SETTLEMENTS STUDIES

SETTLEMENS TYPES AND PATTERNS IN BOTSWANA

DEFINITION: A settlement is a place where people live e.g (isolated farm

stead/hamlet/village/town/city/conurbation/megalopolis.

a) TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS:

1) Rural settlements: These are places where majority of the active population is engaged in primary
activities e.g. Agriculture. Examples of such are: villages/lands, cattle post.
2) Urban settlements: These are places where majority of the population is engaged in non-agricultural
occupations. eg. manufacturing, retail, social service etc.

b) PATTERNS OF SETTLEMENTS
This is the way in which various homesteads are distributed within a particular area.

Three Main Patterns: Nucleated e.g. Serowe, Molepolole, Gaborone etc.

Dispersed e.g. NE district, kgalagadi
Linear e.g. Otse

NUCLEATED SETTLEMENT
This is a type of settlement where houses cluster together.
Nucleated settlement may develop in one of the following places:
 At the mouth of a river/ river confluence/ around a bridge.
 Around water supplies to cut the time and energy spent looking for water.
 On plantations where there are houses for workers, schools, community centers and clinic etc.
 Where there is a mineral deposit. Mining project workers houses are built for the workers and a
school for children of the mine workers.
 Near hills for defence.
 At a road junction. First a few shops and lodges are built to cater for travellers.

ADVANTAGES OF NUCLEATED SETTLEMENTS

 Easy provision of social services and cheaper for the government provide essential services to the people
when they are grouped in one place.
 It enhances social cohesion.

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  It provides a sense of security it is easier to mobilise people to beat off an attack if they live near by to
each other.
 It is easier to provide administrative services
 People do not travel long distances to access services.
 There is a wider variety of services/ more services provided.

DISADVANTAGES OF NUCLEATED SETTLEMENTS

 It puts enormous pressure on natural resources like fuel, wood, land for building and water in the areas
near the settlement.
 It facilitates easy spread of communicable diseases
 It lead to over crowding in the place when there is free land else where.

LINEAR SETTLEMENT

This is a type of settlement where houses are built in a line.

A linear settlement may develop:
 Along transport lines for easy movements eg roads/railways.
 In fertile land along river banks to grow to crops to feed themselves.
 Along hill ranges for defence
 Along a water line e.g. where springs occur in a line, for easy to water which is very essential for life.

ADVANTAGES OF LINEAR SETTTLEMENTS

 It is easier to provide social services.
 Wider variety of services
 Easy to provide administrative services

The main disadvantage of this pattern of settlement is that homesteads are stretched out in a line hence
longer distances travelled by people to the social services and relatives.

DISPERSED SETTLEMENT

A dispersed settlement is one in which homesteads are widely scattered in a particular area. This pattern can
develop in a place where:
 People desire to live on their farm holdings (and where farms are extensive)
 There are scattered minerals deposits. Mining activities provide jobs which attract people in area
followed by business providing support services.
 Land is generally flat (plain) so it is easy to work with land and build settlements & communication
lines.
 People’s culture favours dispersal e.g. where there is nuclear family system as opposed to extended
family system eg Barolong, Ngamiland etc

ADVANTAGES OF DISPERSED SETTLEMENTS

 People are spread in the entire area so environmental impact is reduced
 Land & other resources are shared out equally without so much competition.

DISADVANTAGES OF DISPERSED SETTLEMENT

 It is very difficult and expensive to provide social services
 It is difficult to maintain law and order/ difficult to rule
 Lack of security
 Lack of social cohesion
 Long distances travelled for services
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SOME ASPECTS OF SETTLEMENTS

a) SITE : The ground/ environment on which a settlement stands/ The physical location of a
place eg. flat land

b) SITUATION : The position of a place in relation to other areas surrounding it.

c) PATTERN : The way various houses in a settlement are distributed or arranged. eg. nucleated, linear,
dispersed.

