a. Nucleated and dispersed settlement:
Compact settlements are mostly found in the highly productive alluvial plains. Apart from the agricultural land compact settlement are also found in many of the hunting and fishing areas. It is generally found in the plains or along the water bodies where soil, fish, and other resources are rich.
Dispersed settlements are generally found in the areas of extreme climates, hilly tracts, thick forests, grasslands, poor agricultural land, areas of extensive cultivation and the areas where it is essential that the farmers should live on his agricultural land rather than in a distant village.
b. Linear or Radial settlement:
The linear pattern is one of the important design of settlement. In the linear settlement, houses are arranged along either side of a road, railway line, river or canal. Such settlement also evolves along the edge of a valley, especially in the mountainous areas, above flood level or along the coast.
Radial settlements develop on the sites and places where several metalled or un-metalled roads converge. In a radial settlement, houses spread out along the sides of roads in all directions. This pattern is common to both rural and urban areas especially newly developed areas which are spreading out along the major roads.