Settlement patterns
![Settlement Patterns illustration: in the foreground, buildings line the banks of an estuary as an example of linear settlement. A few miles inland, we see a dense grouping of buildings in a town perhaps, representing a nucleated settlement. In the foothills further back from the town, a few buildings dotted about depict dispersed settlement. And a lone dwelling half-way up a mountain in the distance is an example of an isolated settlement.](https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8947543e-7ff2-4872-8018-3abb7d54ce3f_SP+739+-+Settlement+patterns.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&w=3840&q=50)
I like these common settlement patterns — look out for them.
- Nucleated settlements, or clustered settlements, gather around one or more central hubs like a church or a square.
- Linear settlements form alongside roads or landscape features like waterways or shoreline.
- Dispersed settlements are common in agricultural areas where houses or farmsteads are spread out but form a loose settlement area.
- Isolated settlements are the loners in the most magical and isolated wilderness by themselves.
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