What is the difference between a town and a hamlet?

Settlements can be arranged into a hierarchy based on their population or other criteria.Landscape historians use the term in England.The planning system for the UK and some other countries uses the term.Brian Roberts used the term without comment in 1972.[3]

In Europe, centuries-old settlements were surrounded by farmland and tended not to be wider than 30 minutes' walk from one end to the other, with wealthier people monopolizing the "town center", while poorer people lived on the town's outskirts or nearby countryside.With the advent of decentralization technologies, bicycles, trains, cars, etc.American settlements reversed this trend before reaching their saturation point, with vast farmlands managed by homesteads located dozens of miles away from the nearest settlement.

The population size, geographic area, status and availability of services can all affect this hierarchy.The sphere of influence can affect the position of a settlement hierarchy.If people travel further, the town becomes more important and they will use the services more.

Not all population boundaries fit, so using the size of a settlement can be misleading.Some cities have a larger population than others.There is no agreement on the number of levels in the hierarchy.There are no legal definitions for many terms used to describe settlements.

Status can be implied by the position of the settlement in the hierarchy.Status can be derived from being the residence of a King or a high-ranking member of the nobility.A multiple estate appears to have been common in 10th century England.The centre of an estate could be supported by subsidiary settlements.A Saxon royal estate might be supported by settlements that produce cheese, or keep flocks of sheep.[5]

The roadhouse is at the lowest level while the ecumenopolis has the greatest number of residents.

In other contexts, the population criteria for each category of settlement might be different.

The current world situation as of 2010 is different from the idealized settlement hierarchy outlined in Doxiadis' 1968 book Ekistics.

More than one million people live in this area.The settlement's population and GDP tend to exceed that of most countries with less density.The sustainable growth and continued prosperity of its citizens depends on the need for administrative divisions, public transportation and other government public services.Ancient Rome reached a population of one million residents in 133 B.C.London, England and New York City made it to the mark during the Second Industrial Revolution.

There are less than one million residents.economies of scale allow for viable access to advanced services at this density.