages as city inhabitants, because a country can only flourish if all of its members
benefit equally. As a consequence, through the smart villages, the digital villages, the green
villages, and the eco-village projects, the government seeks to provide technology amenities
and many other development opportunities to the communities. To do so, the potential of ICT
should be studied and integrated into efforts to create collaborations among (all levels of)
decision-making authorities, communities, developers, and academics, as well as envisioned in
a way that strengthens linkages between the rural and urban areas (Zavratnik, et al., 2020).
The four types of settlements based on distinctiveness are discussed in Fig. 4. It depicts
the four types of villages as layers of concentric circles, with the first circle representing the
smart village, the second eco-village, the third digital village, and the final green village,
respectively. These circles are further broken into 36 divisions, each representing a different
indicator of settlement growth. The black color separation in each concentric circle indicates
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that one such indicator is not part of that village typology The grey colour depicts that this
indicator is part of this village typology. After examining these villages, it was discovered that
the majority of the indications are the same in these four village types, with just a few indicators
being different, allowing them to be distinguished from one another. However, the smart village
type is the most prevalent settlement type, as no single settlement can satisfy all the indicators.
Rural Development Parameters
Social & Community Personal development
Materials & Resources Actions Housing condition Human Development

Energy Availability & Efficiency Social Development

Economic Development
Water Conservation
Environmental Development
Village Infrastructure
Social Security
Health & Hygiene
Jobs and skills for Basic amenities and
the future services
1. SMART VILLAGE Water
Make in digital India
2. ECO VILLAGE
Land
Doubling farmers’ 3. DIGITAL VILLAGE
income
4. GREEN VILLAGE Forest
E-governance
Agriculture and
Next-generation Livestock Farm
financial services
Buildings
Streets
Education
Open space and community
Healthcare for all building
Waste management
IT infrastructure and software …
Sense of space Renewable Energy Technologies
Sustainable Local Entrepreneurship Eco-Tourism Cultural…
Social Groups
Fig. 4: Parameters of rural development
Sources: Smart Village: SAGY, 2016; Ecovillage: Sizemore, 2004; Digital Village: Phukan,
2015, Green Village: IGBC, 2016
Conclusions
To highlight the need to comprehend the changing trends in village settlements, this
study adopts a comprehensive approach of research evaluation and a semi-systematic literature
survey. It is the first study of its kind on settlements, concentrating on rural settlement patterns
from the ancient to the present India. Concerns about rural developments are growing these
days, yet there is still a scarcity of literature examining all the aspects of rural developments,
even though there is no specific definition of rural settlements. In this regard, the following
definition is offered.
“A rural settlement is a collection of buildings and spaces in a specific geographically-
bounded location where a group of people co-exist with the environment while satisfactorily
engaging in land-based economic activities without relying on sophisticated technological
developments” (Authors).
It was revealed that settlement patterns change with time and that subsequent settlement
needs don't have the same concerns as the earlier ones. The original concerns were with basic
needs like shelter, water, and security, but today's village typology is more focused on
technology, environmental sustainability, and contemporary aspirations. Lighting, ventilation,
and proper house connectivity were concerns in the earlier communities, but they are not

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present today. There are numerous government-sponsored programs, plans, and

recommendations for village developments, but none of them is truly all-inclusive.
The findings of this study show that the viewpoints of the people, the government, and
other stakeholders should all be incorporated into an ideal village development model. The
study finds that physical, technological, social, economic, and environmental factors are all
significant influencing factors for rural developments. Additional 36 criteria from smart
villages, eco villages, green villages, and digital villages need to be taken into consideration for
the inclusive developments to meet these indicators. The ancient and medieval settlements were
free to choose any new place to stay, but today, land is not freely available. Hence, modern
typologies are useful in the development of existing settlements.

In this context, following futuristic suggestions are made.

1. A thorough framework that equally considers all five elements (Table 3) is necessary
for the holistic development of the rural areas.
2. More accurate settlement indicators can be created by combining aspects of old
settlements with those of the new ones.

This study has limitations because it explores only the Indian planning theories and
government policies. The conclusion shows that harmonious architecture and growth of
planning lie at the core of past planning theories. The findings of this study offer a perspective
for creating policies that could enhance rural areas in all dimensions of architecture and
planning more successfully.

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