Key Points

A human settlement is a cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live. It involves the grouping of people and the allocation of territory as their economic support base.

Rural settlements derive their economic needs from land-based primary activities like agriculture. Urban settlements depend on secondary activities like manufacturing and tertiary activities like services.

Social relations in rural areas are intimate and less mobile. In urban areas, the way of life is complex and fast, and social relations are formal.

The types of rural settlements are determined by physical features like terrain and water availability, cultural factors like caste and religion, and security factors like defense against theft.

These are compact, closely built-up areas of houses, separated from surrounding farms. They are commonly found in fertile alluvial plains and the northeastern states for reasons of security or resource availability.

These settlements result from the fragmentation of a large village, often due to social segregation. The dominant community typically occupies the central part, with lower strata on the outskirts, as seen in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

These settlements are physically fragmented into several smaller units, often known by local names like panna, para, or dhani. This segmentation is often motivated by social and ethnic factors.

This pattern consists of isolated huts or hamlets in remote jungles or on small hills. It is caused by extremely fragmented terrain and is found in areas like Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, and Kerala.

An urban settlement has a municipality or similar body, a minimum population of 5000, a population density of at least 400 persons per sq km, and at least 75 percent of the male workforce in non-agricultural activities.

These towns have a historical background of over 2000 years and most developed as religious and cultural centers. Examples include Varanasi, Prayag (Allahabad), and Madurai.

About 100 existing towns originated in the medieval period, developing as headquarters of kingdoms and principalities. Important examples are Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Agra.

Developed by the British and other Europeans, these started as trading ports like Surat and administrative centers like Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. Post-independence, new administrative and industrial towns were also developed.

The level of urbanisation in India, measured as the percentage of urban population to total population, was 31.16 percent in 2011. This is quite low compared to developed countries.

These towns serve as administrative headquarters of a higher order. Examples include New Delhi, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Gandhinagar, and Chennai.

Industries are the primary driving force for the economy of these cities. Examples include Mumbai, Jamshedpur, Coimbatore, and Bhilai.

These towns gained prominence due to their religious or cultural significance. Examples include Varanasi, Amritsar, Madurai, Ajmer, and Haridwar.

Towns can also be classified as transport cities (Kandla, Mughalsarai), commercial towns (Kolkata, Satna), mining towns (Jharia, Digboi), garrison towns (Ambala, Udhampur), educational towns (Roorki, Aligarh), and tourist towns (Shimla, Nainital).

The functions of cities are not static and change over time. As specialized cities grow into metropolises, they become multifunctional, making it difficult to categorize them into a single functional class.

The mission aims to promote cities with core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment, and a decent quality of life. It focuses on applying smart solutions to improve services and infrastructure.