The Environment in the City 117
than that of the city, is the concept of the settlement. A settlement is a group
of dwellings at a relatively short distance from each other, so that certain
spatial and functional relationships are created among them. The settlement
enters into being from the moment that the number of households making it
up is sufficient to create a social group larger than the family. Every city is
in the broad sense a settlement, but not every settlement is a city.
In order to be classified as a city, a settlement must have a minimum capacity and certain other characteristics. This capacity must be quantitative as
well as qualitative. According to statistical criteria, in order for a settlement
to be considered a city it must exceed a certain number of inhabitants. As
early as 1887 the International Statistical Institute wanted to classify as a city
every settlement with a population of more than 2000. This, however, proved
to be impracticable, because each country sets its own threshold in keeping
with the special conditions characterizing it, in the way that suits it best. In
some countries, settlements with at least 10,000 inhabitants are considered
cities, settlements with 2000–10,000 inhabitants are classified as towns and
those with fewer than 2000 inhabitants are classified as villages. In special
cases, however, a city may be smaller, e.g. the capital of a prefecture.
Number of inhabitants is not enough to distinguish a city from other
settlements. There are cases where although the number of inhabitants of
a settlement is low, other characteristics (e.g. high density or highly developed commercial, administrative or cultural functions) raise it to the status
of a city. By contrast, a numerically large settlement serving only one specific function (e.g. military base or large research centre) cannot in general
be described as a city, since it lacks other basic functions. The same is true
of certain large rural settlements, especially in developing countries which,
despite the number of their inhabitants, are still large villages because they
lack characteristic urban activities.
According to modern functional urban planning, the city must serve the
four basic needs of its inhabitants: housing, jobs, recreation and circulation. The small settlement which is not yet a city usually meets the first
need for housing and only meets the other needs in a rudimentary way.
A large part of the work of the inhabitants of a rural settlement is usually
performed outside the settlement, i.e. in the fields, whereas other tertiary
sector activities find no place in the small settlement and become concentrated in the neighbouring city. In the small settlement even the surfaces
available for recreation and circulation are minimal. In contrast, in the city
so many services and opportunities for employment are provided that the
great majority of the inhabitants are able to live, work, play and communicate without going beyond the city’s boundaries.
Another important point that distinguishes the city from smaller settlements is the intensely artificial environment that is created in the city. The
more a city grows, the more the space within it becomes alienated from the
elements of the natural space surrounding it. Some uban planners argued
than that of the city, is the concept of the settlement. A settlement is a group
of dwellings at a relatively short distance from each other, so that certain
spatial and functional relationships are created among them. The settlement
enters into being from the moment that the number of households making it
up is sufficient to create a social group larger than the family. Every city is
in the broad sense a settlement, but not every settlement is a city.
In order to be classified as a city, a settlement must have a minimum capacity and certain other characteristics. This capacity must be quantitative as
well as qualitative. According to statistical criteria, in order for a settlement
to be considered a city it must exceed a certain number of inhabitants. As
early as 1887 the International Statistical Institute wanted to classify as a city
every settlement with a population of more than 2000. This, however, proved
to be impracticable, because each country sets its own threshold in keeping
with the special conditions characterizing it, in the way that suits it best. In
some countries, settlements with at least 10,000 inhabitants are considered
cities, settlements with 2000–10,000 inhabitants are classified as towns and
those with fewer than 2000 inhabitants are classified as villages. In special
cases, however, a city may be smaller, e.g. the capital of a prefecture.
Number of inhabitants is not enough to distinguish a city from other
settlements. There are cases where although the number of inhabitants of
a settlement is low, other characteristics (e.g. high density or highly developed commercial, administrative or cultural functions) raise it to the status
of a city. By contrast, a numerically large settlement serving only one specific function (e.g. military base or large research centre) cannot in general
be described as a city, since it lacks other basic functions. The same is true
of certain large rural settlements, especially in developing countries which,
despite the number of their inhabitants, are still large villages because they
lack characteristic urban activities.
According to modern functional urban planning, the city must serve the
four basic needs of its inhabitants: housing, jobs, recreation and circulation. The small settlement which is not yet a city usually meets the first
need for housing and only meets the other needs in a rudimentary way.
A large part of the work of the inhabitants of a rural settlement is usually
performed outside the settlement, i.e. in the fields, whereas other tertiary
sector activities find no place in the small settlement and become concentrated in the neighbouring city. In the small settlement even the surfaces
available for recreation and circulation are minimal. In contrast, in the city
so many services and opportunities for employment are provided that the
great majority of the inhabitants are able to live, work, play and communicate without going beyond the city’s boundaries.
Another important point that distinguishes the city from smaller settlements is the intensely artificial environment that is created in the city. The
more a city grows, the more the space within it becomes alienated from the
elements of the natural space surrounding it. Some uban planners argued