RURAL SETTLEMENTS
These are areas where a large majority of the active population is engaged in primary activities especially
agriculture. eg Bobonong Serowe Rakops, Otse and Sikwane etc.
Most rural settlements are nucleated in Botswana except a few in North East District, cattle posts and Borolong
areas which are dispersed.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SITE AND PATTERN OF RURAL SETTLEMENTS

 Water availability e.g. near lakes, dams rivers for water supply.
 Religious reasons
 Dry land free from pests and diseases
 Historical factors e.g. Wars forced people to concentrate in one place for easy defence or protection
 Availability of adequate rainfall
 Pastures for grazing land
 Building materials
 Administrative purposes eg chieftainship for easy rule.
 Availability of social services eg schools, roads, hospitals etc.
 Government policy

FACTORS THAT MAY CHANGE A VILLAGE INTO A TOWN

- Tourism
- Mining
- Communications e.g. roads/railways
- More services e.g. Entertainment, Education, Health, Shopping etc.
- Government policy
- Population increase
- Expansion of industries for more employment
- Agricultural development

URBAN SETTLEMENTS
These are places where majority of the active population are engaged in non agricultural employment. eg retail,
manufacturing, service delivery etc.

Botswana’s definition of an urban settlement is” a place with 5000 or more people with 75% of the labour force
are involved in non-agricultural employment. eg Gaborone, Francistown, Jwaneng

FACTORS AFFECTING THE SITE AND GROWTH OF URBAN SETTLEMENTS

-Defence e.g. near hills
-Availability of water eg. Khartoum in Sudan at a river confluence of the Nile
-Road junctions/communication nodes eg Lobatse, Bulawayo
-Mineral deposits eg. Jwaneng
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-Near bridges
-Power site
-Near or at natural harbor eg Cape Town, Freetown
-Flat land
-Administrative purposes
-Fertile soils

REASONS FOR RAPID INCREASE IN THE NUMBER & SIZES OF TOWNS FOR THE LAST 20
YEARS IN AFRICA
-Improved social services attracting a lot of people.
-Increase in the rate of Natural increase in towns
- Increase migration from rural–urban areas

REASONS FOR A HIGH RATE OF NATURAL INCREASE IN URBAN AREAS OF DEVELOPING

COUNTRIES
-High birth rate as mostly active age group (with a high fertility rate) migrate to towns
-Lack of education on family planning
-Old customs and beliefs in large size families
-Improved health facilities
-Better diet

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY RAPID GROWTH OF TOWNS AND CITIES

- lack of housing/ overcrowding
- unemployment
- high crime rates
- traffic congestion
- pollution
- outbreak of diseases
- shortage of clean, piped water
- poverty/ low standards of living
- poor sanitation
- development of squatter settlements/ shanty towns
- lack of social services eg education/ health/ entertainment etc.
- social ills eg street kids, prostitution

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH IN CITIES

- Construction of low cost housing eg BHC
- housing loan schemes eg SHHA
- Upgrading of squatter settlements
- Create more industries for more employment opportunities
- Improve social services
- Improve infrastructure
- Develop rural areas to reduce rural-urban migration( industries, electricity, services etc)
- Develop laws/ policies to control pollution

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN TOWNS/CITIES

-Develop more parking areas/ parking meters
-widen roads
-construct by-pass roads/ ring roads
-increase public transport
-develop free ways/ one-way streets
-develop traffic lights
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-increase police control/ traffic cops
-develop flyways/ elevated roads
-develop overhead pedestrian bridges
-develop roundabouts/ road circles

HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF TOWNS IN BOTSWANA

There are three main reasons for the development of towns in Botswana:
-The need to exploit mineral resources
-Development of modern commerce
-Need to create new administrative centres eg Gaborone

a) OLDEST TOWN – FRANCISTOWN

-It developed due to gold deposits in 1866
-Most growth occured since 1950s but it was still limited.
-It is currently the second largest city in the country.

NB : Other towns that developed through mining include Orapa, Jwaneng, Selibe Phikwe and Sua Town.

b) SECOND OLDEST TOWN - LOBATSE

-Developed mainly due to commerce after Mafikeng – Bulawayo railway line in 1901.
-Was the main station for surrounding white farmers and large tribal areas on the western side
-Growth stimulated by abbatoir ( BMC)
-Hosted offices of Bechuanaland which were transferred from Mafikeng.

c) CAPITAL CITY –GABORONE

-Was created as an administrative centre prior to independence
-Also to promote modern commerce and industries.

