Settlement Patterns

1.  Factors Affecting Settlement Patterns

• Describe ways the physical environment...

  • climate

  • landforms

  • soil type

  • vegetation

  • natural resources

• ... has influenced settlement patterns in different places around the world.  For example:

  • how climate, vegetation, and natural resources have influenced settlement patterns in Brazil

  • how landforms have influenced settlement patterns in Japan

  • how landforms, climate, and soil types havem affected settlement patterns in Egypt

• Research ways the physical environment may affect settlement patterns in the future:

  • the impact of rising sea levels on coastal cities as polar ice caps melt

  • desertification

  • earthquakes in increasingly populous regions

  • increasingly violent tropical storms as a result of climate change

• Describe the features of a sustainable community in the future...

  • energy-efficient buildings

  • use of renewable sources of energy

  • a comprehensive public transportation system

  • community gardens

  • roof gardens

  • green canopy

  • naturalized parks with native species

  • programs for waste and water recycling

• ... and some challenges associated with creating such a community.  For example:

  • cost

  • population growth

  • urbanization

  • dependence on fossil fuels

2.  Human Settlement and Sustainability

• Pick a situation from the list below, and devise high-level inquiry questions (using the bottom right hand corner of the Question Matrix - see below) that will guide inquiry into your situation:

  • social, economic, and environmental perspectives on land-reclamation projects in the Netherlands or Japan

  • social, economic, political, and environmental perspectives on land-use conflicts in Brazil, Mexico, or Kenya

  • social, economic, political, and environmental perspectives on the global trend towards increased urbanization

• Continuing with the same situation you picked in the task above, gather and organize information about the impact of your situation on the physical environment, ensuring your research reflects at least two different perspectives.  For example:

  • aerial photographs of Japanese sea walls prior to the earthquake and tsunami of 2011

  • photographs of or documentaries on the flooding and resulting damage caused by the tsunami

  • government and international data on the costs of flood-control in Japan before the tsunami and emergency measures following it

  • articles by or information on the website of environmental advocacy groups on the long-term effects of the tsunami

• Continuing with the same situation you have been working with for the last several tasks, create a map showing the spatial boundaries of your situation (consider using Google My Maps).  For example:

  • use a GIS to construct a map that include major cities in the developed and developing world to show how population density has changed over the past twenty years

  • analyse population density maps to determine where most people live on a global scale

  • construct a land-use map to illustrate the extent to which San Francisco has reclaimed or adapted land 

  • analyse maps to explore possible land-use conflicts in a community

  • analyse thematic maps to determine the loss of green space in and around an urban centre over the past fifteen years

• Continuing with the same situation you have been working with for the last several tasks, interpret and analyze information and evidence relevant to your investigation.  For example:

  • interpret photographs to determine possible land-use conflicts that could arise in relation to a proposed housing or industrial development project

  • use a graphic organizer to help them explore various perspectives on the construction of a new airport (like the one being proposed for Pickering)

  • use online and computer-based geographic software applications to determine population shifts from rural to urban areas

• Continuing with the same situation you have been working with for the last several tasks, evaluate evidence and draw conclusions about the differing perspectives on your situation.

• Continuing with the same situation you have been working with for the last several tasks, communicate the results of your inquiry using appropriate vocabulary (settlement patterns, population distribution, population density, land use, sustainable development, land reclamation, migration) in an appropriate format.  For example:

  • a play about the impact of urbanization on rural communities

  • a website that focuses on issues associated with creating more sustainable communities (consider using Google Sites)

  • a photo essay on a land-use conflict in a specific region

  • a report, song, or poem that addresses the impact of different kinds of human settlement on the environment

  • a story about sustainable communities of the future

3.  Humans v. the Environment

• Identify spatial patterns in human settlement:

  • linear, scattered, and clustered patterns in populations in different regions

  • global patterns in population density 

  • global patterns in distribution

• Describe ways in which the physical environment can influence the general location and patterns of human settlements:

  • the impact of factors such as climate, soil, and topography on the location of agricultural settlements

  • the impact of physical features on urban development

  • the importance of water for transportation, irrigation, industry, personal use

  • the existence of natural resources and the development of resource towns

  • the type of buildings erected in an area prone to earthquakes

• Describe various land use issues...

  • competition for land for agriculture, industry, housing, transportation, recreation, wilderness areas

  • land claims by Indigenous groups

  • development in ecologically sensitive areas

• ... and describe responses of various groups to those issues.  For example:

  • municipal, state/provincial/regional, and/or national governments

  • local residents

  • environmental, Indigenous, or grassroots groups

  • non-governmental organizations

• Describe current trends in human settlement:

  • the global trend of increased migration from rural to urban areas

  • trends in some countries of people moving from major cities to smaller towns

  • loss of natural habitat as human settlement expands

  • urban sprawl

  • land reclamation

• Describe ways in which human settlement has affected the environment:

  • water pollution from industry, agriculture, and/or human waste

  • air pollution from vehicle and industrial emissions

  • soil contamination from pesticides, industrial by-products, and/or garbage dumps

  • deforestation and loss of habitat from expanding settlement

  • loss of agricultural land to urban sprawl

  • light pollution from large cities

  • disruption of migratory routes of different species

  • desertification from unsustainable agricultural practices

• Describe practices that individuals and communities have adopted to help make human settlements more sustainable:

  • reducing water use

  • increasing recycling and composting

  • limiting the construction of housing on land that could be used for agriculture

  • using public transit

  • planting and maintaining trees

• Analyze and build a choropleth map on one of these topics (consider using Google My Maps):

  • population density

  • availability or use of agricultural land

  • spending on transportation

• World Population History