Urban design plays a vital role in community building and promoting horizontal community engagement. This video and an associated report, New London Villages: Creating community, (Scanlon, Sagor, Whitehead and Mossa, 2016) explore the concept of villages within the city of London.
In it they identify six characteristics which might define a village within a larger city:
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One of the oldest tenants of geography is the concept of place. As a result, place has numerous definitions, from the simple “a space or location with meaning” to the more complex “an area having unique physical and human characteristics interconnected with other places.” There are three key components of place: location, locale, and a sense of place. Location is the position of a particular point on the surface of the Earth. Locale is the physical setting for relationships between people, such as the South of France or the Smoky Mountains. Finally, a sense of place is the emotions someone attaches to an area based on their experiences. Place can be applied at any scale and does not necessarily have to be fixed in either time or space. Additionally, due to globalization, place can change over time as its physical setting and cultures are influenced by new ideas or technologies.
Place is defined as location plus meaning.
Location simply describes where a place is on a map whereas meaning is more complex. Each place has a different meaning to different people and is therefore highly personal, experiential and subjective. A particular market square, building or café is likely to mean different things to different people depending on what has happened to them (or others) there. A sense of place then, refers to those meanings which are associated with a place.
Place can be applied to any scale: from a particular room in a building to a country or region which rouses shared feelings in people. This is particularly noticeable in times of rapid political change (such as the concept of a ‘United Kingdom’) or public events (like the Olympics) where people experience shared feelings of belonging and attachment in response to an external stimulus.
Place does not necessarily have to be a fixed location spatially or temporally. A camper van or cruise ship which a group of people have shared for a period of time may invoke a sense of belonging in those people, as may a campsite or other temporary structure.
Similarly, every place is a product of its history – formal and personal – and is therefore likely to engender feelings of attachment based on individual life events or distant historical events which are represented in architecture and iconography. People may feel a sense of belonging to a particular house where they grew up or a playground they went to as a child or similarly, may feel attachment to a part of the country where their ancestors came from.
Places are dynamic and subject to constant change in their material structure and meaning. Places are not isolated or cut off from outside influences and so as people, ideas and objects pass in and out of a place in space and time they change it. They are therefore changing places.
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Traditionally, rural settlements were associated with agriculture. In modern times other types of rural communities have been developed.
In rural settlement the most basic sitting factors can be seen clearly at work. This is because permanent villages, like the semi-permanent settlements of shifting cultivators or nomads, or the temporary camps of hunters and gatherers, from which they evolved, have the same basic requirements of food, water, shelter and protection.
As human has developed more and more sophisticated techniques of obtaining a living, he was able to depend more and more on a single place to provide his livelihood, but the basic requirements must be present. if these needs are provided, other factors such as planning can come into play and affect the siting of settlement.
In most countries the pattern of rural settlement that we see today is the result of a series of adjustments to the environment which have been going on for centuries. In some countries, however, either as part of a land reform scheme or because the pressure of population in the existing settled areas is becoming too great, new villages and rural settlements are being established today.
The settlement where the occupation of the majority of people relate to the local natural resources is called rural settlement for example,
(1) settlement of fisheries along sea coast,
(2) settlement of tribal people in the forest area and
(3) settlement of farmers along the banks of rivers.
There are some salient characteristics of rural settlements.
Rural area is sparsely populated because many people leaves rural areas and settles in the urban areas for more facilities.These society has homogeneity. in its profession that is their only source of earning is agriculture and this is transmitted from generation to generation.There is homogeneity in dress, language and customs. It means all these remain same because their culture is same they belong to the same area.These areas have got slow means of communication.Rural areas have very slow rate of change because of lack of education and modern technology.These settlements have got simple culture transmitted from generation to generation.Rural areas have got informal social life that is they spent their life in a. simple way.Rural communities have got strong relationships and interactions of the people. It means that they help each other in distress and shares the happiness.In such areas there is less rate of pollution because there are no factories and mills and the number of automobiles is less.In such areas people shows great hospitality to their guests and treat them as a member of a family.
The village communities are smaller in area than the urban communities. As the village communities are small, the population is also low.
As the density of population is low, the people have intimate relationships and face-to-face contacts with each other. In a village, everyone knows everyone.
Agriculture is the fundamental occupation of the rural people and forms the basis of the rural economy. A farmer has to perform various agricultural activities for which he needs the cooperation of other members. Usually, these members are from his family. Thus, the members of the entire family share agricultural activities. That is the reason why Lowry Nelson has mentioned that farming is a family enterprise.
The rural people are in close contact with nature as most of their daily activities revolve around the natural environment. This is the reason why a ruralite is more influenced by nature than an urbanite. The villagers consider land as their real mother as they depend on it for their food, clothing, and shelter.
The village communities are homogenous in nature. Most of their inhabitants are connected with agriculture and its allied occupations, though there are people belonging to different castes, religions, and classes.
In rural society, social stratification is a traditional characteristic, based on caste. The rural society is divided into various strata on the basis of caste.
The frequency of social interaction in rural areas is comparatively lower than in urban areas. However, the interaction level possesses more stability and continuity. The relationships and interactions in the primary groups are intimate. The family fulfills the needs of the members and exercises control over them.
It is the family, which introduces the members to the customs, traditions and culture of the society. Due to limited contacts, they do not develop individuality and their viewpoint towards the outside world is very narrow, which makes them oppose any kind of violent change.In Rural society there are more formal groups than urban society.
Urbanism and Ruralism are social realities.
Social Mobility:
In rural areas, mobility is rigid as all the occupations are based on caste. Shifting from one occupation to another is difficult as caste is determined by birth. Thus, caste hierarchy determines the social status of the rural people.
The degree of social solidarity is greater in villages as compared to urban areas. Common experience, purposes, customs, and traditions form the basis of unity in the villages. The point is debatable as there is much politics going on in villages.
Joint Family System :
Another characteristic feature of rural society is the joint family system. The family controls the behaviour of the individuals. Generally, the father is the head of the family and is also responsible for maintaining the discipline among members. He manages the affairs of the family.
Source(s):
Wikipedia