CLASSIFICATION OF URBAN AREAS

1. SIZE OF POPULATION
- Individual countries use different criteria to classify urban areas into towns and cities using different population
sizes.
- An economically and politically dominant city is regarded as a PRIMATE CITY (A city that has twice or
more population than the second largest town/city in a given country)
- Most primate cities are capitals in their countries.
- MEGALOPOLIS is a conurbation of two or more cities with large population sizes; usually with more than a
million people eg. Lagos (Nigeria), Cairo (Egypt) etc.

2. LOCATION
- Both physical and human features are used to describe towns/cities.
ie. Cities near the sea are coastal cities eg Cape Town, Cairo, Durban etc
- Others are located near lakes, mountains, rivers and crossing points eg. Khartoum at Nile river
confluence in Sudan.

3. FUNCTION (The main purpose or use of a settlement)

Urban areas have one or more functions ie.
a) Administrative centres eg. Lusaka, Gaborone etc
b) Industrial centres eg. Johannesburg, Harare etc.
c) Mining centres eg. Jwaneng, Johannesburg etc.
d) Ports eg’ Port Elizaberth etc
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 e) Religious centres eg. Rome (Italy), Mecca (Saudi Arabia)
f) Education centres eg. Oxford, Cambridge in UK.
g) Banking,shopping.
h) Tourist/ Resort centres eg. Maun, Durban, Mombassa etc

NB: Most cities are generally multi-functional especially Primate cities in many African countries. eg. Functions
of Gaborone include the following:
Recreational
Educational
Capital/ Administrative
Commerce/shopping/Trading etc.

SOME ASPECTS OF URBAN AREAS

a) URBANISATION : This is the gradual increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities.
This predominantly results in physical growth of urban areas either horizontally or vertically

b) URBAN SPRAWL : This is the horizontal growth or outward expansion of towns and cities.

c) CONURBATION : It is the merging of two or more independently growing cities to form one
continuous building area eg. Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi etc.

d) RANGE : The minimum distance travelled by people for goods and services in a town.

e) THRESHOLD : The maximum number of people required for goods and services produced by a town.

f) SPHERE OF INFLUENCE : The extent to which a town/city serves its surrounding smaller towns and
villages. eg Gaborone serves all surrounding villages with the following services:
Shopping, education, employment, health, water supply, power supply, banking,
recreation/entertainment/sport, transport and insurance etc.

NB : The sphere of influence of any urban area is determined by its range and threshold of goods and
services it offers to its surrounding villages.

g) HINTERLAND : The area served by a central place/town/city. eg Gaborone serves Tlokweng,

Ramotswa, Lobatse, Molepolole, Mochudi etc.

Ways by which surrounding villages/hinterland help in development of a town/central place

- source of labour
- land for expansion of town/disposal of waste/recreation etc
- provision of services
- housing/accommodation eg Tlokweng ,Mogoditshane
- market ( within sphere of influence)
- provision of raw materials/ food (from agriculture)

Problems that may arise due to expansion of a town towards surrounding villages
- crime
- social ills
- rise in land prices
- pollution
- shortage of land/land use conflicts
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 - cultural erosion
- overcrowding/shortage of housing/ squatter settlements
- traffic congestion

h) SETTLEMENT HIERARCHY : This is the ranking/ arrangement of settlements according to size of

population and importance.

Factors used to rank/ order settlements

- Population size
- Presence of infrastructure
- Availability of services
- Role of a settlement as a service centre/function
- Economic potential of the area
- Employment generation eg mining, industries etc.

From the above settlement hierarchy we can see that:

a) There are fewer settlements in group A than group B, because those in group A are in a more advanced
stage of development and have taken a longer time to develop and establish. On the other hand smaller
settlements are much easier to develop which is why they are more in numbers.

b) The sphere of influence of a city in group A differs from that of a town group B. the sphere of influence of
a city in group A is bigger than that of a town in group B. a settlement in group A will be relatively more
developed. Thus there will be more services provided. These include (university education), schools,
clinics, recreational centers, airports, night clubs, stadiums and other facilities. Goods sold are also of a
higher order than those found in a settlement form group C. as such, people will be willing to travel
greater distances to purchase the high order goods. Thus, the sphere of influence of the settlement in
group A will be larger.

c) Group D settlements are very small and have fewer shops, stocking fewer goods. Residents of group D
settlements have to travel to bigger settlements for certain goods, for example for a person in group D to
buy a car or a computer, he/ she has to travel to a settlement in group A and B.

NATIONAL SETTLEMENT POLICY

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 The policy was formulated to :
 To promote proper use of land.
 To promote long term strategy for human settlement.
 To promote balanced development.
 To regulate establishment of settlements.
 To promote conservation of natural resources.
 To provide guidelines for development of various regions of the country.
 To facilitate orderly transition from rural to urban settlements.

The policy proposed a three- settlement hierarchy :

1 Primary centres – Population more than 20 000 eg. Gaborone, Serowe

2 Secondary centres - Population between 10 000 and 20 000 eg. Letlhakane, Tutume
3 Tertiary centres – Remote Area Dweller settlements (RADs) with less than 10 000

HOW GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO PROMOTE BALANCED DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL AREAS

 Rural electrification which improves living standards/ attracts industries

 Improvement in agriculture which creates employment/ improves food production
 Improvement in infrastructure hence promoting efficient service delivery/attracts industries to rural areas
 Decentralization of services to control rural-urban migration
 Remote Area Dweller allowances to attract employees to rural areas
 Rural industrialization to create employment/ to control rural-urban migration

PROBLEMS THAT THE GOVERNMENT MY EXPERIENCE IN AN EFFORT TO PROMOTE

BALANCED RURAL DEVELOPMENT

 Lack of money/capital
 Cultural beliefs against modern development
 Difficulty in accessing some areas/ Remoteness
 Land use conflicts delays development
 Sparse population in some areas making it difficult to provide services
 Rural depopulation due to increase in rural-urban migration

THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF TOWNS/ CITIES/ LAND USE ZONES

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MODEL A: CONCENTRIC MODEL (BURGESS)

 Here the zones are arranged concentrically

 At the centre is the Central Business District (CBD) followed by a manufacturing zone
 Around these are low income residential areas, followed by middle income and high income housing

MODEL B- SECTOR MODEL (HOYT)

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  Here the zones are arranged in sectors which develop along the main communications routes.
 For example industries are concentrated close to the main highways and railways, while the best
residential areas are furthest away from the busiest routes.
 Areas of highest rent tend to be along the communication. The city grows in a series of wedges or sectors.

MODEL C: MULTIPLE-NUCLEI ( HARRIS AND ULLMAN )

 Here there are several secondary business centres in addition to the main CBD.
 These other smaller CBDs have independent growth patterns and functions eg.
Administrative/Retail/Industrial/ Transport functions.
 Each nucleus will grow until they merge to form one large urban centre.

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LAND USES IN TOWNS AND CITIES

1. CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT (CBD)

This is an area normally in the centre of many cities containing major shops, offices, cinemas etc.

Characteristics of a CBD
 Has tall buildings/ sky scrappers/ multi-storey buildings
 Buildings made with much glass
 Buildings with varied heights
 Mixture of old and new buildings
 Lifts/ escalators in buildings
 Has shops, offices, banks, hotels, restaurants, cinemas etc.
 Air conditioned buildings
 High population density during the day and low population density at night.

Why are there many people in the CBD during the day
 Shopping,
 Entertainment/cinemas/ recreation
 Maximum accessibility
 Work places/ offices/ looking for employment
 Banking
 Postal services
 Hawkers
 Range of goods and services
 Administration
 Religion/church services

Problems associated with CBD

 High cost of land
 Lack of space
 Traffic congestion
 High property rentals
 Overcrowding
 Pollution eg. Noise, air

2. INDUSTRIAL ESTATES/ AREAS

These are areas set aside for manufacturing goods. In these areas are large buildings for manufacturing or
processing known as Factory shells.

Characteristics of Industrial Estates

 They occupy a large size of land
 Big machinery is used eg cranes
 Has factory shells/ large buildings where goods are manufactured or processed
 Has main roads/ railways lines
 Big trucks to load and offload goods
 Warehouses / large buildings for storage

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 Factors influencing the location of Industrial areas in cities

Industrial areas are usually located in the outskirts or edges of cities because of the
Following reasons :

 Open space for expansion

 Cheaper land/ expensive land value in the city centre
 Away from congestion in the city centre/ lack of land in the city centre
 Less competition for land in the edges of cities
 To reduce environmental pollution the city centre
 To reduce transport costs as they tend to locate near main roads/ railway lines

3. LOW CLASS RESIDENTIAL AREAS/ POOR HOUSING ZONE

 These are areas where low income earning people stay and most of them work in factories
nearby.
 They consist of poor or low cost housing and have a high density in population.

WHY POOR HOUSING AREAS ARE NEAR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES

 It is cheaper and easier to go to work

 Some people staying there have hope for employment
 Some provide small scale trading to service low income workers
 There is cheaper land/ housing therefore affordable for low income earners.

PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED BY PEOPLE IN LOW CLASS HOUSING AREAS

 Overcrowding
 Pollution
 Poor sanitation
 Crime
 Traffic congestion
 Social ills
 Lack of services
 High unemployment rates
 Diseases
 Poor housing

4. SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS/ SHANTY TOWNS

 These are residential areas which have developed without legal claims to the land or developed
without permission from the concerned authorities to build.
 They are normally built in the outskirts of cities by poor people who cannot afford expensive
rents or migrants who do not have places to stay.

Characteristics of squatter settlements

 Houses are made of waste materials eg. plastics, used corrugated iron, cardboard, scrap materials
etc.
 Small houses which are closely packed
 Temporary/ flimsy structures
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  Litter all over
 Bad smell
 Poor sanitation
 Noise pollution
 Houses poorly ventilated/ small windows
 Lack of services/ No services

Problems faced by people in squatter settlements

 Increase in crime
 Pollution
 Overcrowding
 Lack of services/ lack of clean, piped water
 Poor drainage
 Poor sanitation
 Poor quality housing
 Social ills
 Disease outbreak
 Poverty/ low living standards

Solutions to problems of squatter settlements

 Upgrading of squatter settlements eg SHHA
 Provide better housing
 Provision of services
 Relocation
 Create more industries for more jobs

CASE STUDY : GABORONE

Gaborone can be linked to Multiple Nuclei model with the main CBD and several other subsidiary centres all over
the city.

1. A) Central Business District (CBD ) - Main mall, Government departmental Headquarters, Banks, shops,
new CBD, Non governmental organization offices etc.

B) OTHER SECONDARY NUCLEI/ CENTRES

SUBSIDIARY CENTRES FUNCTIONS
BBS mall Shops/offices/banks etc.
Game city/Rail Park/Airport junction/Sebele /offices/shopping /commerce
centre/Molapo Crossing etc
African mall Offices/ administration / trading
Station shopping centre Recreation/ shopping/ transport
Commerce park Industrial/commercial/shops
Sir Seretse Khama Airport Airline offices/travel firms/shops

2. ZONE OF TRANSITION/TWILIGHT ZONE – Expansion of the CBD

PLACES FUNCTION
Naledi Industrial site Shopping/industries/retail/wholesalers/light
Borakanelo industries
Offices/commerce/retail

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3. LOW CLASS RESIDENTIAL ZONE
PLACES FUNCTION
White City, Bontleng, Newstands Residential zones for low income earners
.

4. MIDDLE CLASS RESIDENTIAL AREAS

Terraced houses E.g., G-west, Broadhurst, Bontleng,

Town blocks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 10 and
Kgale View,Phase 2
Built very close together
No gardens

5. HIGH CLASS RESIDENTIAL AREAS

Single storey bungalows Eg. Phakalane, Mmokolodi

Large plots with big gardens
Commuter belt
Suburban

THE PROBLEMS IN GABORONE

 Lack of infrastructure
 Traffic congestion (narrow street)
 Pollution
 Unemployment
 High crime
 Shanty development/ squatter settlement
 poverty
 Spread of diseases
 Shortage of health/ medical care.

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